Breech Baby Rotation: Options for Re-Positioning a Baby in a Less Than Optimal Birthing Position

These days most breech babies are delivered via cesareans which carry a whole host of their own complications and risks. Breech babies can be delivered vaginally but that also carries a set of risks. Overall, it avoids undue stress and potential complications if a baby is able to be turned into a head down position for the birth. There are many options available for birther’s who’s babies are in less than optimal positions nearing the end of their pregnancy. These options include: moxibustion acupuncture work, rebozo and inversion work, yoga, water headstands, chiropractic adjustment, and External Cephalic Version (ECV). As it is normal for a baby not to rotate into a downward facing position until later in the pregnancy these techniques would be used somewhere between the 30 and 37 week mark when it is time for the baby to get into that optimal birthing position.

Mixibustion acupuncture is an ancient technique that has been around for millennia. An acupuncturist will stimulate certain points in the pregnant person’s pinky toe with very thin needles and then circulate mugwort incense around the needles. Some practitioners also encourage women to recreate the mug wort incense part of the ritual without the needles at home for several days or weeks after the initial session. The combination of the acupuncture stimulation, the smoke and the heat from the incense encourage the baby to turn into a head down position.

The rebozo can be used to reduce pressure on a birther’s pelvis, to relax the muscles surrounding the uterus and to therefore allow the baby to have more space to turn due to the increased flexibility of the muscles surrounding the womb. This can be especially helpful for mal-positioned babies when used in conjunction with the inversion technique. The inversion technique is a position where a pregnant person has their knees planted on a surface such as a bed or chair, and then leans over and puts their hands on a lower surface, such as the floor. There is a picture of the inversion position featured below. This combination allows for the muscles to relax and allow the baby to have more wiggle room and then the inversion allows gravity to release the baby from the pelvis, hopefully allowing the baby to flip into the more desirable head down position before descending back into the pelvis once the pregnant person is upright again.

Yoga has a similar role to play to the rebozo and inversion technique. It allows the weight to be lifted from the pelvis allowing the baby to float back up into the abdomen area and the muscles surrounding the baby to relax a little. This should hopefully help facilitate the baby moving into a better birthing position. The yoga posture most used for this purpose is called the breech tilt and it is a modified form of the bridge pose. The pregnant person lays on their back with a support under them, such as a birthing ball, an inclined ramp, etc, their head is on the floor and their feet are raised on a chair or a bed. Below are some pictures of what it looks like.

Water headstands operate under the same principle, the water allows the body to feel weightless, it removes the pressure from the muscles surrounding the uterus and the headstand allows gravity to lift the baby out of the pelvis giving them the chance to readjust and re-enter the pelvis in a better position when the birther returns to a standing position.

A chiropractic adjustment called the Webster technique addresses the possibility of an SI joint dysfunction or limitation. This technique will not move the baby into a different position but rather create a better alignment for the birther allowing the baby to turn into the preferred position on their own.

External Cephalic Version (ECV) is a medical procedure where the pregnant person’s midwife or medical care provider manipulates the baby from outside the womb. They feel for the head and the bottom of the baby and then they physically turn them into a better position. This is effective in that it often works but it can be uncomfortable for the pregnant person so the birther may prefer to try other methods before attempting this one.

If you have any questions or concerns about a breech baby or any other fertility or prenatal questions I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out on my contact page.

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