Vertex

Vertex is my new favorite word in the English language.

This pregnancy has been nothing but one excitement after another. So I guess I wasn't entirely surprised when I went in for my 35th week "welcome back to medicine in the western world" sonogram and the ultrasound technician looked at me and said, "Well, you know the baby is breech, right?"

Um. No.

My doctor recommended a couple of in-home exercises and other things I could do to try to induce the baby to turn. The most humorous of these involved playing music in the "target area." While I dutifully followed his advice, Baby Girl was not impressed. At my 36th week checkup, the doctor confirmed that that baby was still breech. Week 37 came and went, with no apparent position change on the baby's part.

According to the baby books, only 3-4% of babies are in the breech, or feet first, position by the 37th week of pregnancy. Delivering a breech baby poses a number of risks, so nowadays, most obstetricians strongly advise delivery by Cesarean section. And while 30% of American women now deliver by C-section (I have been doing some research) this is most certainly not my ideal birth plan. There is a much longer recovery involved--which is time away from Bee, and an additional challenge in taking care of a newborn.

So I opted to schedule an external cephalic version, or ECV, where the doctor attempts to move the baby into the head down position but manipulating the outside of the pregnant woman's stomach. There are some minor risks involved, so the procedure can only take place at a hospital equipped for an emergency delivery.

My ECV was scheduled for today, which meant that my dear husband, who is most recently returned to the U.S. from Romania (he arrived yesterday!) could come with me for support. So this morning I was starved (no food or drink for 8 hours prior) registered, monitored, hooked up to an IV and ready to go. The doctor walks in with the ultrasound machine, puts it on my belly and says. "Vertex! Your baby has already turned head down."

Cue the hallelujah chorus. Somehow my baby flipped without my knowing it. No ECV necessary. No scheduled c-section. Merry Christmas indeed!

I know that she still could flip back, although it is unlikely, or that my labor could always end up in a c-section--and that there are a million other little possibilities to worry about but right now, I am just so happy that my baby girl can greet the world when she is ready to do so.