During pregnancy, a breech position is when your baby is in the bottom or feet first position. Some babies also turn sideways. Many babies turn back to head first or normal position on their own. However, if you are 36 weeks pregnant and your baby has not turned, your doctors will start treating you for a breech position baby. There are a lot of things that can be done to reverse a breech baby.
ECV
A doctor performs an external cephalic version (ECV) procedure under ultrasound guidance. In this procedure, the doctor uses his/her hands to manipulate the position of the baby. Your doctor will carefully push your abdomen and belly and try to change the baby’s position. This procedure is performed between 35 and 38 weeks of pregnancy. The baby’s vital signs are monitored before and after the procedure. The success rate of ECV is about 50%. However, ECV is a painful procedure.
If ECV is unsuccessful, your doctor will want to perform a C-section delivery. If you are beyond 37 weeks of pregnancy and your baby is still in a breech position, then your doctor will probably directly consider a C-section without trying ECV. Also, despite a successful ECV procedure, the baby may again turn back to breech.
Exercise
There are some other self-help methods that you can try to turn your baby. Yoga and Pilates are often recommended to get help with breech. You can lie in the child’s pose for 10-15 minutes daily. You can also get down on all fours and rock back on your hands and knees. This helps to relax the pelvic muscles and improves the gravitational pull inside the uterus. Some mild pelvic rotations are also good for reversing the position of breech babies.
Acupuncture and Moxibustion
Acupuncture and moxibustion are both ancient Chinese alternative techniques. While acupuncture uses needles, moxibustion uses mugwort sticks to apply heat to the belly. Moxibustion increases fetal activity. It makes your baby wiggle and turn. Both acupuncture and moxibustion are not scientifically verified methods. They are based on anecdotal recommendations and do not have any serious side effects.
Swimming
Swimming works on all your body muscles. It works well against gravity and is believed to affect the baby. This, again, is not a proven method. However, swimming still is a good exercise for pregnant women.
Music
Some believe that music has the amazing power of making your baby turn around. Play music at the base of your bump and then coax your baby to turn the head by playing the music near the cervix.
Babies often turn back to their normal positions. However, if your baby doesn’t turn or if none of these methods works then your doctor may want to perform a C-section.
Author Bio
Prapti Chauhan is a freelance content writer by her profession and has over 7 years of experience into blogging and article writing. Over the years, she has gained popularity as a content creator who specialises on topics such as parenting, pregnancy and new-born childcare. However, her forte is on writing articles on cord blood banking, stem cell preservation banking and research.
