If you have a breech baby then you may be looking at techniques to encourage baby to turn to a head down position. Many babies turn themselves at around 31-34 weeks when there is still plenty of room to do so. As the pregnancy progresses however and baby grows, space becomes more restrictive and turning breech becomes harder. Despite this, some babies unbelievably turn right at the last minute completely of their own accord! If you have a breech baby you will be offered a manual technique at around 37 weeks called ‘external cephalic version’ through your local midwifery services. Although slightly uncomfortable it has a pretty fair success rate or around 50% – though this depends on the experience of the person performing the technique.
So what else can you do? Several of our practitioners work with mothers to encourage all types of breech to turn from 34 weeks and beyond. It doesn’t matter what type of breech baby you have; ‘complete’, ‘incomplete’ or ‘frank’ breech – all can turn head down.
Craniosacral therapy: Andrew Cook thinks some breech may be caused by the baby’s inability to find a comfortable location in the womb due to areas of tightness on the wall of the womb. Although it’s better to check this out half way through pregnancy (3-6 months), the techniques can be applied safely any time, even near due date – obviously, the closer to due date, the less physical room the baby has to make use of this. During a craniosacral session you will lying on your back, with knees (and head and shoulders if necessary) raised for comfort and fully clothed. With all work on pregnancy there is a noticeable increase in comfort, especially in the later stages – the touch used is very light, to the point that it’s impossible to cause direct damage.
Physical exercises: Our doula and homeopath Charlotte Evans can take you through a series of exercises for you and your partner to help you with at home. Homeopathic remedies and practising these daily have worked for many women. You can bring in a camara phone to record the exercises to be sure you get them right later on! Many of our previous clients swear by homeopathy to turn their breech even at the later stages.
Pregnancy Yoga: Our yoga teacher Maggie runs classes for women over 16 weeks into their pregnancy. If you find out you are breech, she will help you in during the class to focus on specific stretches that you can later practice at home. Many women feel pregnancy yoga helps create space and movement in the pelvis and that baby is freer to to explore new positions.
Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Moxibustion has a good reputation for turning breech, mainly up to 37 weeks. It involves burning a dried stick of the herb mugwort next to an acupuncture point called on the foot. You need to do this for 10 days straight – in fact someone else needs to do it for you so you don’t strain your back! It is a very simple technique to learn and you are given a moxi-stick to take home will last the 10 days. You can combine moxibustion for with a relaxing acupuncture session however our acupuncturist Kate McDougall provides all breech baby patients with a moxi-stick and instructions free of charge when booking in with another practitioner to turn breech. You can easily follow videos on YouTube to learn the technique yourself – just make sure you have a bowl of water nearby at all times!
Chiropractic: Our chiropractor Georgina believes when the bony components of the pelvis are misaligned, it can cause muscles and ligaments to pull on the uterus, restricting its movement and available space, and causing an uneven positioning within the pelvis. This may cause the baby to lie in a back-to-back, transverse or breech position.Using very gentle Mctimoney chiropratic and other massage techniques Georgina works to ensure your pelvis is in as balanced a position as is possible, in order to create optimum foetal positioning. In English… she adjust the pelvis to the “correct” position to allow the baby to move, should it care to do so!
To book an appointment with a breech baby please ring our Norwich clinic on 01603 665173 – and let us know which practitioner you would like to see. You are welcome to combine the above therapies for the best possible outcome – all are relaxing in nature and a welcome treat for any pregnant women! When booking, please let reception know you are coming in for a ‘Breech appointment’ and whether you would require a free moxibustion stick with instructions as well.