Did you use Webster technique for turning breech baby?

[GOPLawyer]

Just wondering if anyone here has used the Webster technique w/ a chiropractor and whether or not it worked? Also, at what week did you start w/ the technique?

DS2 is currently breech but I am determined to have a VBAC so I need to get this little guy head down (DS1 was born via c/s due to breech presentation too).

TIA!

[lrlittle]

Didn't work for me, but I started LATE. I was almost 38 weeks. I went 3 times, I think. I ended up having a vaginal breech birth. Good luck to you. Hope baby flips!!

[christyc]

I voted other...

I've never used it, but a woman in my childbirth class had a breech baby, did three visits with the chiro, and the baby turned.

A mom of twins I also know personally had one breech until the end, but after 3 visits to the chiro for webster technique she turned.

My childbirth educator says she's only known one woman for whom webster didn't work.

[a~...Mamacitaa~...]

I wish i would have known about it.. but i was a lil less informed.. but we tried mental immagry.... and talking to himm.. i ended up trying a version and 4 hours later after it didn't work, my water broke....Our lil Bri is still breech, and will be looking into a chiro soon alomng with spinning babies

[annekevdbroek]

It didn't work for me - nor did any of the other tricks for turning the baby (acupuncture, moxi, positioning, ice on baby's head, you name it). I had an external version at 37 weeks, which was successful.

[kerikadi]

No, but I used it to rotate a posterior baby

Keri

[KittyKat]

I did see a chiro, but my problem wasn't really *persistent* breech, but that the baby kept flipping *all over* and happened to be breech during my MW appts. As it turned out, the chiro did find some tension in my ligaments, and going DID help with backaches, headaches, and other discomforts of late pregnancy. Eventually my baby turned head down, and was born normally.

I have a friend who saw the same MW I had, and who did chiro for her second baby, who was persistent breech from EARLY on. The chiro visits did not do anything in her case, and when her water broke at 38 weeks she had a repeat c-section. However her third child was head down, and she DID get her VBA2C that she was hoping for.

[Ks Mama]

I went to a chiropractor just 3 days before my scheduled C section, and my babe turned that night - started on my drive home, and flipped that evening, my scheduled C was cancelled!!

She stayed heads down, but was posterior.

I think if I had started seeing a chiropractor before week 38/39, she may have had more opportunity to turn anterior... it felt like as soon as she turned, she dropped/engaged in my pelvis.

[Ks Mama]

Originally Posted by annekevdbroek

It didn't work for me - nor did any of the other tricks for turning the baby (acupuncture, moxi, positioning, ice on baby's head, you name it). I had an external version at 37 weeks, which was successful.

That's so interesting!
I ALSO had an ECV (after trying everying... even moxi!) - the doctor tried twice & was unable to turn my babe at 37 weeks, but a week later, Webster's worked.

Personally, I would NOT recommend ECV. How did you feel about it? I felt it was extremely uncomfortable - almost to the point of painful, and stressful to everyone involved.

[annekevdbroek]

Originally Posted by Ks Mama

That's so interesting!
I ALSO had an ECV (after trying everying... even moxi!) - the doctor tried twice & was unable to turn my babe at 37 weeks, but a week later, Webster's worked.

Personally, I would NOT recommend ECV. How did you feel about it? I felt it was extremely uncomfortable - almost to the point of painful, and stressful to everyone involved.

My ECV was really easy - it took less than 2 minutes to flip the baby. It was uncomfortable, but not greatly so. I would do it again - fortunatly this baby (currently pregnant) flipped on his own at about 35 weeks.

[lrlittle]

This is probably going to get me all flamey and tomatoe-y, but I'm going to say it anyway.

I have a hard time believing some of the high stats of Webster's, moxibustion, etc. In my case I was doing EVERYTHING....accupunture, moxibustion, Webster's, positioning, massage, frozen veggies, music, talking, imaging, if I found out about it I did it. (FTR, nothing worked.) Now let's say the baby flipped. Would not the practitioner of each method claim success? I think mamas with malpositioned babies do a lot of things for better positioning. And I think in many cases when the baby turns it's hard to know what actually did it. (Unless, I guess, if the baby turns EXACTLY when the method is being done.) And what if it wasn't even something that I did but the baby just decided it was time to be head down?

That said, if I have another breech baby I will STILL do everything, including Webster's to turn it. Why not? But I'm not sure how well it really works. :

[LEAW]

Webster is helping for us... baby flipped breech the day after xmas (uhm.. 35 weeks?) and was so until last night (I think..)

I've been to this (new) chiro 3x, the first was a regular full visit, I was really crooked, and felt so much better.

