TURNING A BREECH
■ VISUALISING the baby moving down with the head very deep in your pelvis, several times a day, especially in conjunction with positions and exercises below.
■ SWIMMING as often as possible. This keeps your body and pelvis loose and relaxed. Do in conjunction with the breech tilt below if you have help.
■ BREECH TILT Begin at 32 to 35 weeks of pregnancy. Do three times daily for 10 to 15 minutes each time, when you have an empty stomach, and the baby is active. Prop one end of an ironing board securely on a sofa or chair about 30cm high (or may use slant board). Lie down, bend knees, but keep feet flat on board. Relax, breathe deeply, and avoid tensing. You may also use pillows on a flat surface to raise hips above shoulders. Gravity pushes the baby’s head into the fundus, tucks it, and baby can then do a ”somersault” to a vertex (head down) position.
■ HEADPHONES Place them inside your pants toward your pubic bone and play classical music for 10 minutes six to eight times a day.
■ FLASHLIGHT Try moving it slowly down from the top of the uterus towards your pubic bone while you are in a breech tilt position. Use an amber or red light.
■ MASSAGE Start with your left hand at the bottom of the abdomen and your right hand just above it. Move your hands clockwise around the right side of your tummy. As your right hand reaches the top of your abdomen, slide the left one over your right and move it down the left side of your tummy. Your left hand leads as you come full circle, continuing clockwise. Massage gently as you would to apply lotion. Massage for 10 minutes or more up to several times each day.
■ CLOTHES PEG Place on the outside corner of the toenail of the small toe of both feet, sideways so that the toenail and toe pad are stimulated for 30 minutes per day. This is an acupressure point that could lead to the baby ”moving down”. You can also do this with just finger pressure on your baby toe.
■ MOTION SICKNESS BAND Place it with the bead four finger widths above the inner ankle bone – another acupressure point that is used for stimulation of the uterus. Do not use this point if you are experiencing any pre-term labour.
■ GLASS OF ORANGE OR OTHER JUICE – follow this with a side-lying position with your hips positioned higher than your feet. Babies move more after a sugar high!
■ PELVIC TILT with an ice pack on the top of your tummy on an empty stomach, 10 minutes twice a day. Do this while lying on your back on the floor with knees flexed and feet on the floor with three large pillows placed under your buttocks. Try this in conjunction with headphones and visualisation.
■ CAT STRETCH Start on all fours, then lay your head and chest flat on the floor with your bum in the air, as you round your back and return to all fours.
■ KNEE-CHEST POSITION Kneel and flex your hips forward slightly more than 90°. There should ideally be a space between your belly and thighs, and your head, shoulders and upper chest should be flat on a mattress. Hold for 15 minutes every two waking hours for five days.
■ WEBSTER’S BREECH TECHNIQUE
See a chiropractor who is experienced in this technique.
■ HOMEOPATHY If you’re familiar with homeopathy, you may know about a homeopathic remedy called Pulsatilla. It is used widely by homeopaths to help turn breech babies. It is a natural remedy, safe to use in pregnancy, and you can usually find it at selected pharmacies and health stores. The potency used for successfully turning breech babies is Pulsatilla 30x – safe because it is a low potency. Potencies 3C or 6C can also be used. High potencies should be taken only under the guidance of a homeopath or homeopathically trained doctor.
There are many advantages to using this natural way to turn your baby. It’s affordable and not painful. Pulsatilla may turn a baby in the last week, or even days before the birth.
It is probably the safest way of turning a breech baby, as it will simply not work if there is a physiological reason why your baby shouldn’t be turned.