What is an unstable lie I hear you say? Well this was exactly my question to the midwife when she told me I had one.
To put it plainly it’s when little one won’t stop wriggling around in the womb during the later stages of pregnancy, putting your baby at risk of cord prolapse if your waters break.
I went to a routine midwife appointment around 37 weeks and Anabelle was laying transverse (sideways), not in the desired head down position. Previous to this appointment she’d been recorded as being in the oblique position, which means she’d moved in between appointments, or in fact had been doing somersaults the whole time.
At first I wasn’t alarmed and just thought this was normal with subsequent pregnancies for babies to not engage until labour had commenced, but then the midwife started reeling off the dangers and complications an unstable lie can entail when you reach full term pregnancy.
The main concern is if your membranes break there is a high risk of an umbilical cord prolapse, which could starve the baby of oxygen. Living 20 minutes away from our local hospital, even with an Ambulance using their blues and twos this would be too late.
Whilst my head was going ten to the dozen, the midwife was on the phone to the maternity ward booking a bed for me. I literally couldn’t get my head around the rush and urgency. My waters had never broken before so I didn’t think it was likely that they would this time. I remember saying to the midwife quite blasé that I might not be able to go to hospital as I had two other children to take care of.
She basically repeated all the dangers again, and the seriousness of the situation, and the penny dropped that I could loose my baby if I didn’t follow her advice. Needless to say as soon as I left the midwifes office I went straight home to pack, and after a few calls to my husband and parents I took myself straight to hospital. The boys were at school at the time which felt strange to not be able to tell them what was happening, but I knew I had to do this for the new baby I was carrying.
Once I was at hospital I had an ultrasound assessment which confirmed baby’s unstable position. I was told I wouldn’t be going home anytime soon, and quite possibly not before baby was born. There were talks of caesarean’s, manually manipulating baby’s position and inductions. Honestly my head was spinning. Pregnancy is such a hormonal and emotional time anyway, but this just opened the flood gates. After having a relatively uncomplicated pregnancy I couldn’t believe the unexpected turn of event’s. I was also concerned how Rob would cope finding childcare for our boys whilst I was in hospital. A mums worry never ends.
Up bright an early and feeling empowered after a lovely evening visit from my gorgeous family, I was ready to hear the paediatricians plan of action. Except after a few morning observations from the midwife I was left dumbstruck as Anabelle’s position had changed in the night and she was now presenting in the head down position. I hadn’t felt a thing! Surely there was no room in there for her to be doing such acrobatics un-noticed. I’m not going to lie I actually thought they’d got it wrong. But it turns out she had moved into the correct position.
At least there was no need to manually manipulate her into position now. Still to this day the pure thought of this makes my toes curl. But I was keen to discuss inducing labour and having her here safe, sound and in my arms. It seems I was wrong there too and the Drs and midwives weren’t inclined to stimulate labour. I felt so deflated. I’d literally been dangled a carrot.
I know I was in the best place possible to keep my baby safe, but the thought of being away from my family for so long was torture. At least when there was a provisional plan in place I could see light at the end of the tunnel. Now I just felt like I was going to go insane in hospital for weeks.
After another night in hospital and another round of observations, Anabelle’s position remained head down, so the Paediatrician and Midwives discharged me. What! I was even more confused now, and scared for my baby’s safety after all the information they’d been giving me, but I could only trust their judgement.
This wasn’t to be my final visit to hospital though, as a week later after another routine midwife check up, she was now presenting as breech! Back to the hospital I went, only to be faced with exactly the same scenarios. Talks of cesarians, induced labours and manually manipulating her position. But after another night in hospital, she moved herself back into the head down position, and was actually 2/5th’s engaged. They kept me in for a consecutive night just to be sure, but I was once again discharged.
Believe it or not when I did go into labour my waters did break, but thankfully her position remained head down, so I was incredibly lucky to be discharged and to eventually go on to have a natural birth rather than a cesarian or induced labour. I was still advised to go straight into hospital to be monitored, but I will share the labour story with you another time 😉
During the times Anabelle was presenting in unstable positions I know hospital was without a shadow of a doubt the safest and best place for me and her. But oh my word it was hard being away from my family. I felt so torn between doing the right thing, keeping her safe, and wanting to spend those precious later weeks of pregnancy with my boys before everything changed. But I am forever grateful that everything worked out for our family.
So to anybody who is experiencing an unstable lie, stay strong and stay bouncing or squatting to encourage baby into the right position and hopefully you too can have a spontaneous labour. It is also important to note that if your waters do break to phone for an ambulance straight away, and to remain on all fours until the paramedics arrive.
As always we’d love to hear your experiences, advice, questions so please leave a comment below.
Image by Anna Hardy Photography
I didn’t have an unstable lie, but i did have a baby who presented as breach at 38 weeks. I chose to have the manual manipulation (ECV) which was uncomfortable, sore and rather scary, but ultimately worked and I went on to have a natural normal birth.
There are a lot of scare stories on the internet about ECVs but it worked for me. Happy to give more info if anyone is in a similar position, as like your situation, it’s not something that comes up in the standard baby books.