On Mon and Wed this week it was just webster technique... I know it helped make space in my body, I could feel that.. I could move baby around (not engaged at all) and babe would float up when I would rest upside down, etc.

So last night I did my own mini-ECV.. I was resting with hips above my shoulders (stacked pillows) and baby floated up toward my ribs, and I put the heel of my hand in under the butt, and just gently nudged it up higher and higher until there was nothing in the bottom half of my belly... then I rolled right (bum was on the left) and still upside down, hung out there for a while, and never let the pressure off of the babe, but never really pushed hard either... and then I did long long slow rubs down the right side of my belly to encourage babe to move that way, which it didn't, but it didn't fly back down the left side either.. it was bedtime so I continued to rub and nudge in bed, and the head/shoulders finally moved down lower than bum.

There was a lot of wiggling last night, and I had a lot of hip pain, but this morning it seems there is a bum and feet up in my ribs.. going to the midwife this afternoon, so we'll know for sure, but I'm pretty good at identifying body parts.

Going back to the chiro tomorrow again, as I'm also pretty sure this babe is posterior now. But I'd take a posterior baby over a breech one any day!

[mclisa]

No, my chiropractor isn't trained in this, but was more than happy to recommend a couple of exercises to try or referring me to a group that does do it.

I used pelvic rocking and knee-chest positions to get E to flip. She was vertex at 36 then flipped around 37. I got her to flip back shortly after that.

[GOPLawyer]

Thanks, Mamas, for the feedback!

This is probably going to get me all flamey and tomatoe-y, but I'm going to say it anyway.

No flames/tomatoes here! Honest opinions are always welcome. I'm also a bit skeptical of the super-high stats I've heard. However, I'll take even a significantly lower chance if it means the little guy might flip. Besides, I've never heard of any negative side effects so it's worth a try.

[chiro_kristin]

The thing about Webster is that it always does what it is supposed to do, which is eliminate sacral subluxation and round ligament tension, which very often are the culprits in a biomechanical hindrance for baby getting into proper vertex position. Some babies are breech for other reasons (short cord, etc). The great thing about Webster is that it won't hurt you or your baby. If you have a sacral subluxation, doing Webster will be good for you regardless of your baby's position. If you don't have sacral subluxation or ligament tension, Webster can't be done regardless of your baby's position.

An experienced prenatal chiropractor has other techniques to use as well (most of which can be done at any time) as Webster to assist in getting that baby into the best position possible.

[KittyKat]

Hello!

Lisa, I did the same thing you described with my baby girl. I was SO mental over her position. Ugh. You have no idea (and I hope you never will) how stressful pregnancy after birth loss is. I tried gently re-positioning my baby one day out of sheer desperation. Not the best place to be, but it DID work. So from then on I would "check in" with baby every day. If I felt a head down low, I would send positive happy thoughts and go about my day. But if the head was up (AGAIN!) as was often the case, I'd do the gentle nudging and encouraging a re-position, until it got to the point where I'd lie down, find the head up high, and do one little "bump" of the head with my hand and bwoop! she'd flip right around. She's a smart one

Kristin,
LOVE LOVE LOVE your siggy. My dad used to sing that song to me when I was very small, and he'd bounce me on his knee really high like a kangaroo. Horsey rides? Hah. I'd beg for kangaroo rides! He'd also do this funny thing back and forth from one knee to the other and call it a camel ride. Good times!

[rock_dr]

Could someone briefly explain what exactly the Webster technique is? I've had sacral pain all along and my chiro has been adjusting - laying on my side, top leg slightly forward, arms crossed at my chest with a slight twist that he pushes on (sounds harsh, it's not bad). How is the webster technique different from that? I know I could just ask him but not going in for a few weeks...

[kerikadi]

I just got back from the MW and this babe is breech anterior, I am only 31 weeks so not at all worried but will probably start doing the Webster with my chiro around 35 weeks (this is my 5th baby so my uterus is quite roomy). My MW isn't worried about the baby being breech even at time of delivery so I'm not stressing. I have to say I kind of like the idea of the baby facing me head up - like he or she is hugging me

Keri

[chiro_kristin]

rock dr, by your description I can only say that you are getting side posture technique, which can be used for the lumbar spine or the pelvis, so I can't say whether you are getting Webster or not.

Webster is adjusting a posteriorly rotated sacrum (there are several ways to do this) and then working on the round ligaments. I would normally do this sacrum adjustment with the patient face down on a special prenancy pillow, although it could be done with side posture. Then I would have the patient flip over (face up) to work on the round ligaments.