So why is my baby choosing to be breech?

This blog is a part of a thriving network serving to re-normalise safe breech birth. Here's  a link to a facebook group, Coalition for Breech Birth. If you are reading as a mama with a baby who's head is in your ribs then blessings to you, beautiful woman, you will navigate this moment beautifully in the way that is right for you. There are lots of other posts on following your inner guidance alongside the information available to work out what will be best for you. I've experienced it with two of my pregnancies, no.1 and no.3 babies which is how this blog was initiated.

In this moment, I am hosting a head-down baby who is in her last few days or weeks in utero. My purely physical understanding of this is that her head is a different shape to my breechies heads (intuitively judged by looking at the 20 week scan images) and that this is the way she will best find her way through my pelvis.

If I look deeper at mental, emotional and spiritual reasons why a babe might choose head down, I would share the following. It may be helpful if you are wondering: Just why is my baby choosing breech presentation?

With a head-down baby, I sense a moving away from each other - that through her birth (just like my previous head-downer no.2 baby) she begins straight away this separation and launching into life. I'm an attachment mama, so I don't mean I will be treating her any differently to the rest of my babies!! I'm a bed-sharer, baby-wearer, on-demand breastfeeder, snuggler mama. But what I'm describing is perhaps more about the kind of personality my baby has -- she is ready to go, to dive head first into the world, to make her mark, she will have less need of me as she grows.

In comparison, my breechies (as talked about in Holding on to the mother's heart strings) are more walking by my side. We have similar issues that we work through as we grow. I feel that we are tied, joined, perhaps through our journey that was navigating the health system for a safe vaginal birth. Feet ready to go, landing on the earth with two feet, able to look me in the eyes straight away, moving together through life.

My osteopath pointed out a way that I hold my womb (right hand down low as though shielding from period pain) that may well hinder a baby turning if it was trying to. I am resting my hands on the top of the bump now -- and also taking her advice I move my hands in a clockwise motion around the bump.

I loved this prompt that we as mothers can be physically involved in the baby's choice. For me, they have chosen the best way to come for them and I have been facilitator for their choice. So in this pregnancy, these hand gestures were appropriate and baby happily took up the opportunity to turn head-down -- whereas for my breechies, any techniques like that would perhaps not have 'worked' and I may have felt useless and a failure at not being able to get them to turn but that actually, they were just right being breech. They glided out of me with the elegance of dancers, both of them.

Clearly there's no answer as to why, yet I wanted to offer some of my reflections on this as I'm in the position to compare the two presentations! Who knows, this baby may be an elusive breech like no.3 was (undiagnosed despite 5 different midwives palpating him towards the end of the pregnancy!) -- and I may indeed me surprised to find myself holding a bottom during second stage labour!!

May your journey be full of opportunities to notice the gifts being offered to you - may you know when the advice is heartfelt and true for you, and when you can simply blink, look away and say 'well that's not relevant for me right now'. You are the master of your experience divine woman.

On resilience and surrender

So here's our birthing mother, savvy about the possible interventions that may be offered to her, birth plan in hand, inner strength activated, aware that she is likely to be attended by someone she's not met before, moving into the birth zone of surrender and release. Wow what a combination!

I wonder if here is where one of the cruxes of safe birth lies? Being able to steer a course between the two extremes, being able to say No assertively at the same time as accepting the flood of labour as she opens up with a joyful Yes!

As I write I'm aware I'm directly recalling the words of my doula at last week's birth group, thank you Rachel!

Each of my pregnancies and births have offered me a gift, an area for development and growth and whilst this balance of Yes and No is true for anyone birthing in our culture, it feels very close to my heart in particular at this time.

To be resilient is not to be closed to those around me, but to be clear and centred in myself and aware of the skills I have to bounce and to cope with whatever a situation arises.

To surrender is not to pass over control to someone else blindly though it is an opportunity to lay back into the hands of God/Source/All That Is and trust.

To be 'in control' can necessarily accomodate surrendering, as it is my choice to do so.

I am re-reading a book called Birthing from Within which encourages the uncovering of layers of questions, focuses, anxieties to prepare oneself for birth. Using creativity to help unpack anything which may stand in the way of a flowing birth experience. I found a peaceful spot around dawn this morning to journal (which I totally recommend!) and played for some time with some oil pastels, and felt some real breakthroughs with addressing this balance within myself.

