If you are pregnant or want to get pregnant – you might want to keep this tip in the back of your mind! A pregnancy pillow might help turn a breech baby.
First up, I am not a doctor, so I don’t claim to have any official knowledge about breech babies. I am just speaking from experience! While I was pregnant, my doctor said that my baby was in a breech position around 28-30 weeks. I can’t remember exactly how far along I was but I know that I was starting to get worried, especially when I came back for another check. My baby was still in a breech position despite the doctor saying she would probably flip the next time I came in.
Just remember, babies can be in all sorts of positions leading up to birth. They typically flip their head down closer to birth, but doctors don’t officially call a baby breech until 35 to 36 weeks.
My Transverse Breech Baby
What was even worse for me was that she was a sideways transverse breech – so not head up, but body completely perpendicular to mine. I was thinking long-term – I thought that I would try to have a breeched baby vaginally, but I read transverse makes it pretty much impossible to have that. A c-section would be in the books for me. And even though “normal” breech babies are given more time to flip head down, transverse breech babies should be head down or at least normal breech around 29-30 weeks.
I then tried to do all I could to help the baby turn. I went on walks, to help gravity pull baby down. I did this exercise mentioned here, and I also read that you need to open up the hips and get more space there so the baby has room to turn.
I had been pretty sedentary during my pregnancy this time around. In my first one, I was walking every day up to the very end. This time I had a lot more going on and just wasn’t active. Not to mention, I had a bad bleeding scare with this second baby and just wanted to be super gentle on my body.
I know that this must have led to the sideways position. Sitting/bad posture closed off the space in the pelvis. I tried to do the head stands I mentioned above a few times a day and opened up my hips.
(Again, make sure you check out this website if you want more information!)
Sleeping Positions To Turn A Breech Baby
But I also did something — I made sure to put a pregnancy pillow between my legs and knees to make sure when I was laying down and sleeping on my side, my legs were not touching. In doing so, I opened my hips to have more room for baby’s head to fit head down into position.
Eventually, she did turn the next time I came in. I fully think the pregnancy pillow hack helped too because I spent most time sleeping in a bad position. Babies can be active and turn at any time so I had to make sure I wasn’t closing off my body for the majoring of the day.
Read More: Pregnancy Pillow: The Best Pregnancy Pillow You’ll Need
Be sure to read my recommendation on pregnancy pillows above. This is very important because you’ll want to make sure you have the right option rather than just stacking some throw pillows between the knees when you sleep!
When choosing a pregnancy pillow, I would be sure to find one that has more of a memory foam type of filling vs. poly or cotton fill. This way, you have more support between the knees to help keep hips open. I had a Boppy pregnancy pillow that had a really soft, unsupportive cotton fill. While it was comfortable, over time the filling didn’t really do its job. The filling would migrate and my knees would eventually touch. This caused knee pain for me as well!
Can A Pregnancy Pillow Help A Breech Baby?
So, from my experience, I do think it could help a baby who is breeched! It is definitely worth it to try out and add to your nightly routine to see if it can also help you if you are experiencing this.
With pregnancy pillows being relatively affordable and an easy (and comfortable!) item to add to your pregnant routine, it should be a no-brainer to have on hand to have as prevention for breeched babies and to help them turn.
I hope you enjoy and let me know your thoughts!
Best, Mia
This content is for informational purposes only, and what has worked for me personally based on my own opinions. I am not a professional/medical doctor, and you should always consult your doctor or dermatologist on what will work best for you. The information presented here is not legitimate, official advice from a professional. If you choose to rely on any information from this blog, you do so at your own risk. Please refer to the “Blog Disclaimer” tab in the menu bar to read more information and the official disclaimer statement.