Ah Sara thank-you for sharing your experience. So pleased your ECV worked. I’m sure if that’s the route the Drs decided to take I would have embraced it whole heartedly. Knowing my luck though Anabelle would have wriggled herself out of it. It is truly amazing what procedures can be done to keep us all safe. xxx
Currently 37 weeks with baby number 3 and had been.having a straightforward pregnancy. Had to go for scan this week as midwife concerned bout breech, luckily baby is head down but they then found another problem. Probably nothing serious but now going to involve more visits/scans/bloods and likely induction at 40weeks. I know what you meAn about being torn though, I want to do all the best stuff for baby (as a paediatrician I understand this all too well) but my two little boys (5 & 3) need me at home too….. the wonderful guilt of motherhood! 😛
Ah Victoria I hope everything is ok and you get to savour every moment at home (guilt free) with your two little boys before baby number three arrives xxx
Oh Lorna… This is all so fresh for me! These babies love to keep us on our toes don’t they! I think Tayo may be a swimmer when he’s older based on all of his antics in the womb. So glad it all worked out so well for you guys in the end and that your stay in hospital was as limited as it could be. I’ll have to share a post about my hospital cabin fever! 😉 xxx
Hospital cabin fever is the worst! I had to be kept in after my little one arrived in April as I had high blood pressure during pregnancy, and day 3 after labour is apparently the danger day for eclampsia, so I would definitely not be discharged before then. I was already feeling desperate to be home by day 2, so this was not great news to me. Day 3 arrived and my blood pressure stayed fine – instead I developed a fever and needed several rounds of IV antibiotics! I eventually was discharged a full week after my daughter arrived, by which point I was practically climbing the walls.
Oh you poor love Rebecca. You know you’re in the best place, but you can’t help but want to be home with all your creature comforts can you xxx
I can so sympathise! I ended up in hospital for 9 days with our little one – a very long induction of 5 days and then another for as I haemorrhaged severely shortly after birth. Whilst I felt incredibly well looked after, I couldn’t wait to get home with our boy!
I’ve never heard of an unstable lie, it’s pretty scary how many things really can go wrong when you start thinking about it. Really glad it worked out for you in the end though!
Firstly congratulations Maike and secondly so sorry to hear about your long induction and haemorrhage. I hope you and your boy are both ok now and enjoying family life at home.
I’d never heard of an unstable lie either until my third pregnancy. You never know I could have had it with Joseph, but he just so happened to be facing the right way at the right time during midwife appointments. Just goes to show how important those routine checks are xxx
You are an absolute star Becky. I bet it felt like a life sentence the length you had to stay in hospital. SO pleased he’s here safe and sound now xxx
My son was transverse for most of my pregnancy but by the end he was basically just spinning around. The Dr’s said an ECV was very unlikely to work and he would just turn back again. I had loads of scans and he was in a different position each time! Like you, I sort of underestimated the danger and was more concerned with the practicalities. After lots of near misses, the hospital told me I was being admitted there and then, at 38 weeks, and I said no I’ve got to collect my daughter from nursery. They sort of rammed home how serious it could be when they told me they weren’t even happy about me going out to the car park to collect my bag, let alone driving home to pick her up.
I was on the ante-natal ward for a week and, because my daughter had been born by emergency CS, I really wanted to try for a vaginal birth.
We tried for what is called a stabilising induction, meaning when he looked like he had been head down for a few hours, they rushed me off to theatre to try and break my waters while he was still in that position.
By the time they tried to break my waters, about 20 minutes later, the consultant examined me and he’d gone oblique!. So we gave up on that idea, and started prepping for the section. It was probably another 30 minutes before they were ready to get him out but by that point he was breech. He then tried to turn back to transverse during the section and ended up getting stuck!!!! A very wriggly baby….
I am currently in this position myself. Sat in hospital at 38+4 having been here for 4 days already. Our little girl spins 360 in the space of 24 hours minimum. We have spoken to all the different consultants and plans have been very back and forth which has been difficult as we have a 1 year old toddler at home who I am prime carer for. We had one dr who wanted to send us home after girl was head down for 24 hours but I was only being examined twice in 24 hours. I felt concerned as we also lived a “too late” distance away from the hospital. Luckily baby showed us she was still spinning 30 minutes before our 24 hours was up!
I don’t want to go home as the risk is too high but I also have huge worry for my son and waiting in hospital until I start labour naturally and having my partner use his paternity leave up to care for our son leaving us in a position that I am very likely to have a c sec and go home with a newborn and a toddler and a partner who has to go back to work. We are hoping beyond hope that a plan is set by 39 weeks and our baby will be here safe in our arms. But in the meantime we are having back and forth suggestions and plans from the consultants including the odd we shall send you home if she is head down for two days …..
I am currently in hospital with an unstable lie and have been for two days now.
It’s all incredibly frustrating as I don’t have straightforward pregnancies as it is and promises are made that if I’m struggling or in pain or whatever else that my plan will be reviewed only to find out that when I am and ask for my section to be moved from 39 weeks to 38 or a few days before, it’s declined and to be told my health isn’t as important which is ludicrous.
Anyway, my baby boy is particularly large and has gone from head down to breech for weeks however for the last few has been breech and was then transverse for a day our two which caused me to be admitted immediately but is now back to just breech. I’m here for another 9 days and then however long after my section. I’m feeling incredible maternal guilt for my daughter who I feel I’ve abandoned and I feel so deflated because of a serious lack of care. I’m hoping he adopts a position and I can go home but it doesn’t seem likely and I don’t see an end in sight.
Your blog has helped though, at least I know now that I’m not the only one and my feelings are normal so thank you!!
My baby presented as breech for most of the latter stages of my pregnancy. At exactly 37 weeks inwas scanned and knew baby had moved. Now he was sideways and I was admitted to hospital (after they reluctantly let me go home to pack a bag)
Next morning baby was head down so was feeling quite positive. Was told if still there in 24 hours I could go home. He changed position every single day until he was born at exactly 39 weeks.
The most worrying aspect for me was how many midwives and consultants incorrectly diagnosed his position which was then proven wrong when scanned.
Despite my pleas they would not give me a c-section until 39 weeks. So at 39 weeks exactly my little boy came into the world by c-section.
19 months later and luckily baby number 2 had a better sense of direction so no repeat admission.