As I enter into the third trimester of my second pregnancy, I am starting to contemplate my birthing plan.
My first baby was breech; therefore, I had a c-section. At that time, during my third trimester, I tried moxibustion, a form of Chinese traditional medicine that has been known to turn a breech baby. I tried the spinning babies techniques, which, if you look up online, there is a wealth of information about spinning baby exercises to do to turn a breech baby. I tried old wives’ tales of putting something warm below and something cold on top in the hopes that the baby would turn towards the warmth. Nothing ended up working, and I had my scheduled c-section.
While I was happy that it was scheduled and hence easier for me to plan for, I would much rather prefer this time to have the option of a VBAC.
Of course, at 20 weeks (which, yes, is still fairly early), my second baby was in the same position as my daughter was during the entire pregnancy. I really did not want to wait for my baby to turn from breech this time during my third trimester, especially as the baby got bigger and there was less and less room in the womb. I sought out additional methods to start around 26 weeks of pregnancy to ensure the baby had the optimal space to turn down.
Here’s what I did:
1. I contacted several doulas as I heard that having a VBAC is sometimes a bit easier with a doula or midwife by your side.
Unfortunately, due to COVID, my hospital only allows one support person, so either my husband or my doula. I was a bit disappointed by this news, but I still have hopes it might change. However, the great thing about this is I learned virtual doulas are willing to provide as much or as little support as you need before, during labor, and postpartum.
This, actually, sounded ideal for me in the hopes that I could have someone on-call to ask questions beforehand, especially in the hopes that my labor will start at home and I can stay home for as long as I feel comfortable with an experienced birthing specialist guiding me along the way.
Doulas also have a wealth of information during an initial consult. While speaking with one, in particular, I learned more about seeing a chiropractor and a pelvic floor specialist to ensure my pelvis would be in the optimal position and with the necessary space for a baby to turn head down.
2. I did the spinning babies techniques, specifically the forward learning inversion, once a day.
3. I made an appointment with a well-known chiropractor in Westchester that only sees pregnant women and babies/kids.
I had heard her name many times before in my mommy groups and saw this as a sign to go see her when the doula I spoke with also recommended her. I immediately made an appointment, and she made some adjustments. She was able to tell the position of the baby with her hands, which was transverse.
After just two appointments, my baby’s head was down (confirmed by my doctor). Now, who knows if it was her skill or the baby finally decided to turn down, but after just one appointment, I even felt the pain in my lower back subside as well, so something was definitely working.
4. I started doing prenatal yoga every day.
I have been doing yoga regularly throughout this pregnancy, 2-3 times a week, but now I was doing at least a 20–30-minute session every day.
5. While I did not see a pelvic floor specialist, a physical therapist, it would have been my next appointment had it not worked with the chiropractor alone.
I am not in the medical profession, nor do I make any promises that these things might work for you, but these are some of the things that I did to turn my breech baby.
