It’s not uncommon for a baby to be in a breech position near the end of a pregnancy. In fact, about 3-4% of babies are breech at term. While some breech babies will turn heads down on their own, others will need help to do so. If your baby is breech, a chiropractic adjustment may help them to help them turn into the correct position for birth.
There Are Many Reasons Breech Babies Are Breech In Utero
Preexisting conditions, twins, and too little or too much amniotic fluid can all lead to a breech presentation. Sometimes the reason for a breech baby is never fully known.
Babies that present breech has an increased risk for complications during birth that require medical care for the baby. Chiropractic treatments may be able to help prepare your baby’s hips for delivery by correcting any misalignments in their pelvis before they get worse.
A breech presentation can be a difficult situation for both the parents as increased anxiety often accompanies it.
In most breech presentations, the breech baby’s legs are folded under them rather than extended out. This position can put added stress on the breech baby’s hips, which may cause breech presentations to worsen over time. Treating these breech babies with chiropractic adjustments that help align their legs and hips may improve the angles of their pelvis enough that they change into vertex breech presentation.
See related: What’s the best way to stay healthy during pregnancy?
Three Stages of Breeched Babies
Your baby’s position in the womb is called “lateral flexion.” This means that the baby faces one shoulder more than the other. If your baby is breech, they may have some lateral flexion of her head and some breech rotation.
If your baby is in the breech position, it needs to be determined which stage of a breech pregnancy you are in. The three stages of breech are frank breech (bottom down, feet up), breech block breech (knees drawn up to the chest, head down), and complete breech (feet in the pelvis, sometimes called a footling breech).
Getting the baby into the head-down position is the goal and can be done with gentle manipulation to reduce health risks during vaginal birth or planned cesarean delivery.
See also: How Chiropractic can help back pain during pregnancy.
How Chiropractic Can Help With Breeched Babies During Pregnancy
A breech baby has several factors that can develop into back pain, including having a short umbilical cord being in an abnormal fetal position. At the same time, the mother’s pelvis is small, and if his head is pressing on the woman’s sciatic nerve while in utero it can be very uncomfortable!
Chiropractic care may help breeched babies during pregnancy because it manipulates the pelvis and aligns the spine, so there is no pressure on the sciatic nerve.
With too much physical stress during pregnancy, breech babies can be born preterm or underweight, making the birthing process more dangerous for both the baby and mother. If a breech baby does not turn head down, they can put pressure on the uterus and cause it to overwork. This means the mother’s placenta will provide less oxygen and nutrients for her baby, which causes them to work harder in utero.
Using chiropractic care on breeched babies during pregnancy has been shown to increase their chance to turn into the proper position for birth. Chiropractic adjustments also help with breech babies by improving circulation while decreasing mother stress, anxiety, and fatigue.
Will a Breech Baby Turn On Its Own?
Many breech babies will turn heads down before birth. But there is no way of knowing how long this might take, so it may be beneficial to have a consultation as soon as possible. It is possible to have a vaginal breech birth, but sometimes a cesarean delivery is necessary, so the baby remains safe.
A breech baby can often be helped to turn head down before birth through chiropractic care and can go on to be delivered in a planned vaginal birth. Chiropractic is a holistic alternative medicine that can help you see your baby safely delivered!
If you are pregnant and have a breech baby, it is important to consult with us as soon as possible. We may be able to help your baby turn into the correct position for delivery, making for an easier and less stressful experience! Contact us at 262-796-5108 or online to schedule an appointment.
