Mama to Mama Wisdom- Turning the Breech Baby


Adapted from a recent Facebook thread-
Often mothers worry about having a breech baby. Though most will turn on their own, there are lots of other ideas for helping them on their way. Here are some from our mamas. This is of course not medical advice. (Though who is to say that womanly wisdom is any less valuable?)

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Webster Technique from a chiropractor!!! Swimming, acupuncture, ice on the babys head and warm where you want them to turn, talking to the bottom of your belly, inversions. But DEFINITELY chiropractor.
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spinningbabies.com
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Hypnobabies has a Turn Your Breech Baby CD/download that can really help!
http://www.hypnobabies.com/store/shop.php?pid=17&sid=4&cid=4&start=0
My little man was in a footling breach position right up until two weeks before he was born. I think the doctor saying "caesarian" within earshot scared him into moving hahahaha But, in saying that, I still used the old wives tale methods of getting down on the floor on all fours, bum in the air and head down on the floor every night for at least half an hour at a time, and cold wash cloths on my belly.
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Inversion with a flashlight leading from head to where you want it. My son followed the light. It took three days of coaxing. Sometimes I just layed down with the flashlight on my belly, sometimes inverted for a bit. but at 38 weeks, he finally flipped. :) well, it took about 24 hours total to get all the way around. He really responded to the light on my belly
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Put music on head phones down low on your stomach.
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My advice: Relax. Really.
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http://icpa4kids.com/about/webster_technique.htm
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All great recommendations so far! 31 weeks is prime time for success with Websters chiropractic turning technique and acupuncture with moxibustion. There's a great technique that many midwives and doulas use with a rebozo: http://birthingfo...rlife.com/rebozo.html


There are some great options in this article also:



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Ask your baby to turn - also moxibustion.

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Webster certified Chiro (it's very GENTLE & non-invasive), crawling and swimming, head resting on hands w/bum higher than head (if you have a wide step your knees could be on w/head and forearms on step below this is ideal).

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All other suggestions above are also great but all of our mums have responded to the Chiro & exercises above w/in a few adjustments (including my niece who turned transverse w/in 12 hrs & head down after her 2nd adjustment 24hrs later).

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Well Adjusted Babies resource book has photos & descriptions of all exercises & technique as well as an abundance of other great info for any parents to be wanting to birth and raise their children in a wholistic wellness model. Ask your Chiro, many of us have the book in our own offices or go to http://welladjusted.me/au/wab-book.php & select your region to order online.

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The acupuncture, also known as moxibustion technique turned my posterior baby, it will work for breech. The Webster chiro and most of the other suggestions. Here is a website that I found SUPER helpful when I needed my baby to turn HTH. http://www.homebirth.org.uk/ofp.htm

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And if you want to deliver breech, find a good experienced practitioner in you area- sometimes there are good home birth midwives, sometimes hospital docs- but find somebody who is experienced

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A friend, and myself have birthed breeches w/ no attendants and no special training at all.

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Also, if baby doesn't turn, please wait for your body to go into labor, even if you have a c-section, so at least you know baby is ready to be earthside! ♥

Of course many babies are born just fine breech too! ;)





Comments

Cherylyn said…
Thank you for this! I had a home breech birth, but it was completely unexpected! We thought he was vertex until I was pushing. Here's the story if you're interested: http://mamasandbabies.blogspot.com/2009/07/home-water-birth-breech-delivery-of.html

I personally love the suggestion to "Relax, really". I don't consider breech a complication, although I know that's not the popular way of thinking. If you follow your heart and intuition (in my case I prayed, a lot, during the pregnancy about where and how and with whom to birth my baby), then things will work out the way they need to.
Way2GoBirthing said…
Hi! I use EFT (emotional freedom techniques) and hypnosis to make mums more confident of themselves, to bond with baby, and to know how to pace themselves through labour.

In one case where the babe was breach, it turned a few days after our session. In another mama the glucose levels were (too) high and after the session they went back to normal _ I dont work towards outcomes or prescribe what should happen, but I do like mum and babe to connect (have a chat!). The deep relaxation achieved seems to me to be the key - as if it creates space for babe to turn.

I loved reading through this thread, thank you!
Carrie said…
My bug-a-boo was SOO stubborn... We did all of these things to get her to turn and she was stubbornly stuck breech. After each session of webster, she would just hang out. My chiropractor was worried she wasn't ok because they usually wiggle like crazy, but my baby was SOOO 'chill'... hehe. In the end we felt it best that we have the c-section, and scheduled it, went into labor at 3:30am that day, so she came on her 'planned' birthday, but chose her own hours lol! When the doctor went in to get her, she had shoved her head under my ribs so high that if my water had broken, there was a very good chance of prolapsed cord because she wouldn't drop... Everything happens for a reason, I say follow your instincts. (i really didn't want a c-section, but knew in my heart it was how it was supposed to go)