Question Regarding Breech Deliveries

I would be surprised if anyone would deliver a breech baby vaginally these days, unfortunately. My second baby was breech late in the pregnancy, and I was planning a homebirth with a midwife. She had been in practice for about 40 years and had delivered many breech babies vaginally, but she told me she couldn't do it anymore or she would lose her insurance (or something like that).

BUT, I had success in getting my breech baby to turn! I think I was about 35 weeks along when we found out that he was breech. My midwife instructed me to lay in an inverted position for at least 15-20 minutes, several times a day, as much as I could possibly do it. I took my ironing board (with the legs closed up) and put one end of it against the couch with the other end on the floor, and I lay down on that with my hips higher than my head. Each time I did this, it was the longest 15 minutes of my life - it is incredibly uncomfortable. Everything goes up to your chest and it is terribly difficult to breathe, but I think that is the point. The idea is to use gravity to get the baby as far up out of the pelvic area as possible so he will have more room to turn.

I was also advised to use heat and warmth to encourage the baby to move. Put something warm (like a hot water bottle) low on your belly by your pelvis where you want the baby's head to be, and put something cold (like a package of frozen veggies) high up on your belly where you want the feet to be. The baby will apparently "head" for the warm spot, trying to get away from the cold.

And when you're not inverted or doing the heat/cold "therapy," you can do things to help the baby turn with all of that room he has!;) The things I remember are:

1) Pelvic rocks - you probably know what those are, but if not, respond to me and I will let you know,

2) Try to keep your belly below your back when you are not standing (ie. do not recline backward, but lean forward) this uses gravity to encourage your baby into the optimum position. This is not easy because there are times you just want to recline with your feet up. Try to resist that as much as possible (I still did it a little bit), instead, whenever you have time to rest and want to, lie down on your side (I believe the left side is preferable).

Check out this website dedicated to proper positioning

http://spinningbabies.simplwebsite.com/

I also read a great book (when I was pregnant with my first) called "Sit Up and Take Notice." You may not have time to find or read a copy of it with only 6 weeks left and a 2 year old to take care of, but it is all about getting your baby into the optimal position for birth, and a lot of it has to do with how you sit (no slouching or reclining backward) and your general posture. It's all about gravity, and you can position your body to let gravity work to get your baby into the best position for birth.

I cannot say that I know for sure when my baby turned, but I remember one night, a couple of weeks after starting the "inversion therapy" on the ironing board, I woke up in the middle of the night to my baby doing some kind of gymnastics in the womb. It didn't really feel like he was turning in the vertical position, it felt more like horizontal movements back and forth across my belly, but at my next visit a few days later he was head down!! And I don't think he could have had a whole lot of room to move in there because he was a big baby - born a couple of weeks later at 10 lbs. 6 oz. - and he came out in one push after only 2-1/2 hours of hard labor (that was a surprise to me, but I won't complain). He must have really been in the perfect position!

Another mom asked a similar question a little while back (my response is there to, just about exactly what I have written here). Here is the link:

http://www.mamasource.com/request/5091763679033032705

Hope this helps and hope you are able to get your baby to turn!

1 mom found this helpful

My sister had a breech birth, got up the next day and wnet shopping. My niece is a healthy happy child with no side effects. My other sister was breech and a week before delivery she leapt in my mothers womb and flipped like a fish. Keep the faith, you have more chance of doing great than not.

1 mom found this helpful

My baby was breech at 35 weeks and turned by 37 weeks. She was born healthy with no problems vaginally. Good luck.

