Hocus Pocus and that Jazz

We’re approximately three weeks out from Baby Menke making her debut, but we’re not quite ready. I mean, we are… or at least I am. But she’s not quite ready.

During my last three appointments, the midwives have told me the baby’s head is no longer down in the ready-for-delivery position. It had been for a long time… up until about three weeks ago. And then boom. She suddenly repositioned herself and apparently has gotten pretty comfortable. She’s taken a fancy to laying sideways (or transverse if you want to go by the medical term).

As we get closer to the due date, this transverse position is starting to become a bit of an issue. You can’t have a natural delivery if the baby’s transverse. Instead you have a c-section. And while I can accept that outcome if that’s what is meant to be, it’s definitely not ideal. It means hospital time (no birth center), IVs, knives, scars (to go on top of already very prominent other scars) and a longer recovery. All in all, it seems like the kind of thing that will cramp my style a bit. (Again, if it’s necessary, I’ll absolutely do it. And I’ll figure out how to be awesome at having a baby that way. But I’m trying to make that a last resort scenario.)

So now I’m in the “let’s try everything we can to get this baby to move” mode. I’m doing exercises recommended on SpinningBabies.com (which means I’m spending quite a bit of time positioning myself upside down in a variety of angles). They are suppose to allow gravity to work it’s magic pulling the baby out of her currently comfortable position while opening up my pelvis to make it more accommodating and inviting.

I also decided to give acupuncture a try. I’ve read a lot about it, and apparently there’s pressure points that tell your uterus to kick into gear, motivating the baby to move into position.

I went to my first appointment yesterday, and, well… it was interesting. I had no idea of what to expect, but that was probably good. If I had, I’m guessing I probably wouldn’t have gone. I don’t say that because I don’t think there’s a chance of it working – the practice was highly recommended and has proven successful for others in the past.

But man, it was by far the craziest appointment I’ve ever had. Honestly, it was the kind of like the thing you’d expect to see on TV because it was so far out there and over the top. There were needles and laser gadgets and frequency singing and pressure points and chanting and arm strength tests. The acupuncture guy talked super fast, and I could never  determine whether or not he was joking or if he was super serious. So I spent the entire appointment on the verge of giggling. But I tried to be open-minded. I figure that’s probably how the magic of Chinese medicine works best.

While the treatments have certainly stirred up a lot of Braxton Hick’s contractions and baby movement, I can’t tell if it’s actually working. The acupuncture guy said to give it 24-48 hours, and come back on Friday if the baby still wasn’t cooperating. He says he has an 80% success rate, so I figure it can’t hurt to try, even if it does seem like it’s a bit hocus pocus.