What Are Breech Babies?

So the first time I heard the word ‘breech’, I thought “beach”.  Ahh…that would be nice, hanging out on the beach when you’re pregnant or with your baby, just relaxing.  Then picture the adorable little one sleeping, arms up and just gently sun tanning for a moment.

But that’s not it, unfortunately.  So here I’m going to let you know what are breech babies and what to do if you have one.

Definition and Causes

Breech essentially means that your baby is not head down during the last month of pregnancy.  Somewhere between 32 and 36 weeks, your baby will naturally turn upside down and stay there with their head ready for your vagina to open.  But around 4% of the time, this doesn’t happen.

Some babies sit with their bottoms down, feet in any arrangement, and a small fraction even lay sideways with their shoulders poking downwards.  Why do they do this?

There are a number of reasons believed to be the cause, but sometimes it’s just not absolutely clear.

• lack of amniotic fluid
• too much amniotic fluid
• having multiple pregnancies
• carrying multiple babies
• when you have a history of premature delivery
• when the uterus has abnormal growths like fibroids
• when your placenta covers your vaginal opening (placenta previa)

My little sister was a breech baby.  My mother, during the end of her pregnancy with my sister, was busy painting part of our house and doing a lot of physical labor.  She feels this is the reason my sister was breech.

 

Then when I was pregnant for the first time, I remember I was sitting on the floor, indian-style, with my elbows resting on my knees-and my dad expressed concern about how I was sitting.  He said that he thought the abnormal sitting state (compared to the WRONG way of normally upright with one leg crossed over top of the other, lady like) was a reason that caused breech babies.  

So everyone may have experienced different things that may have been the cause.  I once with in my physiology class in college and we had a midwife guest speaker.  After her presentation I asked her what she felt were causes of breech babies.

She indicated that really, what mommy may be thinking is what baby is feeling.  Meaning if you’re anxious about your birth, not wanting it to happen, fearful of what is to come, then your baby is feeling those same emotions too, and that may become a cause of fear in them.

If you believe that people around you, and even certain pets like dogs, can interpret your emotions and feelings based on just their presence with you-don’t you also believe that your baby would?  I mean, they are LITERALLY part of you, just like your heart and mind.  They feel what you feel and emotions and thoughts can be powerful messages.

Am I saying that if you are fearful of that baby coming out that your baby is going to be breech?  NO.

Am I saying that if you’re the happiest, most eager mother to have that baby arrive, that your baby won’t be breech?  NO.

Preventing Breech at Best

I AM saying that your emotions play a part-along with many other factors we may or may not be able to control.

So it really only comes down to three things you CAN do:

1. drink plenty of water (I talk more about that here), because too little water takes away amniotic fluid
2. be open to that baby’s arrival in a healthy way:
   1. imagine your baby coming down your birth canal easily and correctly (you can do this while you’re mastering your relaxation exercises)
3. sit tailor-style as often as possible, keeping your pelvis open as wide as possible on a regular basis

If you’re serious about having your baby naturally, then I know you are ALREADY doing these things are part of your regular healthy routines in preparation for birth.  But say it’s week 37 and you go in for your regular exam-the one where doc starts checking your vagina for dilation progress.

Well…it is STILL possible to have a breech baby at this point.  So what is your doctor going to discuss with you?

Correcting Breech Positions

Now keep in mind, just like the prevention steps, these corrective steps may work the magic, or they may not do a single thing.  Biology is always unclear about cause and effect when they’re are SO many variables at play.  But you can do some things to increase your odds of getting that baby facing the right direction.

• do body tilts that elevate your hips above your heart, daily for 15-20 minutes (make sure you don’t get lightheaded!! STOP if you need to)
  1. you can do this by laying down with multiple pillows under your hips
  2. or try kneeling and then lowering your face to the floor
  3. you can even put your knees up on the edge of a bed or footstool (this is the extreme version pictured)
• place a cool pack on top of your uterus and heat pack at the bottom (nothing too hot or cold, mind you)
  1. the idea here is that baby will be drawn towards the warmth instead of the uncomfortable cold
• similarly, play music through headphones or have your husband talk to the baby, at the bottom of your belly
• a few natural techniques have been shown to reduce the presence of breech position:
  1. Moxibution - this is a Chinese Medicine that has apparently been used to successfully turn breech babies
     1. **I could not find the directly referenced study applied to this case.  But I did find multiple believable sources stating this as medicinal fact.
  2. Webster Technique - this is a chiropractic technique that helps the uterine muscles relax, allowing the baby to move more freely
• External Cephalic Version (ECV)
  1. This is a procedure that is performed by your doctor or midwife usually in a hospital setting.  Pressure is applied against your abdomen to move your baby.  Some sources I’ve researched state that this can be risky because of the chance that your placenta will separate from your uterine wall.  But others don’t mention this risk at all; so I’m not sure of the validity of it.  It’s monitored via ultrasound throughout as well.
  2. You should speak with your doctor about this one to fully understand how the procedure works and if it is a good option for your case.

Then What If Baby Is Still Breech?

I can’t imagine being in that moment of labor knowing that your baby is still breech.  It must be SUCH a tough feeling, knowing that you most likely have to have a c-section now-after all your months of hard work.  I can’t begin to convey understanding what you feel; I have never been there.

But now, I hope you accept your circumstances and move forward with resilience-because THAT’S what YOU are ALL ABOUT!!  All in all, no matter how that baby arrives, you are a RESILIENT mother and you can have confidence in knowing that you have done your best.  Now it’s just time to finish the job of birthing.

Before you start labor, it’s very likely that you have already discussed with your doctor the options and protocols of what is the best situation for you:  attempting a vaginal breech birth or moving forward with a c-section.

It is still VERY possible to have a vaginal birth when your baby is breech.  The risks are greater than a normal headfirst birth, but the advantages overall still tower over that of a c-section.  (See my post here about the benefits of vaginal births.)  Some additional risks are:

• needed use of forceps around baby’s head
• increased risk of umbilical cord prolapse
• increased risk of complications for baby

Now, there are many, many research statistics out there that I found surrounding vaginal breech births.  I felt to discuss many of them would be too complicated for this post.  But you ABSOLUTELY MUST work with your doctor on this.  Make sure they are experienced in this situation if you feel that moving forward with a vaginal birth is still what you choose to do.

It’s a hard decision and only you, your husband, and your doctor can work out what is best for you.

I did want to share this study though.  The University of Toronto did a large trial with over 2000 women that had breech babies.  Half of them planned for a vaginal birth.

Of just those women, 57% delivered vaginally.  So of all the women studied, approximately a quarter of them had vaginal births.

HOWEVER, the increased chances of death for the infants born vaginally was higher than those born via cesarean section.  Directly from their abstract:

Planned caesarean section is better than planned vaginal birth for the term fetus in the breech presentation; serious maternal complications are similar between the groups.

So you’re risk to yourself does not change-the risk to your baby DOES.

Now…

This is not to shatter any hopes of your desire to still birth vaginally, because you ABSOLUTELY CAN.  But know that your risks are much different than those of a normal, baby’s head down, vaginal birth.

Only you can do what is best for you.  I cannot tell you what is best.  But I am here to listen.  I am here to help.  I am going to be there for you.

But YOU must reach out for any help that you may need.  And there IS help here and with your doctor or midwife.

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I wish you the best good fortune for your birth.