What to do when a baby turns Breech

Sorry again for the delay in a new entry. Life is crazy as always! Kids sure know how to take all your time.. HAHAHA 

So my long time best friend and sister from another mister just had her 3rd baby almost a week ago. She is my "person." I bounce all my ideas on life off of her. She has just as much passion as I do for the birthing community. Her last birth gave me the Inspiration for this entry. 

So a little back history on her. Her first birth ended in a C-section after several hours of forced pushes due to an epidural and caused her cervix to swell. Her second birth was a hospital supported VBAC. Now baby #3 was going going to be another VBAC but baby boy had other ideas! See at 36 weeks she had an ultrasound and everything looked great. Baby was in perfect position. At her 40 week check up they did another ultrasound and found that baby had turned. Not only did he turn he was a double footling breech. 

They told her that  external cephalic version was not an option due to a previous c-section. They sent her home and told her she had 2 days to try to naturally turn the baby. So now we were on the phone with eachother bouncing suggestions and ideas on how to get this baby to turn. Well I got a phone call in the middle of the night saying she was in labor and on the way to the hospital. Fingers crossed that baby had turned! However once they did an ultrasound baby had not turned. So a c-secton it was. Once in the O.R. it took 8 minutes to get the baby out. Apparently he was standing on her cervix with his head in her ribcage! Silly baby... Mom and baby are doing great. He is healthy and a nursing monster...

So I though that maybe it would be a good idea to write this blog for other Mommas and give some natural tips to help get a baby to turn.. 

The Webster Technique is a chiropractic technique that is helpful in allowing babies to get into a proper position. Many people know of it as a "breech turning technique" but it really is about balancing the joints and ligaments of the pelvis to allow the uterus, and therefore the baby, to be in a proper position. A chiropractor who is certified in the Webster Technique will evaluate the woman's sacrum for a subluxation (misalignment) and adjust as necessary. Next, the chiropractor will gently release any tension being held in the round ligaments of the uterus with a gentle pressure at any tight areas. The technique is very gentle and usually very comfortable.

Acupuncture is another option to use to help turn breech babies. Small, thin needles are placed in specific areas to facilitate the turning of the baby. Acupuncture treatments for turning breech babies are typically started between weeks 32 and 34 of pregnancy. Studies have shown that acupuncture alone has about a 70% success rate in turning a breech baby.

Moxibustion is a third option and is often used in conjunction with acupuncture. Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine practice which involves the use of burning a mugwort stick near a specific place on the pregnant woman's little toe. The moxibustion stimulation of this point (Bladder 67) helps to relax the uterine wall and increase fetal activity. Studies have shown it to have a success rate between 69% and 85%. Patients are often given these sticks to continue the treatment at home multiple times per day.

Other conservative and gentle options for turning a breech baby include pelvic tilts, placing a cold compress (such as a cold bag of peas) at the top of the stomach (fetuses are sensitive to cold too), and swimming.Hope that some of these suggestions can help. If your baby is stubborn and you have to get a c-section just know that you still can have an empowering birth. Just talk to your provider on ways that can have you being present and apart of your birth. Ask to have the baby get skin to skin ASAP!!! Good luck to you mommas.... Till next time

Sources:

International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association (www.icpa4kids.org)

Breech Babies: Breech Birth (http://www.pregnancy.com.au/breech_babies_breech_birth.htm)

Can Acupuncture Help to Turn a Breech Baby? (http://yinovacenter.com/blog/archives/714)

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/025972_baby_natural_babies.html#ixzz2CoNvlyA5

What does a Doula do?

Sorry I haven't posted lately. Life has been busy. My oldest son is at the end of football season and my daughter has been super busy with girl scouts. So finding time lately has been hard.

However I have been thinking a lot about what to write for my next blog entry. I was kind of all over the place with ideas. That was until I had a parent teacher conference for my oldest son. One of his teachers told me that my son tried to explain what it is that I do. She had never heard of a doula and ended up googling it to find out more information. At the conference she asked me if I could come in and talk to her more about it. It was then that I realize how many people don't really know what a Doula is.

There are a lot of people that get a doula mixed up with a midwife. So I thought that it might be good to explain. The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period. Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.

As a birth doula we have key things we focus on. Here are a few: Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life. Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor. Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth. Stays with the woman throughout the labor. Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision. Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers. Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience. Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level.

Studies have shown that the presence of a doula improves birth in the following ways:

• 50% reduction in cesarean birth
• 30% reduction in requests for pain medication
• 60% fewer requests for epidural anesthesia
• 25% decrease in the length of labor
• Lower post partum rate for mothers
• Increased breast feeding success
• Greater overall satisfaction from the mother about her birth

More significantly, women and their partners feel more in control, better informed, educated, more at ease and confident in the birth process when an effective labor support person is nearby.
Postpartum Support Statistics
Research shows that families who received support during the fourth trimester - after the birth of the baby - had a reduction in the following areas:

• Postpartum Mood Disorders such as Postpartum Depression
• problems associated with breastfeeding such as latch (regardless of nipple type), milk production, breast infections and other unforeseen issues
• problems with older sibling adjustment
• feeling of disorder or feeling "out of control" during the postpartum period

So I hope that this can give you some insite as do what a doula does. If you have any questions please get in touch with me. A doula can really make a huge difference in your birth experience.