Baby A Vertex & Baby B Transverse - Vaginal delivery vs C-Section?

EstellabelleRx

Hi ladies,

Baby A has been cooperating and has been head down for awhile now.  Baby B, on the other hand, has flip-flopped between breech and transverse and as of my sono yesterday, is transverse.

If Baby B was breech, I was all set to have a vaginal delivery (with baby B being a breech extraction).  Now that he's transverse, I'm a little nervous.  I read some things online that made it sound like a transverse baby B is at a higher risk for cord prolapse - which scares me.  And of course, having a double whammy also scares me too (vaginal and c-section).  The most important thing is I don't want to do anything that could hurt Baby B.

Has anyone here delivered a baby B vaginally who was transverse?  Any words of wisdom?  I delivered DS vaginally without any problems.  I guess I'm just scared of a c-section in general and would obviously want to avoid it if possible, but not at the risk of something bad happening to Baby B. 

MagPie08

What are your doctors saying/recommending? How comfortable are they with this? 

In my case, A is vertex, B is breech, and my doc is very comfortable with breech extractions so I plan for vaginal. 

However, if B was transverse, I would rely on my docs to give me guidance (NOT google - you'll only find scary stuff) in making the decision. I, too, am afraid of the double whammy. If my doc showed any sign of hesitation or concern, I would opt for the section.  

D31

this was our situation exactly and we opted for the c section, although the doc was going to do whatever we wanted. we felt the risk was too high for baby b and there was no guarantee he'd flip once baby a was out, so i wanted the least risky option available. the doc said she could try to turn the baby if need be, but that also has risks associated with it that i was too scared of. also, our baby b was measuring much bigger than baby a, and there was a risk he'd get stuck coming vaginally so i'd end up with the double whammy. i think i was 37 weeks when we decided this, so there was little chance of them moving around any further anyway. 

monkski

I had this exact situation as well. My doc wouldn't do a breech extraction and wasn't really recommending that we try for a vaginal. The cord prolapse risk and the risk of him turning breech was too big for me anyways. I felt more comfortable with the c-section and it was really no big deal at all. The recovery was way easier than I thought and the procedure happened so quickly. I would've done it again in a second. By the time I left the hospital, I really had very little pain. GL!

EstellabelleRx

MagPie08:

What are your doctors saying/recommending? How comfortable are they with this? 

I didn't see the OB who is the one who is comfortable doing a vaginal delivery with a non-vertex baby B.  The dr. I saw would recommend a c-section, but I would rather hear the dr. who would actually do it's opinion.

schoolsoutbride

My doc was saying that most are able to easily manipulate baby B, and since he's half way turned, he'll probably just flip to head down.  I think they'd be pretty proactive about preventing prolapse.  Vaginal would be my inclination, but I guess it would depend to some extent on what your doctor is comfortable doing.

ETA: as you weigh your options, don't forget to figure in the risks of a c-section.  People act like it's no big deal, and it often isn't, but there are higher incidences of respiratory distress in the babies, bleeding in Mom, repeat c-section if you want more kids,  etc

SoldiersGreenBean

schoolsoutbride:

My doc was saying that most are able to easily manipulate baby B, and since he's half way turned, he'll probably just flip to head down.  I think they'd be pretty proactive about preventing prolapse.  Vaginal would be my inclination, but I guess it would depend to some extent on what your doctor is comfortable doing.

ETA: as you weigh your options, don't forget to figure in the risks of a c-section.  People act like it's no big deal, and it often isn't, but there are higher incidences of respiratory distress in the babies, bleeding in Mom, repeat c-section if you want more kids,  etc

Agreed.  I had a section that went smoothly, but I also knew the risks.   My OB also mentioned the higher chance of needing a hysterectomy because your uterus is distended more than w/ a singleton. 

macchiatto

Good question. I delivered with a vertex A and a B who flipped back to breech during delivery (so had a breech extraction) but neither of mine were ever transverse. I would go with what your doctors recommend and are comfortable with.

MrsMommyLo

I haven't delievered yet, but I am in  a similar situation.  Baby A is vertex and Baby B is breech.  My OB doesn't think there should be a problem with delivering Baby B.  They will try an external version if not, they will do a breech extraction.   I am also scared to death of a c-section since I delivered vaginally last time.

My baby B was transverse for a long time and I did speak with him about that situation.  He told me if the baby was transverse and facing down he would be comfortable trying the external version.  If the baby was facing up, back towards my vag, they would have to do a c-section.

I wish you the best of luck with your delievery.  I think it is best to keep an open mind which it sounds like you are.  Either way as long as Mommy and the babies are safe and healthy everything will be great.   

meldoo2002

Our baby A was head down and B was transverse.  The plan was for vaginal delivery if they stayed that way as long as baby A was the same size or slightly bigger than baby B.  It didn't end up being an issue... baby B was slightly bigger than A, but they were both so small at 30w3d that the doctor's were not concerned about the size difference anymore.  Baby A came out fine and then the doctor reached in, turned baby B head down, and I was able to push him out fine too.   I don't know if it was due to their small size or not, but it was a relatively easy delivery.  They did do an ultrasound quickly after A came out to watch B's position, but it all worked out.  Goodluck on your decision.

jess_11883

I delivered my twin boys 3 weeks ago today and all the way through my pregnancy Baby A was head down and against the cervix while Baby B was either breech or transverse and we decided to deliver via c-section just to be safe. When I went to the hospital in labor, Baby B had flipped over and was now head down and I decided to deliver vaginally, and do not regret my decision and would make it again if the same situation arose. Baby A had a great delivery and was out in no time it seemed while Baby B tried to push through head first and they had to perform an emergency c-section that began with little anesthesia (and trust me, you DO NOT want that to happen). I am doing ok now but still have days where I am worn out and quite sore, but there are other complications that you probably (almost guaranteed) not have to experience. My boys are healthy and home with us which is all that matters to me! Just go with what you are most comfortable with and don't second guess.