Breech Babies

Hi C., There is a chiropractic technique that is highly effective for turning a breech presentation. It is called the "Webster Technique". You can find reference of in a study published in the July/August 2002 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT)online. My nurse midwife friends recommend this to their clients. Check with your local chiropractors to find the one who has studied this safe and effective technique. PS. I was born breech in 1947. Happy Birthing, A. Accad, RN, LifeQeust International, LLC, www.ailaspeaks.com

When I was pregnant with my second child 8 years ago i had that same problem and my midwife told me to get on my hands and knees, rock gently back and forth, side to side, arch and relax my back, and just try to be in that position for as much of your day as you can (i guess you can do that standing and bending over with your hands resting on the bed or something like that also, the point of it is to hang your belly down towards the floor).
It worked, the baby turned! After just a couple of weeks.
I can't really explain why it worked, i just know that it has something to do with the weight of the baby's head and back.

Try it if you will, it can't hurt. Actually feels really comfortable for me. Just remember to be gentle and if it hurts for some strange reason..stop!

Good luck!

Brightest Blessings

S.

I also recommend spinningbabies.com....great sight.

Just fyi - try doing 150 pelvic rocks in the morning when you wake up and at night. I've also (from my midwife) heard of babies turned with ice (they turn away from it....don't like it), by walking in big side-to-side marching motions up and down the stairs, acupuncture, chiropractic care, and the thing that worked the best for me was...and I forget what this was called; my midwife did it but most chiropractors can do it too - I just trusted my midwife more.....the thing that worked the best for me was when she put her hand under my back, felt the top and bottom of my ligaments and manipulated them until Maria turned...It was painless but worked like magic.

Yeah....I've had a baby turned during a natural birth....whole lots of not fun.

Good luck!

C.,

I can understand your concern. My daughter was posterior and I helped her successfully turn before a homebirth with excercises. I know there are things you can do for a breech baby as well. Try http://www.spinningbabies.com/. Good luck!

B.

Breech can be intimidating. I know of a child who turned during labor...one that was set to be a home birth in the jungle of Belize. Mama was very scared but then it just happened! My best friend also birthed twins in a yurt and the second was breech. This was a huge surprise since she opted to have no western medical intervention; it was assumed by size and duration there were twins. They always shared heart rhythm and sat as a yin-yang in the womb, so without an ultrasound it was indeterminable!! We as women should also remember that even though this is not the "normal" way of birthing, it has been done many many times!! You may want to consider a planned and controlled breech birth. You can read a lot about others who went through this and find the choice you are comfortable...blessings!!!!

I just wrote a post on my blog that compiled all sorts of ways to turn a breech:

http://womantowomancbe.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/how-to-tu...

Only about 3-4% of all babies are still breech at term, so the odds are in your favor. At 30 weeks, I think 25% of babies are still breech, so a lot of babies turn in those last few months. Check out Henci Goer's book "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" for a lot of info on breech and vaginal breech birth. A study in 2004 concluded that in the absence of certain factors, vaginal breech birth is safe, so you may even be a good candidate for a breech birth.

Continue to have dialog with your doctor to find out your options. The final analysis is, you have to choose a C-section; a vaginal birth is what happens when nature takes its course. You can refuse a C-section (even if your baby is not a good breech birth candidate); that is your right. It is something to consider very seriously, and I'm not suggesting outright that you do that--every case is different. But you do have options, even if that means going against medical advice.

The best thing is to get your baby to turn, and then you won't have to weigh the pros and cons of a vaginal or C-section breech birth. ECV is generally safe, and is extremely quick--I think somewhere around 5 minutes. The book I mentioned above has more info on it. See if you can get it from your library.

HI C.. I am a chiropractor and I am not sure if you have heard of the Webster Technique. It is a technique that is used to adjust and analysis the sacrum (lower back) that helps to balance the muscles and ligaments of the pelvis and allow the baby to get in the best possible position for birth. You can google Webster Technique online and come up with more information. It has over an 85% success rate in allowing the baby to get in the best position. It is not a turning technique but a gentle adjustment to the lower back and gentle trigger point work on the round ligament which is on the front of your abdomen. Definitely something I would check into. It is very successful and I have personally had some great results with Websters. Hope that helps. Check out our website at www.grayfamilychiropractic.com and then you can go into the ICPA link and learn more.
Alisha Davis

When I was pregnant with my first child (he is now 21),about a month before my due date the doctor said he was breech. They scheduled me for the following week to have him turned. I was scared too. I had heard it was painful. I went in that next week to have it done and behold, he had turned on his own. So yes it is possible.

