If your baby is in the breech position it means that its bottom is lying in the pelvis instead of its head. This occurs in 3-4% of full term pregnancies; in most cases, a breech baby will turn itself before birth, sometimes as late as week 40. IF your baby is in the breech position, you may need to have a caesarian section. You will know the baby is breach by feeling the baby’s head beneath your ribs, and/or experiencing the baby kicking in the region of the bladder.
Key Tips on coping with breech babies
– Only use qualified practitioners, preferably those who have experience working with pregnant women.
– At about week 32, reduce the amount of time spent sitting on everyday chairs/sofas, as this does not open up the pelvis. Sit at upright in forward-leaning positions.
Complimentary Treatments
Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine
– Moxibustion has been used for centuries in China to turn breach babies. A combination of acupuncture and moxa is most successful if used between 32 – 36 weeks. Moxibustion changes placental estrogens and prostaglandin levels, which results in increased fetal heart rate and active fetal movements. Consult your acupuncturist for instructions.
Chiropractic
– Webster’s technique
Homeopathy
– Pulsatilla 30c
Exercise
– walking every day for 20 minutes
– swimming especially back stroke or breast stroke
Body Positions
– kneel on the floor with your bottom up and head down
– sleep with several pillows under your bottom and lower back to allow gravity to turn the baby
– place a wooden board at a 45degree angle with one end on the floor and other end on a chair. The board should be wide enough to support you securely, lay on it with your head at the floor end.
Using Music
-Headphones placed on the lower part of your abdomen, playing either music or your voice, has encouraged babies to move towards the sounds and out of the breech position
