Turning a Breech Baby - Clinton Township,MI

Others may have mentioned this, but have you thought about going to a Chiropractor for the Webster technique? I am 35 weeks pregnant and have seen a chiropractor the entire time. It is very safe and I have heard this technique is very successful.

Don't panic. It could still work out okay. I was hooked up to the IV and ready to go for my version when the baby decided to move all on her own...while in the hospital. I was 38 weeks at the time, and none of the home exercises worked. So, it could still correct itself.

My daughter was breech and I decided to go with the c-section. I figured God had her breech for a reason and I did not want to change that and I am so glad I decided not too. The cord was wrapped around her neck 4 times and if I had her turned it would have been very bad, so I look at it like why change what God wants. The baby is breech for a reason and I know c-sections are not always fun but better safe than sorry. Just my opinion on it!

Oh mama, I feel your stress!

My son was breech. Turned at 27 weeks and never turned back. I did everything from chiropractic techniques (Webster) to accupuncture to moxibustion treatments at home. I did exercises, I talked to the baby, I played music down by my pubic bone, shined a flashlight in that area, and had his big brother and father talk to him down there.

I had a version at 38 weekd (unsuccessful) and chose to have a c-section at 39 weeks since at 40 weeks time frame they were no longer going to be letting in children as visitors due to H1N1. My version was very short lived. The doctor tried for a few minutes, but stopped saying that he would have moved by then.

I knew by then in my heart of hearts that he wasn't moving and for a good reason. We had a planned homebirth and even considered a vaginal breech birth, but I wasn't comfortable with one at home. There are no doctors in SanDiego that would do one at my hospital.

I know that isn't what you want to hear, but wanted to share my story and tell you that I am thinking of you. It is sort of disappointing. i hate to admit it, but I was a little mad at my son for not turning.

As it turned out, he had an extremely short cord (not found on a 37 week ultrasound) and couldn't turn. He probably would have never descended and we'd have had a c-section anyways.

I wish you luck. If I can give you some c-section advice. Take arnica right before going in (I can send you the dosage amount if you want to PM me) and religiously for a few days. They will tell you nothing to eat or drink, but it dissolves in your mouth...just sneak it in. I took it and ended up taking Tylenol for a headache a few days after my c-section. That was all the pain meds I needed and none for the actual incision. I really chalk it up to the arnica for bruising.

I wish you luck.

Check out the spinning babies website. www.spinningbabies.com

My friend was due right around the same time I was and was committed to a home birth no matter what. She did all the same things I did and her baby turned at 38 weeks. It can happen.

Do some soul searching and see if you really think this baby will turn. After a while, I sort of felt like I was bothering him trying to get him to turn. That sounds silly, but I really felt that way.

Wishing you luck and as peaceful as a birth as you can have! And here's to spinning babies!!!!

Yes and Yes. I had a breech baby and I did get her to move...sort of. It sounds silly, but I swear it works...I stood on my head. I sort of propped myself on the very tip tops of my shoulders/head on a pillow and leaned against a wall. I think my birthing class instructor, who was also a doula, said to do it for 30 mins a few times/day. Then you're supposed to use some lotion and massage your belly in a circular motion pressing in to get the baby to move. I absolutely felt her move, but as soon as I got up, I could feel her immediately flip back to her previous position. When I went in for the version, which in a way is kinda cool because they did about a 30 min ultrasound where we got to see her just hang out, the perinatologist came in and in about 10 seconds said he wouldn't do it...the neucal cord was wrapped around her neck and if I was his wife, he wouldn't suggest it. That was it...I went home and waited for the c-section. Looking back on it...I kinda wished I hadn't even tried to move her for fear that something would have happened. Obviously it didn't and things turned out fine, but usually if they're breech, I think they are that way for a reason. Do what you're comfortable with, but if your baby isn't moving with that technique, don't press it...in my opinion! If you do have to have section...it's not that bad...I promise!!! Obviously I get that you want to avoid that, but it has it's pros too! Hang in there!

Do you know anyone who's had a version before?? Let me know if you want any more info...I know it's scary while you're just waiting!

