If you are a pregnant mama and have been told your baby is in the breech position, you are likely wondering if there is anything that can be done about this.

What does a breech baby mean?

Breech baby refers to a position your baby can find themselves in. There are several different positions. One way is head up – breach position. They could also be transverse. Meaning lying sideways.

Early on in the pregnancy your baby can move around freely in the womb however as the baby grows, space becomes reduced and their position becomes much more important near your birthing day.

How come its important to turn a baby from breech position?

Ideally as you get close to your due date and birthing your baby you want the baby to be “head down”. This is the ideal position for baby to birth ( also known as vertex). Head down literally means that the baby’s head is facing downwards. As though they upside down in your womb. Nature is very clever – there is a sweet spot to work with the innate design of birthing a baby – this makes things easier for mama and baby.

So if you find yourself close to your due date and have been told that your baby is breech – what can be done to support baby turning “head down”.

What can be done for a breech baby?

There are several different approaches to this and gentle bodywork with a practitioner can be one option.

The very first thing to note, is that a bodyworker is not turning the baby itself. Or doing anything to the baby. This is very different to the option given by your maternity team. If your baby is in a breech position at 36 weeks – an external cephalic version (ECV) will be discussed with you.Typically a healthcare professional, such as an obstetrician, tries to turn the baby into a head-down position by applying pressure on your abdomen.

This is not part of how I support women with a breech baby. I am working working with the vessel that holds that precious cargo – the mother! A practitioner like myself will examine the mother, with particular focus on the low back, hips and pelvis. Remember, your womb is not floating in mid air, it is attached and suspended via ligaments etc. The bodywork practitioner examines mama to see if there is any tightness in the area – for example muscular tightness or misalignment in the pelvis. Or any aberrant patterns of tension in the nervous system and, if suitable, releasing these areas of tightness or tension via gentle bodywork. With this release of tension in you – the vessel holding baby – we observe and see how your baby responds and if we see them change position in the hours and days following care.

I am 38 weeks and my baby is breech! Is it too late?

Ideally the breech baby bodywork sessions would start as soon as 24-26 weeks in order to promote a head down position. That being said, this session is still very beneficial even in the final weeks of pregnancy. I have seen ladies that previously had a breech baby, start attending for care with their current pregnancy in that 24-26 week range and I have also had ladies start care with me at 38 weeks plus.

How many times do I need to attend for this kind of care?

That all depends on where you are starting from. For those looking for promote a head down position who are starting care earlier in their pregnancy, they may commit to attending regular appointments until baby arrives. Remember, that with each week that passes your body is changing and your baby is growing so counterbalancing these changes with regular release of any tension building or coming to the surface can be beneficial.

Got questions?

If you are wondering about care for you as a pregnant mother and either have a known breech position or you are keen to support ideal alignment and position for your growing baba – I am more than happy to have a chat on the phone prior to attending for care. Every pregnancy is different and every expectant mother is different and I wish to support an atmosphere of trust and empowerment as you navigate your pregnancy. This is a short intro into care of the pregnant mother and breech baby bodywork. If you have any further questions, I will endevour to answer them.

Please also note, as I stated earlier there are many ways to approach breech birth. It is possible to work in tandem with other approaches and practitioners. Of course, this means you may not know which approach worked for you. However, often in those final days, expectant mothers are keen for anything to work. Which is completely understandable. However, I would suggest that you inform each practitioner you attend and your maternity team of support you are receiving elsewhere.

Natural Back Health is a private professional service providing gentle, low force and safe therapy to bring about healing and relief. I have a whole health and body philosophy to my treatments. My plan of care – if suitable – includes tailored advice on stress management, nutrition, exercise, sleep and in-house gentle manual therapy.

If you are experiencing pelvic pain in pregnancy – read more here.

If you have any further questions regarding this topic please do not hesitate to contact the clinic on 087 1815007 or here.

Hopefully you find the general information on this page informative and helpful, however it is not intended to replace medical advice and should not be used as such.