The image my subconscious drew helped me see that when I birth I am accessing a power greater than the hills. When focusing on the part of my body that physically needs to coast the balance between surrender and resilience, my Pelvic Floor, I drew rainbows of healing to any pain and worry held there. Rainbows for me represent the whole spectrum of experience. The act of colouring in this image really shifted some blocks and I will be revisiting it.

I didn't expect this blog to have further personal journeys within it as I thought my birthing days ended with my 3rd! I'm going with the flow as to where this takes the blog -- lets see if she chooses breech or cephallic!

I've found it so helpful to learn what other pregnant people are experiencing as we are each on such a personal path approaching birth. I feel there is always more to develop and open up, and again really encourage any reader to delve deep down into how you are (the book I mentioned above is a great support, like a manual, for doing this) and what this experience is bringing up for you.

Its a real joy to be fully present with the pregnancy, my body, its reactions, emotions, sensations. From this place of self-knowledge I can look upon the valley of surrender with the resilient strength of the mountain and it not feel like a contradiction!! You go girl!!

Pelvis ripening!

Now there are some phrases that only belong on the blogs of birth-lovers! And I feel this title is one of them!

Since I last wrote on this blog, I have found that we have again been blessed and are expecting our fourth child. I am now at 26 weeks and in the middle of a house move. We know the baby is a girl, my sense so far has been that she will be a head-down baby -- wishful thinking that I won't have to go through the dance of the NHS's concerns again?! Well anyway, we will see as the next few months unfold. At my midwife appointment yesterday she was presenting breech.. too early to be any clue as to how she'll present at birth, but it of course started my little mind turning over and over about what choices I might make later on.

Every word and every gesture spoken to a woman in pregnancy and during labour and birth is crucial. We are like sponges, hearing and sensing for signs of safety, of clues that all is well. I remind myself now that it is important for me to keep this in mind when with folk I don't know so well (including the NHS midwives, wonderful though they probably are, they are not all client-centred and mindful of positive birthing). Teflon cloak - let the comments bounce! Careful who I share information with and who I spend time with, to keep me at the centre of this safe-birthing experience.

This last week I have blossomed physically so that I'm not sure whether I'll fit between certain obstacles in shopping aisles anymore and it takes me a bit of manoeuvring to get out of a low chair (in fact I am avoiding low chairs it has to be said!) Sitting on a couple of cushions piled up on the sofa helps me keep the hips above the knees which instinctively feels like a good position to be in. I was a bit religious about it in my first pregnancy after learning about the best positioning (to get baby's spine down on the left hand side of the belly - otherwise known as Optimum Foetal Positioning) but in subsequent gestations its also felt good. So much more comfy.

And after a few rainy days housebound, only really transferring to the car if we did go out, I remembered that fresh air would be good. I've been experiencing varicose veins and leg cramps at night - both of which I've had lots of advice for but the bit that jumped out at me was Exercise! So I've been walking round the block twice a day (with or without the kids if I can drum up their support) and can definitely feel the loosening of the pelvic muscles and the benefit of giving them some circulation, some opportunity for movement.

Its like I've moved into birth preparation phase both in my mind and body -- I'm more focused now on negotiating that unknown expanse in my pelvis, getting to know the sensations of that whole sacral area, hip circling and generally being conscious of how I'm sitting, standing, lying, walking. What feels good, what feels uncomfy, which positions allow space? This babe and I have a journey to traverse together and it begins now as we get ready to enter our third trimester.

I'm imagining what will be around me when the time comes for me to contract and by holding that image, I know that I will draw the experience to myself. It is an active, positive process to eke out the thorns, ideas, theories, mindsets (my own and those in society around me) that do not resonate with that image over the coming weeks so that no stone is left unturned that could stand in the way of me safely easing this babe into the world.

I welcome this process as I know it has worked the last three times I've done it. Each preparation journey was different and it flowed simply by holding that image of safety and letting it be the anchor point while I worked through and acknowledged any triggers, any doubts, worries, niggles, criticisms, angers etc. So that when that first clear contraction comes and I know that labour has begun, I am ready. Simply ready. Head up, head down, its all the same, a miraculous yet efficient manoeuvring of two bodies - listen to the mind and the emotions now, give them time to prepare so that when it comes to the physical bit they can stand aside and watch the exquisite dance.