Because I would rather avoid the risks of a version and have a planned c-section rather than an emergency one under stress, I canceled my version, tried chiropractic Webster technique, acupuncture with moxa, lying upside down, the flashlight, talking to the belly, etc..I too figured she was breech for a reason and nothing mattered other than getting her here safely. Turns out she wouldn't have turned due to her size and the location of my placenta. The csection wasn't as bad as I thought, it actually made things easier being able to plan, and I heal fast in general. Go with your gut I say! I cried every day until I canceled the version, and that decision put me at complete peace.

Check out www.spinningbabies.com and call around and try to find a chiropractor educated in the webster method. Breach babies can turn even during labor!

The exercises you do at home are SAFER than the version. They are 100% natural and and do not force your baby to move. They simply allow your baby to turn if it's possible (i.e. no cord tightly wrapped and keeping them in position). If there is something preventing the baby from turning they simply will not turn. In a version the doctor will be trying to manually FORCE your baby to turn. This is what tresses the baby and sometimes leads to the complications listed by Donna H. I would try all of the gentle hands off things you can before you try the much more invasive and harsh manual turning of your baby. Also, a chiropractor doing the webster technique never touches the baby. It is simply an adjustment of your hips and the ligaments. The theory being that if you are out of adjustment it could be forcing your baby into the unnatural breach position because there isn't any room or it just isn't comfortable for the baby to be in the heads down position. Please visit the web-site I listed above and at least read up on the information there. Some of the things they have listed are so, so, so simple like simply changing the way you sit on the couch (no reclining, it encourages breach presentation).

Go find a chiropractor that can adjust you. It works wonders. If your hips are out, it can effect the way your uterus is sitting, causing your baby to go in the most comfy position, which is usually breech or transverse, depending on what's going on with your alignment. Also, take homeopathic pulsatilla. It somehow works also.

When I had my first baby, they said I was too far along to turn him easily, and the C-section turned out to be the best thing. He had the cord wrapped quite tightly around his neck three times, and coming through the birth canal like that most likely would have caused brain damage to him. Sometimes God and nature knows best and maybe we should be more accepting and not argue with it, Even though you might be disappointed by having to have a C-section, it just might work out for the best. Good luck.

When I delivered my first twin, the other flipped & went breech. I was TOTALLY against having a c-section, so the dr. literally went in after her to try to flip her. It was the absolute WORST pain I've ever had in my life...After 3 attempts to turn her, they lost her heartbeat and it was an immediate section whether I wanted it or not. I was wishing afterwards that I would have just had them both via section; it was just too easy.

i don't know what my friend did.....but i know she did all sorts of crazy things to get her baby to turn......and IT WORKED!! Just look up stuff

I had a version done with my second child. It was just fine! I' had an epidural (or a spinal) and I felt nothing. One week later i went into labor. I tried various things that I read online with hopes that the baby would turn on his own but none were successful. Good luck!!!

i've had 2 friends who tried, one last week, and neither worked. The first they were lucky they did the c-section because the cord was wrapped around her neck twice! The second the baby was fine, no cord or anything, he just refused to turn.

My friend just delivered (VBAC) her 10 pound son last Wed. He was breech up until a week or maybe two before he was born. She went to a chiropractor one time on a Wed. and her version was scheduled for that Friday. It was successful and he turned head down.

You can definitely feel when your baby turns. (I still remember when our first did. I didn't realize it at the time but now looking back I know that's what she did. It was the strangest feeling ever! LOL.) And my friend said she could feel a huge difference in her baby as well. He stayed head down and she delivered him completely naturally a day past his due date.

I've had two breach babies. The first was a surprise to us all, even my very experienced dr didn't know she was breach until she was almost born and it was too late! Surprise of surprises, she was born vaginal breach, buttocks first.

My second, we knew from 32 weeks when I told the dr that she hadn't turned, and he did not believe me. Every week, I told him she still hadn't turned, he did an ultrasound, and confirmed I was right. At 36 weeks, we tried external version. It was not painful, but quite uncomfortable to have the dr put his hands on your stomach and push to try to turn the baby. (Yes, they monitored the whole procedure with ultrasound.) My baby would turn about half way around, and then pop back they way she was before. Stubborn kid! (She still is stubborn, now 11!) Apparently, external version is only successful about 50% of the time. She was born at 38 weeks, buttocks first just like her sister. In fact, she was born in only 1 hour of labor. I wish you the best of luck, however it happens for you!

