Frank breech baby and hip problems

allclad13

Well, at 38 weeks I found out that either my baby has been breech all along or she recently flipped.  Unless she flips again I will be having a scheduled C-section.  (I opted against the version)  Has anyone had a frank breech baby?  If Did he/she end up having hip problems?  Also, I know breech babies can come out with their feet stuck up and sometimes even behind their ears/head.  I feel like it is hard trying to prepare myself to see my new baby in this position.  What did you experience with a breech baby?

lil_jen051708

Ds was frank breech for a long time. We had a c/s and opted not to do the version either. He had his hip ultrasound when he was 10 days old and didnt have any problems. However, we did notice a knot on his neck at 4 weeks which was eventually diagnosed with congenital Torticollis. It's basically scar tissue that built up on a muscle while in utero due to a lack of space or movement. We went to physical therapy weekly for 6 or 8 weeks and then he was fine. That was really the only problems we had. Good luck!

nichhollle

I had a frank breech baby. I was 42 weeks and not a sliver of dilation so they did the ultrasound and found out that was why. A little late in my opinion, but at least I didn't start pushing! hah

 

Anyway. Heres my experience. DS had been that way for a while, they guess three-four weeks. When he came to us, he had very swollen testicles because his feet were literally wrapped around on his head, crushing them! They were the size of a softball. He also refused to put his legs straight down for three weeks. The doctors watched it closely and it was just a comfort thing. He is 5 weeks now and he straightens them out all the time, unless he's tired or unhappy. The other thing that I wasn't expecting was the shape of his head. Since I was 2 weeks overdue, I had a BIG baby. Almost ten pounds. His head had indentations from my rib cage. He had two deep ridges through the top. It was pretty odd.  

 

Most of this is probably just because my idiot OB didn't check WHY I had no progress with such a whopper of a baby, and I was so late.

JSabs09

I had a breech baby but not frank breech. My DD was fine. She had a hip ultrasound at six weeks after birth and was fine. Most are fine but the docs will or should schedule an ultrasound and follow up.

Courtimilk

DD was frank breech and I recieved an U/S at 36 weeks to measure the AF. It was quite low (0.1 cubic cm away from an emergency CS to be precise) so a version was not an option. DD was born via scheduled CS at 38w5d. A week later a public health nurse checked her hips and was pleased that she was fine. However due to DD's legs being ''straight'' for much of the pregnancy she did take some time to discover how her knees worked and was IMPOSSIBLE to swaddle. She'd also wind up sleeping at a 90 degree angle on her side with her legs straight in front of her.

allclad13

Thank you all for sharing, this helps a lot.  Immediately after my OB told me that this baby is frank breech the doctor said, "she may have hip problems."  But she never gave any more detail than that.  So I've been left wondering if all babies in this position have it and how serious it would be.... Anyway, I will have to wait and see what happens.

elizabeth0705

I had twins via scheduled c-section. DD was breech. She loved to keep her legs up at all times after she was born, which made dressing and diapering her interesting ;-), but that was the only difference we noticed between her and DS.

Our pediatrician advised us to bring DD for an ultrasound to look at her hips (he didn't think there was a problem, but said it is routine for breech babies). We brought DS, too, just because we were already going. As it turns out, DD is completely fine and DS has a very mild case of hip displasia. DS was transverse/vertex the whole time! So, you never know.

ali26

My DD was not breech but has hip dysplasia...I agree with the pp who said take the ultrasound as a precaution.  It is most common in first born females so its worth at least checking out due to her position.  

Unfortunately for us my DD was not diagnosed until 6 months and we faced months/years of treatment and we still don't have the all-clear.  Had we known in the first few weeks of life her treatment would have likely been much less of an ordeal.   

Andie41

I had the exact same situation as you: found out at 38 weeks that my DS was breech and I didn't do a version either. He hadn't changed position for a long time so I was fairly certain he was staying that way! He didn't want to pop his legs back up towards his head after birth and he didn't seem any more curled up than any other newborn is. We had a hip ultrasound last week and all was well.

emberlee3

DD was frank breech.  She had no hip problems.  My pediatrician said it is rare even with breech babies.  Her legs stuck up in the air for the first few weeks.  It made swaddling more challenging, but we thought it was cute and hilarious. 

Kris2011RN

I had a frank breech baby and he doesn't have any hip problems. The pediatrician does a good assessment of his hip at every appointment. Good luck!

tombomb84

DD was breech for the entire second half of my pregnancy.  We had to get her a hip ultrasound at 4 weeks to see if she had any signs of issues but everything was fine.  She still likes to keep her legs tucked up tightly against her body but the pedi wasn't concerned and said she is just used to being like that so she finds it comfortable.

SJS622

My DS was a Footling Breech baby.  His hip ultrasound was absolutely fine.  I didn't see him when he came out, due to the sheet being up - so I'm not sure that you'll see her in the breech position when she comes out.  My DS was wrapped and cleaned before I met him.  

Mark&MandyLa

My son was frank breech from 30 weeks on. We attempted an ECV, but our perinatologist was unable to turn him (his rear was wedged into my pelvis and every time our peri moved it up and out my son would settle back in the same position). 

We had to deliver him via c-section at 36w1d. He's been checked multiple times (by his pediatrician and the NICU staff prior to his discharge) and as of now we have yet to find any hip complications. He does love to have his feet up in the air, though, and when he was first born he had what our doctor called "frog legs" (they bent outward). That has reversed itself as more time passes out of the womb and he's able to stretch his legs properly.

 Good luck with your c-section!  

NicoleWI

Mine was complete breech, not frank. We did a hip ultrasound just to check and her hips are fine.

alwank

I had a frank breech baby vaginally, ouch! His hips were fine, but he had his "frog legs" up by his head for the first few weeks of his life. He was super cute. He did have a mild case of torticollis, which we treated with physical therapy. Fortunately, he did not need a helmet, though we had him evaluated to see if he needed one.

babyonthebrain2010

My DS was frank breech, he had been in that position the whole later part of my pregnancy.. he had the routine hip ultrasound and was totally fine   For the first month, though, if he wasn't swaddled his little feet would always wind up back up by his ears, it was actually really cute  good luck!