Stubborn Dragon Baby!

Dragon Baby is "stuck" in his position. His head is under my right ribs, his butt on my bladder and his legs are stretched out to my left side. He's basically laying in a hammock and doesn't seem to have any intention to move. He's already in the top of his peer group - I read this weekend that only 4% of babies aren't head down by 36 weeks.

I had the version on Friday morning. I was not prepared for how uncomfortable/painful it would be. On the bright side, I was able to practice the breathing techniques I learned in our birthing class (a bright side I could have done without). The procedure was done in labor & delivery so I spent a few hours in a birthing room. The doctor who did it is very experienced but after 15 minutes of trying to move him, she gave up. Dragon Baby was bracing himself with his legs and yelling "No!" at the top of his lungs. The doctor suggested I try acupuncture but there is nothing else she can do - it's really up to Dragon Baby to move on his own.

I started interviewing doulas earlier last week and found one who has five kids of her own and has attended over a hundred births. I called her for advice and she also recommended acupuncture and several positions they may help move him. We've been trying them all and I made an appointment with an acupuncturist.

Ryan found a website, spinningbabies.com, that has a bunch of crazy suggestions on how to move the baby. We've tried them all repeatedly, including doing handstands in the pool at the ranch.

I met with a midwife on Tuesday and the little stinker has not budged. The truly good news is that Dragon baby is moving all the time like crazy and his heart rate is strong, so we know he's healthy. He's just too darn comfortable in his hammock! The midwife had a lot of encouraging words, she had a cesarean herself, so I feel more comfortable about it. Plus she said the surgeon can fix my scar from my laproscopic surgery in November. We went ahead and booked the surgery and all of my pre-op appointments.

I had an appointment with an acupuncturist this morning. She put a few needles in but the main technique is moxibustion (application of heat resulting from the burning of a small bundle of tightly bound herbs, or moxa, to targeted acupoints). So far no results but she gave me some moxa to try at home. Ryan has no idea what he's in for - he's basically going to have to hold a cigar looking thing next to both of my little toes for 20 minutes a day. This will be a great photo op!

No one seems to be overly optimistic that he's going to move but I'm still giving it my best shot. I never thought that I'd have to have a cesarean, I really thought that I'd be trying to do this without intervention, with the help of a doula. It's much better to have a planned cesarean instead of waiting until I go into labor and then being in an emergency situation. Short term, recovery will be more difficult but maybe there will be some benefit long term since my pelvic floor won't be wiped out (especially if Dragon Baby inherits the Ryan's head size). Dragon Baby announced his existence to the world in a big way (emergency room ultrasound) so I guess he's continuing with his stylized entrance to the world!

Cesarean is scheduled for June 15 at 1:00 pm. I'll be meeting with the surgeon and nurses several times beforehand so I will feel comfortable with the process. Next appointment is June 5.