You are going to need your husband's support more than ever to get through this and after the baby comes. My sister is a doctor and I'll give you the same advise she gave her best friend. Do not let them turn the baby. The baby knows more of what is going on than the doctors do. They may turn the baby and the baby may turn again and you will still have to have a cesarean section. Her best decided not to turn the baby and have the c-section. It turns out the cord was wrapped around the baby's neck twice. Had they turned the baby, it would have been a third time and the baby would have surely died during delivery. You may not want to be cut, Lord knows I did not want to either, but you will have to trust God and let it go. Cry if you have to, I did, but let it happen. You never know the baby might turn into position when he/she is ready to come out. And if that does not happen, trust God and trust that baby, their first instinct is to survive.

My son was breech at my last appointment before he was born. Wednesday he was feet first and when I went into the hospital in labor on Sunday the first thing they did was check his position. He had turned and everything was fine. Don't worry about it. Pregnancy is stressful enough without adding to your worries! Good luck and God Bless!

My son was breech and I ended up having to have a c-section. He was breech at 34 weeks and did turn, but then turned again. I did the ECV and WOULD NOT recommend it. It is EXTREMELY painful...turns out the reason he was breech was because of the location of the umbilical cord. When I went through the ECV it wrapped the cord around his neck, so they had to turn him back to where he was (breech) and I had a c-section. I think if they are breech, then it is for a reason and would not ever go through the ECV again. Just my opinion...I was so against having a c-section, but after going through it, it wasn't as bad as I was imagining it to be. The thing you have to focus on is having a healthy baby, that is really the only important part, right???

you might seek out an acupuncturist.he or she will know a way to turn a baby.your doctor should also be willing to talk to you about cephalic version.the acupuncture should not hurt(it might smart for a couple of seconds)i have heard that cephalic version can be quite uncomfortable.but take it from me none of it will be as uncomfortable as a c-section

Hi, C.. My 9 year old daughter was breech and i found out at about the same point in pregnancy. I didn't want a c-section either (or I thought I didn't!), as I didn't know anything (not much, anyway)about a "section." We opted for the turning procedure you referenced. Let me just tell you that it was the most excruciating pain I'd had up until that point; my daughter also didn't move AT ALL! Thus, I had a scheduled c-section at week 39. Now, the good news.....I had absolutely NO PAIN with the planned c-section. It was great! Obviously, the recovery time is a little longer. However, at the time, I was in decent shape and that didn't even take that long. We now have a 5 month old son, too. I was SO DETERMINED to have him VBAC! However, to make a long story short, I didn't! I started to go into labor and it was a totally different pregnancy than with my daughter. I was in so much pain that my husband and I said on a Friday afternoon while I was in great pain, "Do the c-section!" In hindsight, I'm very glad I did. I recovered even faster, even though I'm much older (hah!) now and am NOT in as good of shape.

Bottom line....if the turning procedure is what you really want to do, great. If it doesn't work, don't sweat the c-section. It's really NOT BAD! Easier said than done, I know, but it's really the case. Good luck!

Hi, I am the mother of two.My first was a boy and he was born breech. In my 8th month I did something really stupid.
We were in a play ground I got on a slide and down I went. But when I got to the bottom I fliped over 2 or 3 times. My family thought I had hurt myself really bad. I got up felt fine didn't think about it again until I went into labor. It was a long labor.(being the first)They didn't try to turn him and the result. After I gave birth to him in my room,I told my mom over and over I didn't fell right I thought I was bleeding realy bad, but she confence me it was just pressure from the birth. Finally after a visit from the family I got up to go to the rest room, I threw back the sheets on my bed.
And then my mom saw for her self the shape I was in. So back to the delivery room. Everything turned out o.k. but, maybe if they had turned my baby I would not have suffered like I did. My baby is now 36 years young.
Big things have changed over 36 years.
I would have a long talk with the doctor!
Best of luck to you and the baby.

When I was pregnant with twins a few years ago one of them was breech for most of the pregnancy. (I had ultrasounds every month or so, since it was a "high-risk" pregnancy.) Anyway, at 32 weeks, "baby B" was still breech, but at my 36-week ultrasound she had turned. Amazing, as things had to be pretty crowded in there.
Anyway, don't start worrying about this just yet!

my son was breech from the 5th monthon. never turned. hey, a c-section isn't bad at all. promise. no labor. what can be better then that. my mext child was delievered the regular way. you might want to hope for a c-section. good luck. he was the only one that way. trust your dr. blessings, R. uhls mom of seven

