Hi fellow mamas,
I am pleased to announce the arrival of Josephine Wei Lingzhi Bollinger. Born on February 16, 2018, she made her early appearance on the first day of the Chinese New Year. 6 lbs. 4 oz, 18.5”
More importantly, I want to share my story and my learnings. I had an unplanned c-section four weeks earlier than Josephine’s due date. I found out that she was in a complete breech position at 35 weeks on a Friday, and my doctor immediately performed an ECV procedure to turn the baby that Sunday. We were not successful in turning the baby. During the 36th week, I did a ton of research and talked to friends about turning the baby naturally, including spinningbabies.com from my colleague Charlotte Doud Before I could turn her, I had my follow-up appointment with the doctor, only to find out that I was 3 cm dilated with contractions and that the doctor could literally feel her foot sticking out. Fast forward, we proceeded to have the c-section, to minimize the risk of cord proclapse.
I feel fortunate that Josephine came out healthy and safe, but couldn’t help but draw a few lessons from this experience to share with you all.
- Ask your doctor about the position of your baby as early as 32 weeks. You will hear from most doctors that baby will change positions, but it is important to know where his/her head is at. I wish I had more time to turn the baby leading up to the 35th week. Many of my friends in the U.K. found out early and used natural methods to turn their babies successfully.
- Do prenatal Yoga early and regularly. This really helps align your ligaments and make room in pelvis for the baby. I did this with my first and did not do it this time. I wish I had.
- Build your mommy’s tribe now. I am incredibly grateful to all my friends and family that supported me through this experience. Lots of mommy friends who had the breech experience gave me tips, and helped me get comfortable with the idea of a c-section.
Happy pregnancy and look forward to hearing from you all!