My son was breech until finally at 36 weeks he turned head down and I had a successful vaginal delivery. I have hope that your son will turn back head down. If the baby does not turn, they won't let you deliver your baby vaginally they will do a C-section. Good luck:)

Hi N.,
Well, I can say I do have experience with breech delivery. I wouldn't even worry about it at 34 weeks. Most babies will settle head down by 36 weeks. But I know you will worry, so...
Let gravity do most of the work for you. If you are near a heated pool, you can try diving and swiming along the bottom of the pool.
Try lying on a slant board with your head lower than your feet for 20 min 3 times a day.
You can crawl downstairs. This one is a good one, because your whole body is in motion, and your head is lower than your feet.
Homeopathic remedy of pulsatilla, 30x, 3 pellets under tounge every 15 min for a couple of hours.
More bizarre, but tried and true things to try:
Put ice under your ribs, and shine a flashlight by your pubic bone. Play music on your pubic bone.

On OB/GYN may try to do a version.

Is your baby Frank Breech?

Good Luck
S. Wolcott, LM RN
www.homebirthwaterbirth.com

My first child was breech, I went to the doctor at about 36 weeks and was told that if she did not turn by the next appt then I would be scheduled for a C-section. That was a Tues and I had her vaginally on Thurs =] She just turned on her own, even the doctor was shocked since she was already large and we did not think there was enough room for her to turn over. Baby #2 was fine, baby #3 was breech and my doc did a turn (can not recall the exact word sorry!) and then induced me right after that so he would not have time to turn himself back around. Had a few complications with that one and had to have an emergency C-section. But that was not so much from his postion as the fact that he decided to start shoving hands,cords and all sorts of other things into the birth canal ~ his heart stopped and they had to take him FAST! He is just great now and a delightful 3 year old! Has been fine since he was seconds old, they got him out just in time ~ I was blessed there! It could go either way, be patient and listen to the doctor! GONGRATS on your new son and enjoy!

I highly recommend seeing Dr. Elliot Berlin, a chiropractor who specializes in working with pregnant women. The first year I started to send my clients to him, he turned 5 out of 6 of my clients' breech babies! But you need to go now -- he likes to start at 32 weeks, so you're already 'playing catch-up.'

You can read about his practice at http://www.doctorberlin.com/ -- if they're booked and say they can't see you right away, tell him T. H. sent you!

Good luck and happy birthing :)

If he wants to turn again he will. When I had my daughter she was head down, then turned to a side lying with her feet down and her head in on side of my ribs. Then that same day I had the Ultrasound showing me she was sideways, I felt alot of flipping and kicking and had a doc appt late in the day and told him I thought she had turned back to head down. She was already 38 weeks and measured at 8 lbs. He did another ultrasound and turns out in the 3 hours between my appointments she had turned back into the right position. Good luck! It'll all work out okay!

Me....I would NOT do it. Too many risks, and the whole idea of a breach delivery scares me. My babies were NOT breach, but I had c sec due to other reasons. C sec...get such a BAD rap...and REALLY they aren't that bad. I was SO against having a c sec, and then after I HAD to have one, and went thru it....I realize it was not bad at all. Yep, you are in more pain afterward....but you have drugs for that, so REALLY just as you feel the pain...you take the drugs, and no more pain. Your body will be changed after having a baby either way. There are side affects to vaginal, and side affects from c sec. I would rather deal with the side affects from a c sec (scar, soreness afterward, numbness around scar), than deal with issues from vaginal delivery (incontinance, hemroids, stretched out down there).

Hello, N.,

Contact Golden Bridge Yoga, near Hollywood and Vine. You could do it through yoga.

My very best to you!

T.

www.myliveearth.net/T.

Hi N., I'm trying to remember how many weeks I was with my younger daughter...I think it was at least 34 weeks, maybe as late as 37 weeks, and she was in breech position. My midwife advised me to crawl around and do cat/cow yoga positions as much as possible, and that's what I did. My dd was head down the next time I was checked, and I just kept it up until she was born. I was intent upon not having a breech birth or c-section, and my hard work paid off! Hope this helps.

