Breech Baby
Heads Up! Most babies enter the world “head first.” That’s because around 32-34 weeks, the baby’s head outweighs the rest of the body, causing it to sink toward the pelvic floor -- lined up perfectly for birth. But, some babies don’t make the flip (or, flip and then flop right back to “butt first”.) If they have their feet, butt, or knees down, they are breech. In many cases, babies can be born breech. But, it is ideal to get the baby to reposition before you go into labor if at all possible.
Frisco Midwifery & Birth Center has created this resource to help you understand your baby’s position, a few ways to get a baby into an optimal position, and understand what to expect if you decide to have a vaginal birth with your baby who is in a breech position.
What Are the Risks of Breech Birth?
Since the head is the biggest part of the baby’s body, when it emerges first, it pretty much confirms that the baby will fit. When the head emerges last, there is an increased risk that it will get stuck, which can be a very serious (even life-threatening) complication. A skilled midwife (and a few obstetricians) trained in breech birth can help you have a breech birth if that ends up being necessary.
What Can I Do To Flip the Baby?
Babies basically want to be head down. So, if Mom can bring balance to her body, mind and heart, the baby will work with her to get positioned for birth. We have listed some examples of body and mind strategies, and a few more tips and tricks. We will help you create a plan.
Body: In order for a round baby head to fit in the pelvis, the bones of the pelvis need to be round too. If the pelvis is twisted, the sacrum is tipped, or if the pubic bone is shifted, the inlet of the pelvis may be pinched.
· Chiropractic care with someone who is experienced with pregnancy can balance the ligaments and realign the pelvis. We can recommend a chiropractor who is great with MotherBaby care if you need one. Check out our “insiders list” of chiropractors HERE.
· Therapeutic massage can also be very helpful getting the mother’s ligaments and tissues to release / relax to help the baby move into position. We recommend a massage therapist who is trained craniosacral release.
We have listed a few practitioners who are trained in each of these skills in our “resources” tab on our website under Client Resources.
Exercise:
· Forward Leaning Inversion - Creates room in the lower uterus to free up space for the baby’s head. Do this 3x a day. Check out this YOUTUBE video to see it done.
· Breech Tilt - Basically, position yourself like you want the baby - HEAD DOWN. Lay on an incline board with your head near the floor and hips on the couch. Do the Breech Tilt 3x a day.
· Handstands in the Pool - If you have access to a deep pool (chest/shoulder deep), do “handstands” repeatedly, giving the baby enough time to spin in the water.
· Side Lying Release - Lengthen the pelvic floor and create more room in the pelvis. Do this exercise 2x a week.
We have linked some YouTube Videos here that may be helpful.
Sleep Position for Breech Baby
Exercises to turn a Breech Baby
Mind/Emotions: Many people are not aware of just how significantly our emotions and beliefs impact pregnancy and birth. This may be the best time to explore your beliefs, fears, and thoughts about motherhood and birth. We’ve recommended some strategies to help you do the inner work -- it can’t hurt, and maybe it will help your baby turn.
· Take a few moments each day to quiet your thoughts and relax your body and get in touch with your “heart level” thoughts about birth. During these quiet moments of introspection, process any fears you have.
· If you have vibrant or memorable dreams, keep a dream journal by your bed and keep write your dreams out in detail. We would love to help you process your dreams to unpack your inner beliefs.
Midwifery Tips and Tricks: Over time, midwives have found some tricks that may work. We think these are worth a try too! We’ve included some suggestions using essential oils, moxibustion, and sensory inputs to the baby.
· Peppermint Essential Oil: Rub a few drops of peppermint essential oil at the top of your fundus where the baby’s head is. The baby may tilt away from the strong mint sensation. (Young Living is a great, pure brand we like a lot).
· Myrrh Essential Oil: Add a few drops of to massage oil and rub it in a circular rotation from the head toward where you want the head. This is a “balancing” oil, so it would be good to do this during a prayerful or meditative time of introspection.
· Father’s/Partners Voice Music: Play a recording of the father’s / Partner’s voice on headphones where you want the baby’s head (just above the pubic bone in the center of the abdomen).
· Acupuncture / Acupressure: We can recommend an acupuncturist and/or a chiropractor that does acupuncture.
· Moxibustion is a component of traditional Chinese medicine where we stimulate an accupoint with an herbal wick made of Moxa.
· Ice & Heat: Place a frozen bag of peas on the baby’s head, and a warm pack where you want the head to encourage the baby to lean for the warmth.
Medical options: If the baby is still breech at 35 weeks, we recommend doing “external version”. We can do this with the help of a very experienced midwife, or one of a few physicians in the city.
The skilled practitioner will use firm massage type movements to see if the baby can be nudged enough that he/she will move into a head-down position. A second care provider will usually listen with a Doppler or possibly use an ultrasound to monitor whether the baby is tolerating it well.
For 4-6 days before your external version, drink more than ½ your body weight in ounces of water to increase your amniotic fluid so the baby float well enough to turn.
Midwives do external cephalic versions (ECV) on women without the aid of muscle relaxants and medications. If the baby won’t turn with a “gentle version”, we can recommend physicians who can do an external version after administering a light muscle relaxant to the mother.
We will coordinate an external version if needed, if you are interested.
What if the baby just doesn’t rotate?
As in all of life, your informed healthcare choices will need to balance risk and reward. You will need to choose between a Vaginal Birth and a Cesarean Birth.
Vaginal Birth: We believe that a vaginal breech birth is a very appropriate choice for many women. The 3 factors that influence the success and safety of a breech birth are: 1) a woman who has already birthed at least one baby previously and 2) the baby is fully “butt first” (physicians don’t require this, but midwives do) rather than feet first and 3) a woman who trusts her body and is practiced with managing fear / releasing tension.
You can birth a breech baby vaginally at your home, our birth center, or if you prefer, we can transfer you into the care of one of the physicians in the metroplex who regularly attend breech births.
Cesarean: Cesarean birth may be the best option for some women if the external version cannot be attempted, or if the family is not comfortable with the process of the ECV or vaginal breech birth. We can transfer your care to a physician for a scheduled cesarean if that is the best birth for you. We will be glad to attend your birth, and remain with you through your early postpartum adjustment while you learn to breastfeed. Then, we can provide your postpartum follow-up care for the baby as well.
Our Plan
o Chiropractic Care - Weekly until baby turns
o Therapeutic massage / myofacial/ craniosacral release
o Acupuncture - Weekly till baby turns
o Spinning Babies
o Forward Inversion 3x a day
o Breech Tilt 3x a day
o Side lying release 2x a week
o Essential Oils – Apply Peppermint and Myrrh 1x daily. (* Therapeutic grade, pure, organic oils only. We use Young Living).
o Acupuncture
o Moxibustion
o Dream Journal - Nightly and discuss with your midwife
o Meditation - daily and journal to discuss with your midwife
o External Version by a midwife
o External Version by a physician
o Ultrasound to confirm positioning
