Everything you need to do right now to flip your breech baby naturally!
What is a breech baby?
A breech baby is a baby positioned bottom-down in the uterus instead of head-down, which is the optimal position for birth. There are different types of breech presentations, including frank breech (baby's bottom down with legs straight up), complete breech (baby's bottom down with legs crossed), and footling breech (baby's feet down first).
How to avoid breech position in pregnancy
There is no tried and true way to avoid a breech baby position, but here are some things that might help get baby in a proper head-down position during pregnancy:
Maintain good posture: Practice proper posture to encourage optimal baby positioning.
Stay active: Engage in regular exercise approved by your healthcare provider to promote optimal baby positioning.
Pelvic tilts: Perform pelvic tilts to help encourage the baby to move into a head-down position.
Optimal fetal positioning techniques: Explore techniques such as the Forward-Leaning Inversion or Spinning Babies exercises.
Avoid reclining positions: Minimize reclining positions that may encourage the baby to settle into a breech position.
Chiropractic care: Consider seeking chiropractic care from a provider experienced in prenatal care to help maintain pelvic alignment.
Acupuncture: Some women find acupuncture helpful in encouraging optimal baby positioning, although I've never tried it.
Swimming: Gentle swimming or water exercises may help encourage the baby to move into a head-down position.
Visualization techniques: Practice visualization exercises to encourage the baby to turn head-down and take time to write down your thoughts in a pregnancy journal.
Consult with a healthcare provider: Regularly communicate with your healthcare provider about baby positioning and discuss any questions you may have.
How to flip breech baby naturally
I have been there, and it can be really stressful to have a breech baby. I know it was really difficult for me to stop myself from overthinking the "what ifs". But it's important to remember that even if you're toward the end of pregnancy, it is not too late to get your baby to turn (most of the time!). Remember, at full-term, only 3-4% of babies are still breech (and those might be the women who didn't try all of these natural methods first), so the likelihood of your baby flipping is really high! Don't let yourself get discouraged. Some babies just take their time to flip head down, and some wait until the last days possible.
Now that you're relatively calm, let's go through the ways to get your baby to start getting into the head-down position naturally:
Exercises to turn breech baby
Short answer-- yes! An inversion position refers to a technique used to potentially help flip a breech baby in the womb. This technique involves going into a position where the hips are elevated higher than the head, such as lying on an inclined surface (pictured below) or using the specific yoga pose (also pictured here). The idea behind the inversion position is to create more space in the uterus and encourage the baby to move into a head-down position. Of course it is essential to consult with a healthcare provider before attempting any inversion positions to ensure safety and effectiveness.
Start thinking about doing inversions as your part-time job. I'm not kidding! I did so many of these I had to tell myself that getting my baby to flip was my new part-time job for a few weeks. To get into this position, put your knees up on your couch and your elbows down on the floor in front of you. Carefully stay in this position so that your butt is in the air for approximately 5-10 minutes at a time, several times a day. This position can allow gravity to get baby to flip around.
If getting into the full yoga pose isn't for you, try laying on the floor with your hips propped up in the air like the other photo here. This position can have the same effect as the full inversion, but you are able to stay in it longer because it is less inverted. To get into this position, put 1-2 pillows under your hips and lean forward. Stay in this position for around 15 minutes, several times per day.
Breech baby hot cold technique
Place a warm pack on the very bottom of your stomach. If you don't have a warm pack, here's an at-home trick: fill a large sock with uncooked rice and microwave for approximately 45 seconds. Then place an ice pack on the upper part of your stomach- essentially where your baby's head is. Baby's love warmth, so this technique will guide them to bring their head away from the cold and down to the warm spot. It can be tricky to navigate, but if you can do this while in an inversion position, that's even better!
Flashlight on pregnant belly
Using the same guidelines as above, shining a flashlight and even playing calming music at the very bottom of your stomach can help guide baby to the head-down position. Babies love calming music and are often drawn to light, so a flashlight can help guide their head down.
Turning a breech baby naturally
Okay, this is an all-natural wives-tale, but when your baby is breech you are usually willing to try anything to get them to turn around, so it might be worth a try. All you need to do for this wives-tale is get on your hands and knees and scrub your floors (hey, it might be exactly what you want to do while nesting anyways!). It's said that this movement can help jiggle baby into the proper head-down position, so make sure you're scrubbing really well.
How to get baby head down while sleeping
When your baby is breech, you want to sleep in positions that are going to give them as much space as possible to flip around. Some experts say that sleeping on your side with a fluffy pillow between your legs (positioned to keep your knees and ankles apart) can give your baby more space to move. This pillow is perfect for this sleeping position.
Walking during pregnancy
Not only is walking extremely beneficial throughout pregnancy, but walking for up to an hour a day can encourage the heaviest part of your baby (their head) to get into the head-down position gradually.
Moxibustion breech baby
Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves burning an herb called mugwort near certain acupuncture points on the body. Some studies suggest that moxibustion may help in turning a breech baby by stimulating the baby to move into a head-down position. However, the effectiveness of moxibustion in turning a breech baby is still a topic of debate and further research is needed to confirm its efficacy. It is important to consult with a healthcare provider or a qualified practitioner before trying moxibustion or any other techniques to address a breech presentation.
Turning babies that are breech
When you have a breech baby, I would avoid wearing tighter pants/leggings, and NOT wearing a belly bump support band. You should have loose fitting clothing to allow your baby as much space as possible to flip around. Now, once you have CONFIRMED that baby is in the head-down position, that is when you can start wearing a belly support band, supportive pants/leggings, and starting curb walking around 36-37 weeks. I would not do any curb walking until baby is confirmed head-down, as that pushes baby further into the pelvis.
Next, check out some of our other posts to prepare for baby's arrival:
Disclosure: I am not a doctor or an expert on flipping breech babies. Always consult with your doctor before trying any of these exercises and activities. Of course there is no guarantee that these tips will move your baby into the head-down position.
コメント