Hi N.! Good for you for seeking input and info on turning your baby back to vertex. My first son was in a funky breech, and I was in rural Louisiana at the time. I found an accupuncturist an hour and 15 minutes away who saw me 6 consecutive (business) days and treated me pro-bono; since my son didn't turn, I didn't have to pay! Although he was experienced, he'd only read about turning babies! I was already 36-37 weeks when we tried though. One thing that he introduced me to was moxibustion, Chinese herbs rolled up like a cigar, and burned near an accupressure point near your little toe. Strange, I know, but it worked for my second son! Granted, I did start earlier, then accidentally turned him breech again because I thought he'd flipped on me again so I tried ice under my ribs in a hot shower! He did flip again and I had a successful, amazing VBAC!
The important thing, I had to remember was that my baby's safety was number one. He was blocking the exit by sittig on one leg and had his other leg sticking out of my side. The accupuncture helped get him more active, but he just didn't have room to move. I'd rather have had him naturally,but he's an awesome, bright, active 8 year old now! Good luck!!!

T.

HI N.,

Go to www.spinningbabies.com You will find a lot of ways to help encourage your little one to turn. You can also find a chiropractor who in trained in the Webster technique, do moxibustion, and if all else fails ask for your Dr. to do an external version. I had a client who had this done at 38 weeks and went on to have a vaginal delivery at 41 weeks (I am a birth doula). Good luck! :-)

My understanding, is that they do not delivery breech babies vaginally anymore. They may try to turn, but if they cannot, then they do a c-section. My son was a breech, butt first baby, so he was a c-section.

I would say don't worry about it for a few more weeks. My son didn't turn head down until 38 weeks.

Contact Berlin Wellness Group right away. My baby was breech and the doctor would only give me one week to get the baby to turn before doing a version to turn him. Dr. Berlin did stretching with me and Jason Starr did acupuncture and my baby turned (although they usually need a couple of weeks to do this). The doctor didn't believe me and made me come in for the version anyway, but I insisted on an ultrasound first and I was right -- the baby was head-down! Call them right away at ###-###-####.

Hello,

My son was Breech and would not turn. My dr. told me that there is no dr in vegas that will deliver a Breech baby.. He gave us two options... 1. We could go to the hospital and have then baby turned physicaly, by him. ( he said with that it is painfull, and the baby could turn right back into the breech postion. plus there is a chanche that you could go into labor that is why they do in the hospital instead of the dr.s office. 2.. He told us that the best way to go would be to have a planned c-section. We went with the C-section and my son was born Health and we had no complactions at all.. So my advice would be to talk to your dr and see if he recameands haveing a c-section.

Hope that this has helped... Have a good day

Get homeopathic Pulsatilla 30C ASAP! take on empty stomach or no less than 30 min before or after food 3 times a day until he turns.
Good Luck
V

N.,

I've heard it happens ALL the time...babies just know when they are ready to move and exit, and what to do. If this is a huge concern of yours talk to your doctor about how he/she will handle it. Write down every question in your head and have it ready on a notepad at your next visit.

My son was 8 weeks early, and breech and I had an emergency C-Section due to his preemie status and the position. But, I have two very good friends who went to term with breech babies...one flipped and the other didn't, but delivered totally fine.

Good Luck and Congrats!

D..

I was breech until about 38 weeks and the baby turned. My sister-in-law was breech until 40 weeks with a 9.5 pound baby and she turned. If it eases your mind...I placed a board from the seat of my couch to the floor and layed upside down on it for about 15 minutes a day. It was recommended by a mid-wife. Not sure if it had anything to do with my baby turning, but she did. Good luck.

N.,
I am not sure what area you are in, I am in El Segundo. I have helped many women with breech babies through Chiropractic and realigning the pelvis as to allow for more space for the babies head to turn down. I would love to help you or refer you to someone in your area. The technique for doing this is call the Webster Technique.
blessings...Dr. A. Grob
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My daughter was breach. She turned once in the proper position and then turned back around into the breach position. This was less than a month before she was born.

J.

When my mom was pregnant with my sister, she was breeched until the last minute. The doctor decided to do a csection and within minutes she turned by herself and it ended up being a vaginal birth.