It can be very scary for you right now but it happens sometimes. I have had two of my three breeched in the final weeks of term. Here is what my doctor told me. She said to play relaxing music lay on your back and rub your belly in a circular motion this helps relax and turn the baby naturally. There are other ways to do it. If you are uncomfortable your baby is going to be uncomfortable. so I suggest to try to relax with a good movie or book and try to stay off your feet more often. Good luck to you and your new arrival to be. God Bless! ~ T.:)

My first child was all natural which was great. My second child was breech at 17 weeks and never turned. She was stubborn then and still is. My doctor tried to turn her by ECV and let me tell you I advise everyone to avoid it. I am prone to kidney stones and have passed several with no pain meds (I get them while I am pregnant). I was in more pain for the 15-20 minutes the 2 doctors pushed and pulled on my stomach than I was for the natural birth of my first child and any of my kidney stones combined. I also still had the bruises all over my abdomen 2 weeks later at my scheduled C-section. The C-section was not as bad as I feared and I was almost pain free in less than 2 weeks. The worse part was the nausea and vomitting due to the spinal. I am now pregnant with my 3rd child and hopefully will have another C-section.

My first born was breech at 34 weeks. They can turn all the way up to delivery. He did and everything went fine. You can find some exercises and activities to do to get the baby to turn on its own. They should be in some of the pregnancy books. Good luck.

Check out this site:
http://www.spinningbabies.com/ It is a great resource with natural ways to help babies turn around.

Hi C., I wouldn't worry too much. You're doing great! My daughter was transverse until 3 days before I delivered. If your doctor isn't worried then I wouldn't worry either. You still have 6 weeks to go.. mother nature will take care of it.

Hello C.,

My sister's baby was breech and turned. Her baby actually flipped a few times very late in her pregnancy. The last time she turned, the doctor induced labor and she was born naturally. So, it does happen. She worried endlessly that she would have a C-section and she didn't.

I didn't have a breech baby, but I ended up having an emergency C-section, due to fetal distress. I had no reason to expect a C-section and never expected to have one. But, it wasn't that bad. Either way you have healing to do after you have a baby. So please, try not to worry. I worried about other things associated with labor, that never came to pass for me.

Moral of the story: try not to worry. You cannot predict what's going to happen. The important part is that you and your baby are healthy.

I wouldn't be overly concerned. There are natural ways to turn your baby, and also the Dr knows what he is doing. One of my twins turned sideways during the birth, but wound up facing down when he was ready to come out. Babies have a will of their own, and no matter what, the greatest part is even if the Dr has to turn the baby, I'm sure both you and the baby will be fine and healthy, and in the end, that's all that matters right? Take it easy :)

Hi C., My second child was breach. Her head was under my ribs for weeks. Anyway, when the time came, she slid out feet first. Instead of turning the baby why dont they just take it out that way? It hurts alot less, and I recovered quicker than I did with my first baby.

Well my son was breech but didn't turn. He was almost 8lbs two weeks early and I am not even 5 ft tall so I think he just did not have room to turn. But I was scared to death of having a C-section but it was not bad at all. I healed very well and was back to my normal self in no time. And if you have a C-section look at it this way. You won't have problems with incontinence when you get older because of repeated vaginal births. Hope this helps you in case you end up with a C-section. They are not as scary as people make them out to be!!!

I had the same thing happen to me. My son was in the breech position and we were hoping he would turn, but due to my having low amniotic fluid levels, he never did. I had a c-section (and was very nervous) but it wasn't bad at all. I went into labor and had to have an emergency c-section. It was very quick, and other than the contractions at the start, painless. The recovery does take a bit longer, but even with that, I didn't have any problems.

C.,

I had the same situation last year. I had 1 week to decide whether or not to do the ECV due to how far along I was in the pregnancy when they disovered I had a breech baby. It was VERY stressful as my husband was on a business trip when I found out and I was by myself. My girlfriend had the same situation the year before, did the ECV and swore she would never do that again, she said it was pretty painful.

My understanding with teh ECV is that it can be stressful on the baby and elevate the heartrate so our OB said that regardless we would be having a baby that day if we chose to have the ECV and I was just not prepared for that. If it worked and they turned, great, they would induce you. If it didn't then it was a c-section the same day. I'm not sure what your OB's rule of thumb is but you may want to ask that question. Our OB said it was about a 50/50 chance of it working.

At any rate, we decided not to do the ECV and let nature take it's course praying that she would flip and we went ahead and scheduled a c-section closest to her due date in case that didn't happen. I was VERY disappointed as I had been preparing for a vaginal birth as I wanted to have that experience and was going to try natural for as long as I could and this was not in my 'master plan.' The thing I would stress the most is BE FLEXIBLE because things can change. Our little one decided she didn't want to wait until our c-section date and ended up coming about 12 days early. Let me tell you I wasn't prepared for that either but I was very grateful as the whole thought of the c-section and epidural terrified me. Having said that the epidural was a piece of cake and I barely felt a pin prick and that was it. That was the part that had me the most worried and it was the easiest.

