A little upset with my doctor, and myself....A bit long, I'm sorry

[aliceinwonderland]

Let's me preface by saying I love this doctor...He's an older guy who has been doing this for a long time (retires from delivering babies this summer, actually), is pretty good about answering my questions, and is very well respected in this area.
Yesterday i go in for my 38 week appointment. After he is all done checking inside and out (sorry if TMI), I ask him if he is positive baby is still head down. We have been going on this assumption (he was head down even at our 20week ultrasound), but since I am so close to delivering, I want to make sure, right? Plus, you'd think he could tell by now...His answer was "I'm pretty sure he is: I think I feel his head down there. He could be fooling me, and could be his butt, but I don't think he is, it feels more like a head, a bony structure". At last week's appt. he said it was in fact his head, and it was between station -2 and -1. Ok, I didn't say much after this (now I am mad at myself for NOT speaking out. I usually do, even when not warranted, I don't know why I didn't at this time...). But now I am mad: I have NOT been feeling kicks in my ribs or even in the upper part of my belly...My intuition says he may be transverse, as I feel the kicks on the sides of belly button, not higher (sometimes lower).
If the baby is head down, great. If he is NOT, shouldn't I be prepared? I mean, I can go into labor any moment now, and if I am to have an unavoidable c-section for that reason, should I be a little prepared for it?? I know labor is unpredictable, and I can end up with a C-section either way, but if it is something that I can know and prepare for in advance, why not tell me??
I was up all night worrying about this, worrying how a c-section would interfere with nursing, and well, how I am not quite ready to part with bikinis, dammit! LOL, that last part was stupid, but the rest is very true...
sorry for the major vent. Not sure what to do. I see him next Tuesday, but what if something happens before then???
Thanks.
eri and the bean, due April 19th

[josephmama]

My doctor, who my DH refers to as "the Doctor of overabundance of caution" wasn't sure about DS being head down at my 36 week appt. She ordered an ultrasound which confirmed he was breech and she scheduled a c/s since they thought he was too big. He was jammed in pretty tight so I don't think he would have turned on his own and the doctor wouldn't try. I'm not sure if my doctor was just incredibly cautious but she felt that last u/s was medically necessary and so my insurance covered it. Maybe I'm wrong but I would think the doctor would want to know if the baby is breech! I know they can often try to turn the baby, too to prevent the c/s but I hear that can hurt a LOT. Maybe my last u/s was also due to his size? I'm rambling but it doesn't hurt to call and ask about an u/s. HTH! Good luck and try to relax!

[trumansmom]

Okay, deep breaths. :)

I know how frustrating everything gets. And this guy gets major stupid points for semantics - BUT, since you said you trust him, do you think he may have just been trying to be a little funny with the "he could be fooling me" comment?

As far as not feeling kick ups high, there may be several reasons for this. Sure, your baby COULD be transverse, but that's not the most probable one. Other reasons could be that the baby has dropped so much that he can't reach your ribs (as in my case!), or, if you look at the pictures in your baby books (and I'm guessing you must have a few lying around!), your little guy's rear end is up high, but his legs are most likely crossed with his feet much lower than his tush.

With both of my pregnancies, I felt the vast majority of kicks and tickles down low on my right side. At this point, your guy has found a place where he's comfortable and can't really move too much anyway.

Every woman is due a pregnancy freak out or two or three as she approaches her due date. If this is yours, I'm really impressed! You were quite rational.

FWIW, I screamed at my DH this morning for buying Ritz crackers instead of Townhouse. I'm going to owe him BIG when this baby is born! :P

Hang in there. You are soooooo close!!!
Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and EDD 4/23/04!

[aliceinwonderland]

Thanks. He wasn't kidding, he really isn't the kidding type...

After reading your posts, and thinking over my appointment again, I really think the doctor was probably 80% sure the little dude is head down...Now, if 80% sure is good enough for me, I haven't decided yet...

Yes, this is my second major freak-out. The first one was very early on. This baby needs to come soon, or I will lose my few friends and family. LOL :) :)

[Momof3Labs]

I stopped feeling kicks around my ribs long before Colin was born (at 38 weeks). He was head-down from about 26 weeks on, and didn't drop until 6 days before he was born, but his butt was up against my ribs and his knees were bent back into his tummy, so the kicks (more like pushes) were on my right side. If your baby is transverse, they would know it - he is way too big by now to be sitting in there all stretched out in any position, and an experienced doctor will know right away if he is transverse.