My daughter was not completely breech, more on a diagonal at 36 weeks, but I did all the things I could to make sure she turned completely down and didn't turn breech. There is no harm in trying! If you google at things to try to turn the baby at home a lot of things will come up. I tried them all. The thing that I really think worked for me was going to a pool and doing handstands and flipping upside down. Do you have access to a pool or a community pool you can pay a one time fee to use? If I were you I would go during open swim and play around. I swear that is what worked for me. Being in the water takes all the pressure off your body!

My girlfriend had this happen. She had a csection with her first one. For the second child, she found a doula and worked very hard to make sure she didn't have another csection (and successfully turned the baby). Fight for your birth, it's your right. Dr's are so quick to jump to csections. Maybe you need a more supportive dr. I can also personnally tell you that even though my csection was easy, giving birth with the second was much more fullfilling and a heck of a lot easier afterwards(and I say this after being in hard labor for 22hrs). Not to mention the risks involved with having more children. Good luck, if you have the section, it'll all be fine...but it's defintely worth the effort. (not to mention paying a doula will save you the money compared to having a csection)

You have had lots of good answers, but I thought that I would share my story too. I just had a baby 4 days ago that we discovered was transverse at 36 wks. I was upset as I knew the implications if we were unable to get the baby into a head down postion. This wasn't my first breech baby, but it would have been only my second c-section for this if we couldn't (I now have 7 kids). I too tried everything that we could find to do at home and nothing was working. I had an inversion scheduled at 38 wks. It was realtivly easy to turn the baby into the right postion, but----without my knowing----he flipped to transverse again, even before we left the hospital. I am really sorry to say that not all the time can you feel the baby flipping around, most of the time you can, but don't count on that. We did another version right then and were able to keep him in a relative head down position. But it wasn't for another 2 wks before we knew for sure that it would work when I finally delivered him vaginally. Good luck!

My Bradley method teacher had the same problem of breech babies (she's had 6 kids). She found a doctor that would manually turn the baby, but then she'd have to hold them in place (she braced her arms on both sides of her belly to inhibit as much movement as possible) through labor to be sure the didn't go back to breech (he refused to do it more then once). It was rough going through an induced labor, but avoiding a c-section was important to her so she did it. Unfortunately she's in Kentucky, or I could recommend the doctor she used to manually turn the baby.

I do know people have been successful (for some babies) using a cold object, like say a bag of frozen peas, to lay on their belly and the baby moves away from the cold and they can get them to turn. However, you don't have the security of knowing they'll stay that way, but you might want to try it and see if it works. Also if it does, but they move back, try it again right before your induction.

Hope this is helpful. You're not crazy to want to avoid a c-section. They're wonderful for people who NEED them, but often modern medicine wants to use them more often then NEEDED. Its quick and convenient for the doctor, NOT the mom!

Best wishes!

Hi Cindy ~
As a labor & delivery nurse I can tell you that versions are not often successfull, so be prepared for the c-section....sorry. There are risks with versions, as well - such as uterine rupture and cord prolapse. I know that midwives have a good success rate using herbs, but off-hand I don't know which ones. Maybe you could research that, or find a midwife in the area that might give you some advice. I have heard of going to a chiropractor to help, also.
I can tell you that at our hospital we had someone a couple of months ago that was scheduled for a c-section for breech, had an ultrasound that confirmed the baby was still breech, came in that night and delivered in triage before we could move her to a room, and the baby was head down :)
Also, one of our nurses did some yoga manuevers to get her baby to turn and they worked.
Good luck!
D.

I had one successful version and one not. I tried every exercise known and he wouldn't turn. At one point he was sideways and that was while I was doing self hypnosis, using a hypnobirthing coach. His arm was all wrapped up in the cord we discovered at my c-section( my first after 3 deliveries) The one thing I didn't try was accupuncture which I heard was very successful, but you can't wait too long cuz if the baby is too big it can't turn with out much help. Accupuncture can start labor which is the one reason I didn't do it I didn't want an emergency section. I have very fast deliveries. But the best one was laying on the couch inverted and putting frozen veggies on his head. Poor thing hated it and moved the most . Try what you feel comfortable with but in the end accept the outcome because a healthy baby is all we want in the end!!
Good luck!
T. K