Inside and beyond the storm

Outside of our labouring woman is a wild storm that she can at best blank out and go within. Her birth partner can hold her space for her - it is the strongest gift they can give. For the storm of cultural taboos, male female conundrum, obstetric reason intervening, midwifery in varying stages of remembering, a persistent unfamiliarity for the pain and mess of a delicious birthing creation, is not relevant for our labouring woman.

I have total trust that the environment amongst birthing professionals is working itself out to provide a truly safe space for labouring woman. But still, just now, lets acknowledge it with its perfections and imperfections and return to our labouring woman.

Deep inside, the dance is beginning. She can invite who she chooses to be present. The cushion of flesh and muscle rippling and tightening as she moves instinctively, subtly, outwardly, inwardly, feeling, sinking into the glorious now of her unique rhythm.

A bubble of love and comfort surrounds her, allowing her to surrender her whole to this awesome act. Well done Beautiful, you're doing it, the dance is blossoming and unfurling within you, you are perfectly ready for these moments.

Power surges are grounded as she moans and rocks. Deep roots into mother earth who hears and holds every woman and man through the ages. Well done Fine Creature, you are Life itself, in your safety is creation, is a baby's first moment, is smooth unhindered transition and release. Well done,we are with you, we trust your body, we are watchful and heartened with every breath of progress. Even in the seemingly dormant moments is a natural and perfect unfolding.

I don't want to be different!

So many times in my (known) breech pregnancy, I really wanted to be perceived as normal and it helped me enormously when I attended a workshop by Mary Cronk who very much refers to Normal Breech Birth. I had a strong conviction when pregnant that I fitted in that category (even though it was years later that I found that phrase).

Again though, no matter how much wisened, informed practitioners may know it is simply a variation on normal, there is still a lot of fear and shadow surrounding the breech experience and little effort is made to shelter the pregnant woman from this fear.

And so it toughened me up I think, to realise that I was the one to make the decisions about the birth. That I was being asked to step out of my comfort zone either way. I could choose a elective caesarian section that felt unnecessary and traumatic to me, or I could choose to stand away from the advice of primary caregivers and find my own path. If I was looking for a doctor to say it'll all be fine trust your body, I was sorely mistaken. The situation is changing amongst healthcare professionals, but ultimately I think that taking responsibility for our own health choices is empowering and the way forward. I did not reject their knowledge and skill, I simply kept reading further to make sure I attended to my own needs first and foremost.

I sought the support of women who did know that it was safe to trust my body, and through them found access to birth stories of safe breech birth, advice, information that gently fed the seed of confidence right up to the day. Checking in with how I felt along the way, there were days where I was very afraid having to take such a bold step, but I feel this was all part of me growing and becoming a mother. I continued to get very positive feedback in the form of appropriate care and advice coming my way, and this helped me to feel validated on my path to birthing my daughter in the safest way I knew how.

Pulsatilla - holding onto the mother's heart strings

I tried Pulsatilla 1M with my first breech - a homeopathic remedy recommended when a baby presents breech. Whilst it may be billed as a possible turning remedy, for me I feel confident that it aided me emotionally at that time. I am a very loving kinda girl, perhaps this analogy to my firstborn clutching at my heartstrings is true and suggests a clinginess, a reluctance to let go, let her grow, be born.

For whatever reason, physiologically, breech was right for baby and me in both situations. I understand that the physical is wholly related to emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing, and any way that a mother can address these other areas will aide her in birthing well and safely. Perhaps breech in some cases is a sign that one can do more to let go, surrender, know that all is well. Perhaps this mental shift will allow a baby to turn if it is its path to do so :)

I'm really into homeopathy and its not a belief thing, it simply works.

I also tried standing up side down in the swim pool, frozen peas at the ribs, warm hot water bottle at the pelvis to coax her round. I tried moxibustion on the little toe acupressure point. I tried lying at 45 degrees twice daily on an upturned ironing board. Until I injured myself and let go of my perceived need to get her to turn.

Sure, try these things and listen to your body and the baby. I personally didn't want to try ECV (External Cephalic Version) and gently feel that that physical intervention may cause problems by stepping in the way, confusing, the dance between the two bodies at this sacred third tremester stage.

More info on ECV here at the Breechbirth website

Hanging or Dangling to get that baby out!

