Breech Babies

My Baby Is Breech, What To Do?

Contributed by Renee Sullivan, Founder of The Moms Groups, childbirth educator, doula, certified Parent Coach and leading parenting facilitator hosting engaging conversations in twenty locations every week.

You just came back from your prenatal visit, and the doctor mentioned that your baby is breech.

What does this mean for your labor? Should you be concerned?

When a baby is in this position, the baby has his or her bottom or feet towards the birth canal, instead of the head down position. Head down is the method for vaginal deliveries preferred by practitioners. Don’t fret right away – as many as 25% of babies can be in breech presentation at 30 weeks. If a mother delivers at full term, the number reduces to just three percent of deliveries – so that’s good news!

Many women are concerned with their baby being breech if they are trying to avoid surgery, as almost all doctors will deliver the baby via cesarean section. There are some really good reasons why you may be in the 3% of breech births if you carry to full term.

Some of the reasons your baby may be breech are:

-Too much or too little amniotic fluid

-Unusual shaped uterus or fibroids

-Carrying twins or multiples

-If you have placenta previa

Here are some ways that may encourage a breech baby to turn:

• Webster Technique is a gentle procedure used by chiropractors to release stress and reduce      tension in the vagina and surrounding ligaments.
• Acupuncture some expectant moms swear that their babies turned after acupuncture      treatments before the 37th week of pregnancy.
• External Cephalic Version (ECV) is a medical procedure performed by a doctor in a      hospital setting to manually turn the baby.
• Prenatal Swimming it is suggested to do somersaults or simple handstands in the water to      encourage a breech baby to turn.

Know that with any of these suggestions, a baby may just not turn, or the baby may turn initially, only to flip right back around again! It’s one of our first lessons of motherhood – that sometimes no matter what we learn, no matter what we do – things turn out a bit differently than what we had planned, and the only way to move forward is to let go and surrender.

As soon as our eyes meet our little one that very first time as we welcome him or her into the world, thoughts about how he or she got here begin to fade, and we celebrate all that is to come. Good Luck!

The Moms Groups offers professionally led support groups for women since 2008 – from your first trimester through your baby’s first year. It is the largest, most personalized support organization in the country, hosting in twenty locations each week in Manhattan and Brooklyn connecting women to each other and the best parenting resources in New York City. You bring the baby, we’ll bring the village. ™

The information above is not intended to replace medical advice. Individuals should consult with their own providers to ensure that all parenting practices are suitable for their own family

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