Are you thinking ‘oh my god … my baby’s breech!’ What am I going to do? Facing birth decisions with a breech baby and breech birth. You might be working with an obstetrician or midwife who will try to turn your beech baby. And you may know that a baby can be in a number of different breech positions. Your baby can have both legs and feet up by the face. This is called a “frank breech”. Your baby can be sitting crossed-legged which is called a “compound breech”. Your baby can have one foot down and that’s called a “single footling breech”. Or your baby can have both feet down. That’s called a “double footling breech”.
Your obstetrician or midwife will probably most comfortable with trying to turn either a “compound breech” or your “frank breech”. It can be more challenging to turn a baby with one or two legs down toward the cervix. What does this mean to you? From Birthing Better families it’s simple … learn skills to prepare your pregnant body to become a birthing body then learn, practice and use birth and birth-coaching skills. Why?
You got pregnant to have a baby not a ‘type’ of birth. No matter the type of birth you have or position your baby is in, you will do the activity of giving birth. Every activity is best done when you know you have skills.
Labour or non-laboring Caesarean with your breech baby?
Birthing Better families also want you to know that if you labor with your breech baby your birth preparation skills will serve you well. You’ll have created space, softening, opening in your pelvis and that helps your breech baby to come down, through and out safely … particularly if you’ve done the Internal Work!
If you have a non-labouring c-section then you’ll have totally enjoyed preparing for the birth of your baby. Then you’ll have skills to use on the way to hospital, while being prepped and during your c/s. Why not! Really, doesn’t it make sense to be totally engaged and involved by using great breathing and relaxation skills? Of course, it does.
A breech baby and breech birth is really no different from any other birth … it’s an ACTIVITY! You have to DO that activity so ‘do’ that activity with skills. Yes, trying to turn your baby needs skills.
The question:
- What if your baby doesn’t turn?
The answer:
Use skills to prepare your body to open for your breech baby
The question:
- What if your baby turns for a while and then turns back?
The answer:
Learn skills to prepare your body to open up for your breech baby as well as birth and birth-coaching skills to work through your breech baby’s birth.
The question:
- What if your baby doesn’t turn and you either decide to have a non-laboring Caesarean and feel fine, unhappy or feel pressured leaving you devastated?
The answer:
- Well, that’s the way it is, so just enjoy preparing your body for birth because you don’t get pregnant often so don’t stop participating because of the ‘type’ of birth you’ll have. Learn and use your birth and birth-coaching skills on the way to hospital, while being prepped, during surgery and recovery. You got pregnant to have a baby not a ‘type’ of birth.
In other words, Birthing Better families just plan committed to becoming skilled by preparing their body to give birth and learn, practice and then use birthing skills to skilfully birth their baby no matter the circumstances.
Consider this weird history
In the 1880s A Dutch midwife thought a head-down baby was abnormal, so she turned all babies inside at full dilatation and delivered them feet down!
Only you can make birth choices about your breech baby but you can have a positive birth in any birth you have … guaranteed!
‘Breech baby, breech vaginal birth … I did heaps of the Internal Work’.
Rachine M …
‘I didn’t want a vaginal birth with my breech baby because my brother had CP due to brain damage when he was born breech. But my partner and I wanted to be more involved with birth so we bought The Pink Kit Package and got the joy of this birth through learning these skills’.
Martha and Marcus P …
Remember this about your breech birth
Whether you give birth in hospital, Birth Centre or home birth, whether you have a obstetrician or midwife OR whether you have interventions or a natural birth, YOU will absolutely have a positive birth.
‘Just to let other families know … The Pink Kit Package is ESSENTIAL if you are planning a vaginal breech birth. We know. We did it.’
Helene and Rob M …
Get the absolute most incredible childbirth resource you’ll ever find anywhere … guaranteed! Arm yourself with wonderful birth skills. Don’t look back with regret for not having done more. What is a safe breech birth worth?
Birthing Better skills were developed by moms and dads in the early 1970s in the US and used by many thousands globally in all types of birth. Birthing Better online birthing classes are housed in Common Knowledge Trust.