Bassackwards

I came home from my 34 week doctor appointment in tears this morning.  Nothing is wrong with the baby, everything is still going well, the baby is growing perfectly and is healthy, the only problem is that he's breech.  This came as an absolute shock to me because the doctor told me just two weeks ago that he was head down and engaged.  Apparently, he was either wrong, or the baby did a somersault between then and now. 

I'm inclined to believe he'd flipped on his own because last week John and I were laying in bed and I felt the baby twisting and turning around and when I felt my belly, there was a big hard lump sticking straight up (very much like that scene in Alien just before the creature bursts out of the guy's stomach).  At the time John thought it was the baby's head, it was certainly the right size and shape to be a head, but I'd assumed it was the baby's butt because I was under the impression that the head was located in my pelvis.  Turns out, it must have been the head.

So today I was whisked away to the ultrasound room to confirm that indeed my child's head is located just below my ribs and his butt is firmly lodged in my pelvis.  Oh, he's locked and loaded all right, just ass first.  The good news is I'm only at 34 weeks and my amniotic fluid levels are high giving the baby plenty of room to turn back around on his own should he feel so inclined.  The bad news is, he's only got two weeks to make that decision on his own or I may have to make it for him.

The doctor and I discussed the possibility of attempting to manually turn him at 36 weeks.  There are risks involved with this procedure that, should they occur, would require an emergency c-section, not to mention the fact that the doctor tells me it is a very painful procedure for the mother, and he's particularly concerned about me because I've got so much pelvic pain to begin with.  All that and there's no guarantee the procedure will work.  I could still end up needing a c-section anyway.

Driving home from the appointment I began to loose my cool a bit.  I'd never ever considered a c-section.  It just never occurred to me because my labor and delivery with Alex went so well.  All this time I'd been preparing for a similar birth experience and now I'm looking at a good chance of needing a c-section.  I know, a c-section isn't the end of the world, it's just not the way I imagined bringing my child into the world, not to mention trying to heal from major abdominal surgery while caring for a toddler and a newborn. 

John and I briefly discussed the situation before he had to leave for work this morning and we both agree that we're uncomfortable with any risk at all to our baby.  I'm not all that concerned about the pain involved in the procedure, I have a fairly high tolerance for pain, but I have a very low worry tolerance.  At the moment a planned c-section is what we're leaning toward.  But, we have two weeks to decide and we'll be doing a lot of talking and researching our options and risks until then.