A Mommy Story

I was browsing the web news last night and came across this article. Were Angelina Jolie and I to ever be stuck somewhere together and in need of conversation, we now have something in common. We both had c-sections due to a stubborn breech baby.

Sure, it could have been an excuse, but I doubt it. No other celebrity has used the breech excuse yet, so I don’t think they realize what a good excuse it is. Breech births are supposedly extremely rare – 3-5% of all births, it is said.

Now I wonder what type of breech baby she had. Cordelia was the rarest form of breech – complete breech. Footling and Frank breech are the most common ones, but complete breech occurs in about 10% of breech babies. Imagine a baby sitting upright, cross-legged, as if in a yoga meditation pose. Her base is as wide as possible at the bottom. That would be my daughter.

Early on in the pregnancy she had been flipping every which way. When we got to 32 weeks, I went in for my checkup and told the doctor I thought she was breech. The doctor laughed it away, saying that it was rare for the baby to be breech at this point. I asked about the large, round, hard object that was stuck up in my ribs, and she said it was likely the baby’s butt. I asked her to feel it again, and she did, and then her expression soured slightly. “Maybe that is her head. Let’s check.”

In the ultrasound room, I was treated to a lovely transvaginal ultrasound, since the doctor was still fairly certain she would see a baby skull resting on top of my cervix. She was very quiet for a moment, and then said, “Well, it’s definitely a girl. And that’s not a skull.”

My triumph of being right lasted only seconds, due to the realization that being breech made a natural birth difficult or impossible. I went in for several more checks, until we realized at 37 weeks that Cordy was not changing positions at all, despite me trying everything to convince her to turn. Since complete breech is the most dangerous type to attempt a vaginal delivery, we opted for the c-section for her safety.

So if I ever get the chance to speak with Angelina Jolie, you can bet I’ll be asking her what type of breech Shiloh was, and ask if she wants to compare scars.

By the way, Aaron’s 3rd interview for the state job is at 1:30pm. (It was scheduled for last Friday, but got rescheduled.) Please continue sparing any positive thoughts, prayers, anything you can our way. The check engine light on Aaron’s car came on this weekend, so now both cars are possibly in need of serious repair. We need this job!