Breech Presentation a little background

Breech presentation refers to the position of the baby being bottom first. If babies are left to their own devices the majority will have turned to head down before 36 weeks of gestation and only 3-4% of babies will be in a breech position at the end of pregnancy.

In 2000 a study designed to identify the best way to plan for a breech birth either vaginal breech delivery or planned caesarean Hannah (2000) and the conclusion at the time was to deliver breech babies by elective caesarean.

To have a caesarean for breech presentation is presented as fact by most Obstetricians often because they themselves lack the skills to support vaginal breech birth.

There is a growing body of professionals who have expertise in spontaneous breech birth, where the women is encouraged to use active birth positions that are aided by gravity. In her book Breech Birth by Benna Waites the author covers the subject extensively including a chapter “Self- help and Alternative Therapies for turning the breech baby”

If you are reading this having been told that your baby is breech and you are at 36 weeks gestation have you considered Moxibustion? It is a traditional Chinese technique that uses Moxa sticks (made from dried mugwort herb) as a heat source applied to specific acupressure points on your feet. Other techniques such as positions, chiropractic’s and hypnosis may increase the likelihood of your baby turning to a head down position.

In September there is The North of England Breech Conference, a two day event with many keynote speakers on the subject of Breech Birth.  We at Private Midwives are dedicated to being at the fore front of women centred care and for this reason  will be sending a representative to this informative conference to share experiences from practitioners around the globe who continue to support women’s choice when it comes to breech birth.

Contact Private Midwives should you wish to discuss your options if your baby is breech we have midwives who have expertise in Moxibustion as well as breech birth.

Reference. Hannah, ME., et al. (2000) planned caesarean versus planned vaginal breech birth for breech presentation at term: randomised multicentre trial. Lancet 356: 1375-83.