Pregnancy: Do Breech Exercises Really Work?
I am 31 weeks pregnant and my baby is breech. I have read about exercises that can encourage a breech baby to turn. What are these exercises and do they work?
Question:Peg Plumbo CNM
Peg Plumbo has been a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) since 1976. She has assisted at over 1,000 births and currently teaches in the... Read more
There is some evidence that breech exercises do work, but because most babies turn spontaneously before 34 weeks, it is hard to substantiate this. At 36 to 37 weeks, external cephalic version can be done to turn the baby if necessary.
Breech exercises generally involve positioning yourself so that your buttocks are elevated above the level of your head. Some women lie on an ironing board, inclined with one end on a couch and one end on the floor. Lying in this position for 20 minutes, three times a day might give the baby the message that it should turn around.
If you become nauseated or lightheaded do not continue this exercise. I hope this works for you, but in most cases, the baby will reposition itself without any special regime.
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