Westside Doula

Breech Presentation

If your baby is breech, please be proactive.  More information on Breech techniques can be found here .  In Los Angeles, most breech babies are born by c-section.  Less than a handful of doctors even know how perform a breech delivery.  If you want to avoid evisceration, get that baby turned around!

Lure your baby out of breech.
Beginning at 34 weeks, if your baby is presenting breach, you will want to do everything you can to flip your baby.  All of the following are encouraged.  A little extra effort and inconvenience at 34 weeks, is a lot easier on your body than at 37 weeks.  The baby has more room to move around and therefore the procedures are more effective.

FYI: In California, a midwife may not deliver Breech babies at home.

Noninvasive Breech Turning Techniques:

1.Cold-up Warm-down:  
a.(wet) Fill a bathtub, up to your hips, of warm water.  Sit in tub and place on the top of your belly a sack of frozen peas or an ice pack.  You are trying to encourage your baby to swim toward the warm and avoid the cold. 
b.(dry) Put a heat therapy pad (basically a tube sock filled with rice) in the microwave until warm and sit on it.  Place an ice pack on top of belly.
 
2.Tilt Board:  
For 15 minutes, three times a day, lay on your back with your hips raised 9-12 inches above your head.  I found that propping my couch up about two or thee feet created the desired outcome without the instability of an ironing board.

3.Pulsatilla:
One dose of 30c every two hours for up to six doses—then stop.  One dose of 200c can be administered instead.(Check with a Homeopathic Doctor)

4.Walking:
Walking, a lot, moves the hips in a way that is favorable to the head down position.  Walk a lot. Ideally five miles per day.  It also keeps your stamina up in preparation for labor.

5.On all fours:
Crawling offers the movement benefits of walking while allowing the baby be pulled out of the pelvis by gravity.

6.Swimming:
Do headstands and summersaults in the swimming pool.

7.Talk to baby:
While meditating, or during a quiet time, tell your baby how to present—head down, chin to chest, back to belly.  Make this your mantra.

8. ICAN Breech succestions

Interesting Article on Vaginal Breech Delivery in Los Angeles

Raiders of the Lost Art

Thoughts on Vaginal Breech Delivery

By Stuart J. Fischbein, MD FACOG

Medical Advisor, BAC

April 8, 2009

Before I can make any comments about this topic it is only fair to disclose my bias. The members of the Birth Action Coalition and I believe that the right of patients and families to informed consent and exercise of their free will is of paramount importance. Along with this right comes the responsibility to accept the consequences of their decision. With this in mind I believe there is still a role for the option of a vaginal breech delivery....

International Cesarean Awareness Network Breech Statistics

Recent Rates of Vaginal Delivery for Breech Presentation By Country

• Japan 56%.¹¹ Findings: Poor outcome 1.2% vaginal delivery : 0.0% cesarean
• Sweden 52%.¹² Findings: No statistically significant difference between vaginal birth and cesarean section babies for perinatal/neonatal outcomes.
• Norway 40%.¹³
• Finland 39%.¹⁴ Findings: Less birth trauma for vaginal breech deliveries than vaginal vertex deliveries. More trauma for breech vaginal delivery than breech CS, but lower long-term morbidity for breech vaginal than breech cesarean deliveries. Breech vaginal death 0.07%, vertex vaginal delivery death 0.02%.
• Sweden 37%.¹⁵ Findings: Infant mortality, birth injury and convulsions higher for breech vaginal birth than breech CS
• Ireland 23%.¹⁶ Findings: No nonanomalous perinatal deaths, significant trauma, or neurological dysfunctions for vaginally or CS delivered breech babies.
• Denmark 15.3%.¹⁷ Findings: Higher rates of puerperal fever and pelvic infections for CS breech delivery.
• California 4.9%.¹⁸ Findings: Neonatal mortality, asphyxia, brachial plexus injury, and birth trauma higher for vaginally delivered breech than CS. If woman had a previous vaginal delivery no difference in neonatal mortality by delivery mode.
• Canada <5%.¹⁹