“Doctors say I might deliver a breech baby , I am scared . What should I do now ?“ a 30 weeks pregnant lady worries . Usually during deliver, baby’s head is towards the birth canal than the buttocks or feet of the baby. But there are some cases in which the arrangement is reversed and this kind of arrangement is referred to as “Breech Presentation”. According to research 1 out of 25 full terms births is a breech birth.
Most babies move into the deliver position few weeks prior to birth with head moving towards the birth canal. But in breech presentation this is not seen. Breech birth are not common yet there is no need to panic. First of all , delivering a breech baby is not impossible , it’s just that it is little risky. The medical science of today’s world has invented many ways to deal with it . Most breech position babies are born by caesarian section because it is seen as safer than being born vaginally.
Breech Baby: 11 Techniques to Turn
Which kind of babies are to be Breech ??
- If they are premature or early birth.
- If they are part of multiple birth (2 or more babies at a time )
- If there is abnormal level of amniotic fluid (nourishment providing fluid around the foetus )
- If the mother has abnormal shaped uterus or uterus with abnormal growth such as fibroids.
- If women have placenta previa (placenta covers the opening in the mother’s cervix)
Can breech baby be felt ??
Probably mother can’t feel whether baby is breech. But around 36th week of pregnancy if mother feels baby’s head pressing high up in her belly or kicking in lower belly, she must consult doctor for the examination.
Techniques to turn breech babies
Breech Tilt : Also known as Pelvic tilt . It is more like bridge position in yoga . Lie on the floor with your legs bent and your feet flat on the ground. Raise your hips and pelvis into a bridge position. Stay in the tilt for about 10 to 20 minutes. Performing it 3 times a day would be good.
Music: Certain sounds may appeal to your baby. Place headphones or a speaker at the bottom of your uterus to encourage them to turn. Hypnobabies is an MP3 series that offers various types of proven medical hypnosis techniques to create peaceful, relaxing and more comfortable pregnancy and birth. This techniques help in keeping calm and works against anxiety.
Inversion: Forward leaning inversion is one of the techniques involving the gravity. This helps in relaxing pelvic muscles and uterus. Making circles with pelvis is also beneficial for the movement of the baby.
Temperature and Light : Like music , babies also respond to temperature. Placing a ice bag near ribs will make the baby move away from the cold and towards the warmth. Same is with the light , a flash light may guide and move the baby towards the light.
Webster Technique : It is musculoskeletal adjustment of the baby to facilitate the mother’s pelvic alignment and nervous function. It reduces torsion to the uterus. The main aim is to promote turning of the baby.
Acupuncture : It is a form of Chinese medicine. Chinese believed pressing the specific points balances the energy of the body. Needles are being placed on pressure points which in turn relax the uterus and stimulate baby’s movement.
Eternal Cephalic Version (ECV) : It is a medical procedure for turning the baby. Around 37 weeks , end of the pregnancy ECV is common way of turning the breech baby. This technique is used during lab or before amniotic sac is ruptured. Babies heart rate is also being monitored during ECV. But there are some risk associated with like
- Premature rupture of membranes.
- Small amount of blood loss from either the mother or baby.
- Early onset of labour.
- Distress leading to emergency for caesarian operation.
ECV should be avoided in following cases :
- Vaginal bleeding.
- A placenta that is near or covering the opening of the uterus.
- A low level of amniotic fluid in the sac that surrounds and protects the baby.
- An abnormal foetal heart.
Massage : Prenatal massage at 38 weeks 5 days. The body is relaxed enough for baby to flip.
Water Handstand : Go to the swimming pool and bring out the inner child of oneself and perform the handstand. Repeatedly performing it is a key to turn the breech baby.
Pulsatilla : It is a homeopathetic remedy useful in turning breech baby and posterior positioned babies.
Walk the stairs : Moving up and down the stairs affects the inside movement of the foetus and so it is helpful in turning the breech baby.
There are few more methods to turn breech babies
- Talking to the baby. Yes , many people believe interaction of the mother with baby plays an important role and is essential of the bond of the motherhood. Talking to the baby and making it move is also a way to turn the breech baby.
- House chores like scrubbing the kitchen floor or clean on your hands and knee will flip the baby. Thus it is also responsible for movements of baby in the uterus .
- Elephant Walk : Walk around with the hands and feet creating an acute angle with the bottom up in the air.
Are breech babies born healthy ??
Yes , they are born healthy but they do have a slightly higher risk such as sacral discomfort and more for many problems than babies in the normal position do. Most of the problems are detected during ultrasound done in 20 weeks .
Are breech babies genetic ??
Yes , the babies are twice likely to be so if either of the parent or both parents were themselves breech babies.
Conclusion
Following the above ways will definitely help in turning the breech babies. These techniques are simple and easy to perform . Techniques like ECV is performed by doctors while inversion needs another person for support.
Hope this article was of help for all our parents!! Please share your comments/queries/tips with us and help us create a world full of Happy and Healthy Babies!!