And keep in mind that babies can turn anytime during the pregnancy (yes, even this late) so try to relax - since you CANNOT control this - and let your baby and body work together to do this job right.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

eri, I felt all my kicks low and to the sides of my belly button, and baby was head down.

We call them "kicks", but they are probably knees and elbows and hands and just whole body wriggles too.

If he's been delivering babies for that many years, he's been doing it since before we had ultrasounds available so he is probably very good at knowing when a baby might be breech by feel alone. He'd tell you so if he thought it was.

Doctors just don't realize how one off comment can send a pregnant woman on a worry streak. Your body knew how to grow a baby and your body will know how to get the baby out when it is time. Trust your body.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[trumansmom]

Drat. I was hoping he was a funny guy. If it's really upsetting you, I would call and talk to him or his nurse for peace of mind. I've called me doc's nurse a LOT! It really helps clarify when you're mulling over what was said during the appointment.

And I don't count the early on freak outs! Just the ones right before delivery!

Sending blossoming cervix thoughts your way...

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and EDD 4/23/04!

[aliceinwonderland]

How happy will we be when we have our little brats in our arms instead of wondering if that was a head, a butt or a Braxton Hicks contraction. LOL!!

[trumansmom]

And I'm also eager to let my cervix be a body part I don't think about anymore! Kind of like my spleen, you know?

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and EDD 4/23/04!

[aliceinwonderland]

Too funny!! I think our cervix-es can't handle all the pressure and attention!!

[jojo2324]

Eri, I think you've gotten some great support here, but I just wanted to say that, like others, Sorrel always "kicked" me on the lower right. I guess it was her arms. Also, don't forget they curve. It seemed that her back was always flush with the left side of my belly, with her flailing limbs harassing the right side. :)

Like Karen said, trust your body! Can't wait to hear the news!! (Oh my goodness, I just realized it's really soon!!! I am beyond brilliant, and perceptive...)

[pritchettzoo]

First, it's perfectly normal to be freaking out. And this is a good reason--you could be freaking out because the sky is blue at this point! :)

I didn't feel DD kicking in my ribs at that late. I felt more punches than kicks, so they were down low. Plus, your little guy is curled up like a Cirque du Soleil performer in there--his feet may be anywhere! Or he could be kicking you internally where you can't really feel it very well at this point.

I had a c-section. I haven't worn a bikini since I was 5, but the scar certainly isn't holding me back at this point. The incision site is (usually) way down near your pubic bone. So unless you're wearing bikinis where you have to bikini wax the top of your hairline, your scar likely will be hidden. My two best friends and I all had c-sections. One was an emergency (meaning she was knocked out cold with anesthesia rather than an epidural) and we have all BF with no problems (related to the c-section anyway!).

If your doc still isn't sure next week, can he do an u/s to check positioning to ease your mind? Or maybe you could call the nurse line and see if one could be done in the meantime. No need for you to lose sleep when it could be checked easily.

Good luck!

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[starrynight]

My brother was transverse right up until 5 minutes or so before he was born. Then again that was 20 years ago, nowadays mom would have probably just gotten a c-section. Anyway, my mom asked the doc to wait it out for a few hours and see if he turned on his own and he did and she skipped the c-section.

So my point is even if your boy is breech or transverse now doesn't mean he will be on delivery day. And if he has been doing this for awhile then he is probably right. When I was pregnant with Eliza the doc told me he was 'pretty sure' she was head down but sometimes it's hard to tell. Especially since she was all curled up in one spot. She was head down and born just fine :). Good luck Eri!

[kijip]

Since you are so late in your pregnancy, it is not odd that you don't feel kicks as much or up high- your baby is likely curled up and can not reach your ribs anymore. You have a 4/5 chance of not getting a c-section anyway so don't worry too much.

Also- just to put 2 c-section concerns to rest- I know lots of nursing C-section moms. Also, I have a c-section scar and could wear a bikini if not for my still unfaded stretch marks. The scar is very low- below the top of my pubic hair and only about 4 inches long. Any bikini that would show it would be a set a strings requiring a brazil style wax. Not too many mommies would wear that, c-section or no c-section! My very low riding boy shorts do not show the scar. Now if I could just zap the remaining stretch marks!....

