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Ep. 6 - A Canadian in Sweden

Allison was having a textbook pregnancy - she worked, she was physically active, and she was really enjoying the experience. However, later into her 3rd trimester, she realized that her baby was just simply not rotating to a head-down position. After no luck with Spinning Babies, acupuncture, and a failed ECV, her North American frame of reference had her convinced that a cesarean was her only option. So it came as a great shock when her care providers suggested that she qualify for a vaginal delivery anyway.



Allison and Gustav were happily married living in Vancouver, Canada for many years. However, a draw to move closer to family and "home" prompted the pair to move to Gustav's home country of Sweden.


After a difficult immigration process, no time really felt like the "right time" to jump into parenthood. Allison chose instead to immerse herself into the language and settled into a new job before deciding that she was ready to take the plunge.


After an easy conception process and a smooth pregnancy, it came as a surprise when Allison learned her baby was breech. After a failed ECV and no luck with other known techniques through Spinning Babies and acupuncture, Allison had assumed that a cesarean delivery was her only option. Instead, the hospital who conducted her ECV suggested she speak to the Breech Delivery Team to see if she qualified for a vaginal delivery.


"I just had no thought that this was an option for us... It's really interesting to me because in North America, it's the mom having to seek out somebody who is qualified and willing to deliver vaginally for a breech baby and having a lot of difficulty doing so. But for me, I was like - Ok, c-section - and then this opportunity came up that I hadn't even thought was possible, just delivered right in front of me."

Her labor was extremely fast and the delivery was even faster. It did require an episiotomy when her contractions stopped, leaving the baby's head still in the pelvis with the body already delivered. But swift and calm action made by a well-prepared and educated team brought baby Nova gently and safely into the world to a very grateful and appreciative mom and dad.


If you have any questions and would like to contact Allison about her experience, she can be reached by email at allison.r.mackey@gmail.com.


The research study discussed in this episode was the Term Breech Trial of 2000 ("TBT"). Further studies have since been conducted around the world examining the results of TBT with mixed results erring toward the opinion that vaginal breech birth of qualified birthing persons is a safe option.


TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

Immigration story, quick conception, active pregnancy, complete breech presentation, failed ECV, vaginal breech delivery, episiotomy.



Hyperlinks to our social media and podcast player platforms:

ACAST (Android users): The Birth Abroad Podcast


 
 
 

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