In some cultures there is a birthing tree for women to hang from as contractions come and go. Any position that takes the weight off the feet and pelvic floor, allowing the cervix to open freely... in a house, good places are door frames, tops of doors although you may want to experiment in pregnancy to find places of a suitable height for you.

Our shed has a cross beam which was where I was for the majority of the first stage of baby number 2 and for number 3 I asked a friend to put me some hooks in the ceiling in our lounge. Tied some strong fabric around these to make a beam and heh presto a perfect birthing tool.

I believe this helped me to get the babies down down into the pelvis as I was doing some really inspired leg movements (almost like breast stroke one leg at a time) opening the hips but also such high circular movements as one might associate with the manoevre used with shoulder dystocia, freeing the foetus from being caught on bones  (not a technical term!)

Intuitively allowing my body to tell me what position i should be in, hanging allows all over body shaking, big stretches throughout to relieve tensions, and of course aides the pull of gravity by releasing any muscles that may stand in its way.

Lets get those hooks into maternity suites!! Just brilliant for pain relief - the best pain relief is to listen and act swiftly to what your body is telling you. This way, that way a bit, swaying, wiggling, swooning, rolling, hanging firm, and words I could not dream of to describe the skilled art in your muscle sequences, known only by you and probably for the most part unconscious.

Safe skills, safe birthing.

A 'Get that Baby Out!' approach to Pain Relief

I was blessed by having done an enormous amount of preparation work for my labours and births and pharmacological pain relief just didn't feel like an appropriate way to deal with the sensations for me. My overall feeling after three full term labours and one 3 month miscarriage is that the pain is there to get that baby out!

The best pain relief is to listen to the sensation and move accordingly. Jump up and down, rest on one side or another, wiggle, groove, lean, rest, circle, strectch, crawl, march, act on what you can feel. Take the attention away from the extraordinary power of uterine contraction if you can by using the body to respond to it.

I loved acupressure on the lower back and sacrum, using the voice almost as a vibrating tool to connect with the contraction, sing into it, deep and low. My god the memories are full on! I'm not pretending that its all plain sailing but I do know that we are Amazing! ! ! You can cope with it you know?! I have total faith in the incredible nature of our bodies and the symbiotic way that we can move with our babies to Let Go and to birth them into the world.

I have early memories of moving away from painkillers and what a breakthrough it was for me in dealing with illness. My family and I had a flu over Christmas ten years ago, we were all in various stages but all pretty bed bound. Instead of taking the familiar lemsips and beechams powders, I decided I had nothing to do but to get better and buried my pounding head in the pillow and gave in to the overwhelming surges of sensations in my body. I hallucinated a lot and slept a lot. I remember seeing images of seven pieces of thick leather type material and knew that my task was to sew them all together. I think the most intense and richest part of this flu experience was a day or two long, although, like labour, the hours and minutes of the outside world are very distant from the rhythm of the body and eventually I woke with an insatiable appetite, nearly fainting as I fixed myself some porridge and joyfully woke up to the world.

And so, after birth is the relief as those contractions finally give way to peace and rest. Get that baby out whichever way its going to come!

Birth Dance

I believe birth offers each of us the challenge of reaching deep inside to find our deep trust. It is a pinnacle where we find ourself at our most vulnerable and our most powerful - where our caregivers can either take our power to create a nightmare chain of events or harness it towards a magical climax.

At present in the UK it seems completely down to the woman to claim responsibility for making it the dream and not the nightmare and for the individual I feel this is too heavy a load to bear. It is unique that a woman finds the strength to tip the scales in her favour.

Goodness knows how I found the strength: perhaps a rebelliousness that meant I found strength when told 'No' - my whole being screamed out YES !! A fire lit within me as the certainty of safe birth filled each receptor.

It takes a lot of strength, will and trust to keep moving onwards to the light when there is so much fear, mistrust and compliancy around you. The use of language to disempower our fantastic physiology. The habit of accepting the doctor's word, of staying quiet so as not to buck the system. These forces are massive, yet they are nothing. Courage and instinct stand tall and simple.


Love the woman, trust the woman, be the birth, see the dance of the two bodies negotiating perfectly their journey to life and new beginnings. Know that She is well, affirm that She is whole, perfect as She is and that her capabilities as a woman, as a spirit, as a creature of light are infinite, and that the baby's divine instinct is to move joyfully with confidence into life and breath on earth.