Breech and Ticked

True...I am very sad that my baby is breech. I found out at my last appointment with my midwife. Of course the one appointment my hubby couldn't make was the most eventful one of all. My midwife was pushing on my belly like she usually does before she tells me Hamlet is head down and then asses the heart beat. But she was pushing on it a lot longer this time and her brow started to furrow. Then I started to run through a list of ridiculous medical revelations she could be making....all of them scary and extreme. My baby being breech did not cross my mind. Nope. All my speculations were far more dramatic. Then she started to get closer and closer to my belly, inspecting the under part and looking concerned. Finally, I said "What?! What is it?" She wasn't giving me anything to go on. Then she told me, "Well, your baby is breech, but I think you also have a tick." She gave me a mirror and, sure enough, it was a tick. I was so embarrassed of my personal hygiene at that moment, but it is hard to care for what you can't see.

I was the entertainment for the office that afternoon. Three midwives came into see my tick and confer on the most current standard of care for tick removal. First, we identified the tick. We all agreed it was a dog tick (me using the mirror) and that it was not engorged. These were both good findings since Lyme disease is prevalent in north east, usually carried by deer ticks and transferred to the host when they start to feed about 24 hours after the bite. I was pretty sure I had had it less than 24 hours because the only time I went hiking since I got back from Florida was the evening before, so we were still in the safety window even if it wasn't a dog tick. Every person who came in the room proceeded to asked me "where have you been?" Really?! Is it that crazy to play in the wooded mountains when you live in an outdoor mecca like Vermont or New Hampshire? Anyways, the removal was successful, but I am on the look out for any target lesion that might pop up at the site of the bite for the next month (We don't want to see that. Target lesion = Lyme).

While all the ladies were in one spot, they all confirmed my little breech baby and told me to have Adam check me for anymore ticks when I got home. One of them imparted this wisdom to me with eyebrows raised before walking out the door, "You know you have a good partner if they check your butt crack." I will let all of you guess as to what kind of partner my hubby is. Now that the excitement of the tick was over, I had time to be bummed about my other news. I don't want Hamlet to be breech. I thought that sucker was head down for good after the whole VK experience, but now my Movie Moverton flipped head up and then got lazy.

What the heck?!

I am starting to stress about it because I would really like to avoid a C-section if at all possible. Even though I am delivering at an academic hospital, they said they do not deliver breech babies. Boring! I was getting really excited about natural childbirth now that Adam and I have been reading more and practicing relaxation (which involves Adam giving me massages and pampering me and telling me lovely things about myself- we should have started practicing sooner:) Plus, we are starting our child birth classes next Monday.

So my plan is to pray for that little butter bean to turn over. Feel free to join me. And tomorrow I am trying moxibustion - my first experience with acupuncture. I am getting needles stuck in my little toe and an herb burned by them to increase fetal movement. It actually has some good scientific evidence to back it...about the same success rate as external version, where they physically try to push the babe into the head down position. Not so fun for the mom. In fact, I heard it is pretty painful. I was chatting with a new mom at my flu clinic today, who had an external version. They abrupted her placenta (ripped away from the uterine wall) and she had to go in for an immediate C-section, but I am choosing not to think about that - starting now, because mine is not scheduled until November 15th - if Hamlet is still head up by then. I am also increasing my downward dogs, my butt-up child's pose, and my supported bridge (all yoga moves supposed to encourage breech babes to flip). And we are bring back our old friend ice tonight. We heard ice at the fundus (where little ham's head currently resides) makes them turn down. Ice got us results we wanted before, so I guess we will try it again. Adam and I will also be trying a little music and light at the pelvic opening to lure the babe in the right direction. Wish us luck!

Other than that I have been very busy with work since my return to Vermont from the beautiful Sunshine State. And fatigue has entered the picture again, so I have been feeling more bushed than usual. That is why haven't written about my trip yet, but I intend to in the very near future. I am so thankful I got to go home one more time before the baby comes. It has also flurried twice here - and I have missed both times. Once was yesterday. I am pretty excited about the first snow, especially since it is already cold- might as well snow if you are going to be freezing anyway. I miss you all and I wish I could hit each and everyone of you with a snow ball!