Your Baby A Breech Baby Can Change How You Deliver By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH twitter linkedin Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH is a professor, author, childbirth and postpartum educator, certified doula, and lactation counselor. Learn about our editorial process Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Meredith Shur, MD on April 20, 2020 Meredith Shur, MD, FACOG, is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as a certified medical examiner. Learn about our Review Board Meredith Shur, MD on April 20, 2020 Print Hero Images / Getty Images A breech baby is a commonly used term to refer to a baby who is not in a head down or vertex presentation. Usually, this means the baby is bottom down towards the cervix. About 3-4% of babies at 37 weeks gestation are breech. Factors That May Lead to a Breech Baby It's more common to have a breech baby if: You've had several babies beforeYou have excessive amounts of amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios)Your uterus has growths or anomaliesYour baby has anomaliesYour placenta is low lying or you have placenta previa Most babies are head down by 32 weeks into pregnancy and of those who are not, the vast majority will be head down by the time labor starts. Non-Medical Methods of Turning a Breech Baby There are some ways to increase the chances of your baby turning to a head down position that you can try at home, including: Tilt positions. This is probably the most well-known method of trying to turn a breech baby. You can do it the easy way and use an ironing board lying on the couch. Place your feet up and your head down. The theory behind this is that your baby's head, the heaviest part of his or her body, will disengage from the pelvis and the baby will turn head down. It's generally recommended to do this for 20 minutes a day until the baby turns. Some women report dizziness from being in this position. Always discuss this or any other exercise with your midwife or doctor.Light/music. The use of light or music directly at your pubic bone may encourage the baby to come towards the light or sound. Many women report success with this and it has no side effects. For a nice touch, you can have your partner talk towards your pubic bone, again to encourage baby to move towards the sound. Do this as often as you like until baby turns head down.Water. Some claims state that diving into a pool or simply being in a pool will encourage the baby to turn. Again, there are no real side effects noted from being in a pool, but double check with your doctor or midwife about the diving. Medical Methods of Turning a Breech Baby Alternatively, you can seek outside help in turning the baby into a head down position. These methods include: Homeopathy. Homeopathics, particularly a dried plant called pulsatilla, have been used for centuries in assistance in turning a breech baby. However, speaking to a knowledgeable practitioner is a must when trying to use this to help turn the baby.External cephalic version (ECV). External version is generally done around 37 weeks. To be a candidate you must have adequate amounts of amniotic fluid to cushion the baby. The most common way this is performed is in a hospital with fetal monitoring, ultrasound, and often IV medications to relax the uterus. If it's performed prior to 37 weeks, you run the risk of premature labor, plus many babies may have turned on their own. The biggest risk to the ECV is a separation of the placenta. This rarely occurs mostly due to the guidance of the ultrasound. There are also potential complications with cord involvement. Recent studies show that epidural anesthesia may actually increase the success rates of the external version, which are stated to be between 65-70 by an experienced practitioner.Acupuncture. This has been used along with an alternative therapy called moxibustion for success in turning breech babies. The biggest difficulty here may be finding someone who practices these techniques.Chiropractic care. Chiropractors skilled in certain techniques may be able to help turn the baby. Check with your local practitioner for more information about a specific adjustment called the Webster technique. Vaginal Birth Is Still Possible Say you've tried some or all of these and your baby is still breech. What does this mean? There's actually a lot of misinformation about the mode of birth for breech babies. Many people will tell you that the only method of delivery that's safe is an elective cesarean. This is absolutely not true. Many of the problems that were once thought to be caused by the vaginal breech birth were not actually caused by birth but by something prior to the birth. Most of the breech babies born in the United States are currently not being born vaginally (though this statistic varies drastically from practice to practice). Common Criteria for Vaginal Birth Many criteria have to be met prior to considering a vaginal birth for a breech baby, though even the experts disagree on what they should all be. Generally speaking your chances of delivering a healthy breech baby vaginally increase with the following: Baby is frank breech (feet straight up)You've had a baby or babies vaginally prior to this birthBaby is not thought to be excessively largeYou have no pelvic or uterine anomalies Sometimes Cesarean Is Best Some breech babies are generally better off being born by cesarean. Only your practitioner can help you determine if your baby is one of them. If you do have a cesarean, this doesn't mean that all of your subsequent babies would be breech or necessarily be born via cesarean section. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Cluver C, Hofmeyr GJ, Gyte GM, Sinclair M. Interventions for helping to turn term breech babies to head first presentation when using external cephalic version. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. January 18, 2012;1:CD000184. Coyle ME, Smith CA, Peat B. Cephalic version by moxibustion for breech presentation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. May 16, 2012;5:CD003928. Vas J, Aranda-Regules JM, Modesto M, et al. Using moxibustion in primary healthcare to correct non-vertex presentation: a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Acupuncture Medicine. March 2013;31(1):31-38.