Other approaches to turning the breech baby
External Cephalic Version (ECV)
This is the most frequently practiced turning technique in the West, although it is rather infrequently practiced in the United States . It consists of manually turning the baby by placing hands on the outside of the mom’s belly. Sometimes the mom is given tocolysis to relax the musculature so the turning is thought to be easier. Results are fairly good with this technique and some studies report success in turning does not have to do with level of experience of the person turning the baby. Some physicians and some midwives know how to perform this procedure.
My perspective is that this procedure is borne from the paradigm of body as machine. The assumption motivating this technique is that something (i.e. the baby) is in the wrong place and should be placed right. My approach is that there are many reasons why the baby may appear to be in the wrong place and rather than simply putting the baby right, a more appropriate solution is to remove the barriers to the baby turning her/himself. I believe removing the barriers to turning may actually help the baby on her/his life course journey whereas simply manipulating position does nothing to resolve underlying issues. Additionally, ECV may occasionally result in adverse side effects such as hemorrhage or fetal heart rate decelerations necessitating immediate cesarean. No deleterious side-effects have been reported in the literature for any of the other interventions presented here.
Acupuncture or Moxibustion
Both acupuncture and moxibustion work to balance the chi (i.e. “vital energy”) of the body. Acupuncture balances the chi by inserting needles into specific points on the meridians. Moxibustion balances the chi by stimulating acupuncture points with a hot herb. The studies on acupuncture or moxibustion for breech presentation show treated breech babies become more active and are more likely to turn than are babies who are not treated.
Webster’s Technique/Bagnell’s Technique
These chiropractic techniques are very similar and conceptually approach breech presentation as a mechanical problem, although I believe possibly a greater effect is that of regulating the autonomic nervous system. These approaches posit that the baby is not turning due to maternal pelvic constraints. These approaches gently manipulate the pelvis and evaluate relevant connective tissue structures such as the round ligaments. Bagnell’s Technique includes evaluation and treatment of the first cervical vertebrae also.
While manipulation does help to normalize joint alignment and function, it also helps to optimize autonomic nervous system balance presumably thus allowing turning to occur and vertex presentation birthing.
For more information on Webster’s Technique:
For more information on Bagnell’s Technique:
Bagnell Pregnancy Chiropractic
Visualization
This technique allows the mom to identify barriers to the baby turning and visualize them shifting and the baby turning.
Talking with the baby
This approach has to do with the mom overtly recognizing her relationship with the baby and basically just communing with the baby to help her/him turn.
Music/Light
This technique has the mom put light or music on the lower part of her belly because the baby is thought to be attracted to light and music, thus this will induce the baby to turn.
Diet
Chinese medicine suggests breech babies are too yin and the mother needs to consume more yang foods such as fish, poultry, eggs, red meat, dairy, and miso. Moms need to decrease consumption of yin foods and products such as fruit, ice cream, oil, coffee, sweets, drugs, chemicals, cigarettes, and stress.
Water
Submersion in water or doing hand stands in water is thought to encourage the baby to turn.
The suggestion to drink more water is related primarily to the volume of amniotic fluid. Birthing professionals have subjectively noted that amniotic fluid volume is decreased in breech presentation and this may make turning difficult or impossible. However, subjective measurement of amniotic fluid volume has shown no significant difference in amniotic fluid volume between cephalic presentation and breech presentation babies. I believe these seemingly conflictory observations and findings point to the multi-causal nature of breech presentation.
Tilt Board
Use of the tilt board is also based on a mechanical model for breech presentation. The mother is to lie with her feet and pelvis elevated for a certain amount of time each day to facilitate the baby turning. The only published study of this intervention I could find reported no significant improvement with the tilt board. However, many midwives subjectively report babies turning secondary to tilt board use.
Massage
Although I am not aware of any specific massage techniques for turning the baby, some believe gentle massaging of the abdomen invokes turning.
Homeopathy
PulsAtilla is recommended at the 200 potency in two doses two days apart in the 35th week of pregnancy.
Hypnosis
One study found women under hypnosis who investigated why their baby was breech were more likely to have babies turn than were women who were not hypnotized.