All in all I would say listen to your heart and do what's best for you. Try to get all of the options available to you from your OB so you can have an informed consent and good luck on whatever road you choose! I truly believe that everything happens for a reason.

Hi C., I myself had a breech pregnancy and did opt to try and turn the baby, to no avail. As soon as the doc would get him 'turned', he would flip right back around! Needless to say, we did have a C-section and all was well. Turned out the umbilical cord was too short to allow the baby to turn into position for natural birth. I say all this to say, don't be too concerned--just be thankful we have options available to save our precious babies when nature doesn't give us the perfect scenario!

I had a c-section for my first child (not due to breech) and wanted a VBAC for my second. Everything was going great until my 32 wk appt. and they told me he was breech. I freaked, cried, and got very stressed. I did a variety of things to get him to turn, so I don't what actually worked. But by my 34 week appt. he was head down and stayed (once they turn they usually stay at this point in your pregnancy). Check out spinningbabies.com - it is an entire website about getting your baby to turn. I saw a chiropractor that specialized in the Webster technique - developed for pregnant women to maximize pelvic space and turn babies. I laid inverted everyday for about twenty minutes on an ironing board. I also walked about a mile everyday, visualized him turning head down, and talked to my baby about him needing to flip. I also tried music via headphoned down toward my pelvic bone, an ice pack on the top of my belly, and a flashlight to try to turn him. I think all of these are on the website. Goodluck and keep positive. I know it is hard. Once my baby flipped he stayed still and actually got very low...my last few weeks and birth were a breeze once I got him turned.

There is nothing to be stressed about in having a Breech Birth. I'm 67, & was Breech. Back in the olden days, the Doctors used Forcepts, but now they do the ECV. You want even know it, & the baby will be born fine, with no complications in the future. Just be happy that your beautiful baby daughter will be born soon, & how much enjoyment you will get from her!

Hi C.. My son was breech and supposedly there was no room for him to turn due to my enlarged fibroid tumor. The doctors were concerned to turn him externally fearing that the cord would wrap around his neck. Two weeks before birth my doctor, in coordination with other Nashville doctors, recommended an asian aromatherapy technique called Moxa. You get it from accupuncturists, and you burn it next to your little toes. Sounds weird, smells weirder, but MY SON TURNED within hours of this effort. You have nothing to lose, and according to my doctor, this is supported in many medical journals. Try it and let us know how you do!

My first child was breech and turned 3 weeks before delivery. One night I was sitting and all of a sudden had a very strange sensation and happened to be going to Dr. the next day and she had turned.

I haven't heard good things about when the Dr. tries to "turn" the baby. Very painful and not often successful.

I did seek the wisdom/knowledge of a yoga person for positions etc that might help the baby turn. Also used lots of "envisioning" the baby turning in my imagination.

Good Luck!

My last baby was turned the last few weeks....turned out great and did not hurt.

I just had a baby on January 11th and he was breech at 34 weeks. At 37, he was head down on the ultrasound. My doctor wasn't too concerned either. Only 2-3% of babies do not turn before delivery.

hi cassadra, my friend had the turning procedure done and it worked fine but in the end she still had to have a c section. your baby could still turn around though since you are only 34 weeks. good luck!

I completely understand your fear! My youngest was breach and it freaked me out often thinking what was going to have to happen, but at 36 weeks, he turned. The doc even did a sonogram to be sure and indeed, he moved into place. It is possible...and if she doesn't, they are good these days at taking care of the problem.
Best of luck!!!

C., I have a friend who is a chiropractor. He does adjustments on woman with breech babies while they are in labor and the baby turns around. He said it is very simple and doesn't understand why it is not used more. Not sure where you live but here is his contact info so you can atleast talk to him and he can give you more info. He is a great guy.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view...

He did this adjustment when his son you see pictured on the site was breech.

If you talk to him tell him V. Miller says hi.

Best of Luck
Val

Out of my five children, my fourth was breech. I was prepared to have another C-Section (#2 was C-Section as #1 had difficulties being born - huge shoulders and a heart condition), but fortunately, she turned herself around. I remember when it happened. My husband and I were in bed reading and all of a sudden I had some sharp pains, told my husband about it and we watched as the baby in my stomach/uterus moved really weirdly. Later, when the doctor said she was no longer breech, we figured that that is what we had seen - the baby moving herself around. Hang in there!

