Having a baby in a breech position (feet pointing down towards the uterus) at the time of birth is not a common occurrence, affecting less than 5% of pregnant women.
There are many reasons why a breech position might occur. Pregnancies consisting of multiples (twins or triplets), a premature birth in the past, too much amniotic fluid, placenta previa may all play a role in a baby becoming breech.
In fact, many can present as transverse (facing sideways) or “breech” earlier in the pregnancy and naturally rotate into a head down position as the pregnancy progresses. Before the 36th week, this would not be considered as a breech position yet.
However, if you’re just about a month away from your due date and find out (through an ultrasound) that your baby has not fully rotated yet, you may want to know want your options are.
Getting baby to turn naturally
The good news is that there are a few simple things you can do at home to encourage baby to get into the right position. Even earlier on in your pregnancy, you may have already put into practice some habits to accommodate your growing belly.
Keeping the pelvis wide-open is generally the best position or posture for a baby to turn head down. So sleeping on your side with a pillow in between your legs is ideal for this.
If you’re keen on having a vaginal delivery, you might want to try any or all of the following methods to see if baby will move.
Pelvic tilt: Lie down on the floor and bend your legs in an upside down V, with both feet firmly flat on the ground. Raise your hips into a bridge position and hold this for about 10 to 20 minutes. Use a Yoga block or cushions and blankets if your lower back needs support.
Inverse pose: On a Yoga mat or cushioned surface, get on your hands and knees. Do the Cat and Cow exercise a few times. You can also rock back and forth and sway side to side. If it gets a bit too tiring, rest in Child’s pose then try again. This is to relax the pelvis and uterus muscles and also hopefully let gravity do the job to shift baby into the position.
Play with senses: Your baby responds to light, sounds, temperature and even smells. Try playing some soothing music through headphones and place the speaker at where you baby’s head is located. You can also try a cold towel there and a warm compress or water bottle at the bottom of your belly. You can also try a trick with a torchlight: shine it on your belly near baby’s head and see if you can get them to move. Some mothers have reported success by applying a drop of high-quality Peppermint essential oil on their stomach. Not all essential oils are suitable for prenatal use. As always, consult with your doctor before trying anything.
Visit a Chiropractor: An experienced Chiro may be able to assist you in body alignment methods to help baby turn into place.
Spinning Babies: this programme offered by some doulas presents an approach to childbirth that covers more than just fetal positions, but will definitely offer some natural perspectives on what can be done for breech and tranverse babies.
External Cephalic Version (ECV): This is a medical procedure done by your obstetrician at the hospital. Your doctor will use place her hands on your belly and physically manipulate the baby into position. The pressure is firm and you may feel some pain. Your baby’s heart rate will be monitored at all times during this procedure. There are some known risks and may not be suitable for all pregnancies.
Are natural Breech births possible?
Perhaps you’ve exhausted all the options above or did not have enough time before your delivery date.
Caesarian births are often the most suggested approach if babies are not in cephalic position. But if you’re not keen on this or still want to try to have a natural birth, it is still possible, with the right assistance and expertise.
If you’d like to consider a vaginal breech birth, your best bet is to get in contact with a Midwife, Doula and Obstetrician who have had experience in this area and can guide and support you accordingly. You can find a list of Midwives and Doulas in our Directory.