[Rachels]

A transverse baby doesn't feel at all like a breech or vertex baby on exam. Don't panic! I agree that it's not at all odd that you don't feel kicks in your ribs anymore. In all likelihood, that's because the baby's rear is there, and the legs just don't have enough room to extend out up there anymore. What you feel is probably mostly knees and elbows, and it makes sense that you'd feel them on the sides.

Hang in there, hon. This baby will come when he's ready!

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[lizajane]

i am sorry that you are worried. i definitely know that we can all relate to the last minute worries! if it is going to torture you, can you pay for an extra ultrasound? it was $125 to have an extra ultrasound in my OB practice, which we were happy to pay to find out gender. can you spare a few bucks just to have that peace of mind? not to mention some super cool pics of your babe!

also, schuyler was taaaaaaaaall and had his feet jammed under my ribs. but i could SEE his elbows and hands sliding all around the sides of my stomach. i knew it wasn't his feet because they were firmly wedged in my ribs. (um, comfortable? um, no.) but i still had all those funny jabs and pokes down low.

and i was SO worried that he hadn't dropped because even though the OB said he had, i never got that "i can breath again" feeling because he was 22 inches tall at less than 39 weeks. so you may just have a shorty, for example, you can't reach your ribs! ;)

[Vajrastorm]

Aine never kicked much, or if she did her legs were folded over. She was head down but I was always kicked/punched pretty low!

[jesseandgrace]

I would ask for the ultrasound. i know my ob had a tiny machine right in the office, it was not that clear but it is enough to tell where a baby has his head. for both of my kids you could pretty much feel the head, but if the dr couldn't, i would want to know. on the other hand, hands, feet, knees can all be kicking you so you can't really base anything on that. The doctor might also be able to explain more if you speak to him. he might have just meant nothing is 100%, but he really thinks the baby is head down.

[aliceinwonderland]

I feel better after reading your input, I really do (I didn't know c-section scars are so low now...The stuff most of you mention about the position of the baby makes sense too. I guess I am spacially challenged).

One thing they should write in these pregnancy books is the biggest coping skill ever would come handy in the last few weeks: the ability to distract yourself...Dinner last night with friends helped (nothing like 4 different nationalities between 6 people to keep one entertained), and I'm having a manicure and pedicure later this afternoon. This baby can just take his sweet time...LOL

eri and the bean, due April 19th :)

[momma_boo]

Good for you Eri. Take this time you have and ENJOY it!!
I had a pedicure the day before DD was born and it made me feel so great. At one point during labor, my feet got hot, so I took off my socks and even the doc and nurses remarked on my pretty toes, LOL!

[josephmama]

Pedicure! Great idea! I'm convinced that's what put me into labor!

[Melanie]

Breaeh doesn't have to mean c-section. If he's been around a long time, maybe he's even delivered some breech babies and doesn't feel the need to be overcautious or freak you out needlessly. ;-)

[trumansmom]

Hey! Great minds think alike! I'm off for a manicure/pedicure this afternoon as well!

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and EDD 4/23/04!

[aliceinwonderland]

Weren't you supposed to see your doc yesterday? Any updates? Still having contractions, etc? I have many aches (I think due to my insane walking and then cooking, for hours on end yesterday), but no contractions I don't think.

[trumansmom]

I did. I'm now 1.5 cm dilated, 30-40% effaced, and I don't know what station, but to quote my doc, "Wow! Her head has really come down!" And I spent about 6 hours last night with painful contractions that WENT AWAY!!!!! I'm hoping this kid shows up before Tuesday. I'm thinking she might.

And I understand about the aches. I just cancelled my pedicure because I just wasn't up to it. That and the fact that it's SLEETING here!

Can I tell you how impressed I am that you cooked dinner for everyone last night?! You are amazing! Hopefully your aches will turn into contractions (the real kind) soon. You'll know the difference when they come. Really.

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and EDD 4/23/04!

[StaceyKim]

I am sure he is head down. I had an ultrasound before to make sure the head was down and ended up having a c/s anyway because the head was too big. Oh FYI, and you CAN wear a bikini after a c/s! The incision is so tiny and very LOW.