Hi my name is A. and I have had 5 babies, none breech though. I have a friend who was overdue and went to the doc. and found out the baby was breech, she was to go in the next day to have them turn her but when she got to the doctor's office the baby had turned herself. Also my sister was born breech back in 1960 and that was when they did nothing for you. My mother says everything went fine. I know this is a scary time but just keep the faith and I will say a few extra prayers for you a your little ones. Hope all goes well, try not to get to stressed out.

Good luck,
A.
Nashville, TN

C., acupuncture can help a breech baby turn. Here's a brief article http://www.acupuncture.com/news/breechbaby.htm
Good luck

Hi C.!

I've spent a lot of time studying birth and I hope these links are helpful to you. I know Memphis has a pretty abysmal range of birth choices available.

www.spinningbabies.com has very good information on helping you to safely get baby to flip to a head down, anterior position- getting baby in an optimal positions for birth.

One thing that is widely recommended for breech babies is chiropractic. If you don't already have a chiropractor, or your chiro doesn't have experience working with pregnant women, I highly recommend Dr. Dwayne Curle DC. His office is located on Stage Rd near Covington Pike. I have seen him during 3 pregnancies and he has worked on all my kids as well.

www.breechbabies.com
Has inspiring birth stories from women who've had breech babies, tips on turning babies, all the information you need.

Dr. Greg Laurence (office in Germantown) might be willing to deliver vaginal breech. I know there are some doctors who will still do it here, but I don't know who they are.

If you go on medplus or some other medical search engine, there is no scientific justification for OB's refusing to deliver breech vaginally. Doing cesareans has not statistically helped their outcomes at all!! The problem is that OB's are no longer trained to do vaginal breech. And the most important thing in most breech births is to be hands off, and most OB's just aren't good at that!

The Farm will also deliver breech babies vaginally. If you've never heard of it, it's internationally recognized in the world of midwifery. None of the midwives here (that I know of) will attend breech. But some will refer patients who are breech in the last few weeks (not in active labor, too long a drive!) to the Farm. It's about a 3 hour drive from Memphis. They have cabins on site where you would go and stay until you had the baby. http://www.thefarmmidwives.org/

Finally, if no other local options pan out, and it's not too far a drive to make when in labor, there are nurse-midwives in the hospital in Jackson TN who will deliver breech vaginally. Andrea Christianson is a CNM who has a homebirth practice here, but also works/has worked part-time with the CNM's in Jackson. She should be able to connect you with someone there. You can reach her through her website http://www.trilliumwomancare.com/

HTH

C.,
I have read most of the replies, and I have to agree that you really should not worry at this point. Let me tell you my unique experience:
With my third child, I found out she was breech, and was scared to death. I had a history of false labor, or as my doctor said, "No, you are having real labor here. It's just not producing anything!" I went into labor and was admitted to the hospital. I watched in amazement as my stomach rose up almost to a point with each contraction, but I had no pain at all, just some tightness. Nothing at all in the lower part. I was in this labor all night. The next morning, the labor stopped like someone had turned off a switch. I went back into normal labor later that day, and had the baby that afternoon, in the correct position. The 'painless labor' had turned her! She is 31 today, and going great. ;-) I believed then, as I do now, that God blessed me by turning my baby into proper position, that is why there was no pain during it.
By the way, as I am a grandma now, I can tell you that there are several reasons to accept a c-section readily, although I never had one. Less problems with becoming incontinent (that's a big one!), and better sex, as you have not stretched out so much from repeat births (also a very big one!).
God bless you and your family.
S.K.

Don't worry too much about it. The OB nurses are trained to do a manuver that will help turn them when you are in labor. If the dr isn't too concerned right now, then don't stress over it. That will only make things worse. I have heard so many that stayed breach until the end so just relax. Worrying is probaly the worse thing you can do.

C.
I too went though the same thing. Don't worry HAVE FAITH. My baby turned him self at the last and I mean the last minute. Don't worry the doctors know what to do in this situation. Just pray and have faith.
S.

My son moved from breech to correct position to breech and back. He was very active up till the end! I didn't have to do anything and he wound up in the correct position. Do what the others have suggested and I wish you the very best!

I was totally freaked when they told me that too. My mind went right to c section. but at my next appointment she had turned back around! I wouldn't worry until you are on that hospital bed!

C.,
My eldest was breech up until a couple days before her due date. I was worried at the time too, but in retrospect, this too shall pass. Baby's flip on their own all the time. In fact, more baby's flip by themselves, than have to be flipped.
J.