Is he sitting in my belly? What’s going on—doesn’t he understand how a fetus’s life works?! At 32 weeks, according to the normal development of a fetus, the baby is supposed to be head-down. But mine, well, he thought to himself, “Hahaha, I’m going to play a trick on my mom!” That’s a good one, baby, but you’re making things a little complicated for me!
This was my first baby, so it went without saying that I’d give birth to him through the same opening he was conceived in. So, around 32 weeks, the OB-GYN examined me and said, “Oh! That’s a butt.” Okay, yes, my son has a butt—glad to know that—but why are YOU surprised?
Well, I have to tell you that I’m a bit of a wild mom-to-be. I don’t read about babies. I didn’t flip through the “bible” they give us at the first prenatal appointment, or any book about babies for that matter. I don’t have an app that tells me my baby is as big as a grapefruit or an avocado. However, I knew the baby was supposed to be head-down, but I didn’t know exactly when during the pregnancy.
So they sent me for an ultrasound, which confirmed that the OB/GYN had indeed felt my boy’s butt. They mentioned the version. THAT’S when I went online to find out if it hurt and to learn about the whole procedure. They’d explained it to me, but I tuned out at the word “C-section”—my brain just kept beeping and stopped processing the information.
Then came the big day when we attempted the version. I say “we” because my boyfriend’s hand went through a version, too! So the OB/GYN slathered my belly with gel to help her perform the maneuver. She positioned her hands and tried three times to turn my stubborn little guy. They didn’t go beyond those three attempts, which was just as well because I was showing all the signs of someone who wasn’t exactly thrilled. Fogged-up glasses, a tense, red face, curled toes, and a sweaty back. There was no doubt about it—I was getting a little flustered!
Afterward, my doctor took a moment with us and told us that, unfortunately, we might have to consider a C-section and that a breech delivery was possible, but since the ultrasound had predicted a big baby and this was our first, we didn’t know what to expect. Would the baby make it through? Would his little heart race as he passed through? Would it end up being a C-section anyway? Would my baby’s life—and mine—be in danger? So we decided that the risks weren’t worth trying for a natural birth.
But… I cried. Disappointed that I wouldn’t experience childbirth like in the movies. Without the screaming, though! One of the positives is that we got to choose the birth date of this little one—so long-awaited and already so deeply loved.
Audrey