I admit it - I was one of those complete skeptics about chiropractic care.  I used to call them "chiro-quackers" and felt 100% sure that I would never let one touch me or my back.

Then our third child, Bryan, was breech at 32 weeks.  And he stayed breech - at our 36 week ultrasound, there was definitely a bottom where there should have been a top!  Desperate to avoid a cesarean and willing to try any natural measure I could, I asked my natural momma tribe if they could recommend anyone for the Webster Protocol - the three with answers all sent me to the same person: Dr. Kevin Ross.

We invite him to speak to our students because we feel that his care is one of the keys for our whole family to continue along the path of natural living that ties into our passion for natural birth.  He is passionate about chiropractic care and the benefits for mom, baby and the nursing relationship.  As an added bonus, he is also a Bradley dad® and can speak directly to the families coach to coach.

Today's post is short on written words - I will let Dr. Ross' videos speak for themselves.  You will see a title and a synopsis; click on the videos to learn more about the topics.  Enjoy!

The topics are:

- What is chiropractic care?

- What is "interfering" with the body's natural processes?

- What is "adjusting"?

- Chiropractic and Pregnancy

- Chiropractic and Babies

- The Webster Protocol explained

For Part 2 of this post, which is Coaching Back Labor click here.

What is chiropractic care?  

Dr. Ross introduces the concept of chiropractic care to our students.

Chemical, physical and emotional stressors interfere with the body's ability to heal itself.  Good chiropractors don't "fix" things - they clear the way for the body to do the work.

The common understanding of chiropractic care is a lot of pops and cracking.  Dr. Ross explains the different ways of adjusting - and there are many ways to adjust without "cracking".

Chiropractic care can help ease some of the physical discomforts of pregnancy.

Babies can also be safely adjusted - do your research and find a chiropractor trained to do pediatric work.

Guess what - it's not a turning technique!  It is actually stabilizing the mother so that the baby can safely turn head-down.

About Dr. Kevin Ross: 

Dr. Ross has been in practice for 20 years in Tempe, Arizona. His passion and love is pediatric and pregnancy care but his office cares for people of all ages. He is certified in the Webster Protocol for malpositioned babies.  If you would like to contact Dr. Ross, you can reach him at 480.730.7950, or visit his site at www.rechargeyourlife.com

 

We are now enrolling for our Spring Series

March 5, 2012 to May 21, 2012

 

For more information or to register, please call us at 602-684-6567 or email us at [email protected]

I am sharing this because I am hoping this will allow other mommies-to-be with breech babies avoid a cesarean section in the hospital.  One of our students is working at turning their baby right now, so I thought it apropos to share this online today.

Journal: July 19, 2009

Bryan's Estimated Due Date (EDD): August 14, 2009

     As advocates of natural childbirth, and after two amazing birth experiences, I wanted the same for our third child. We found out in early June that he was breech, but didn't give it much thought at the time since we figured we still had time left for him to turn head-down.

      When our ultrasound at the beginning of July showed he was still breech and we already had a guess-timated seven pound baby, red-flags started going up. I was willing to try anything and everything that would safely encourage him to turn to a head down position.

      My thinking was very clear as we started these alternative therapies to an external cephalic version in the hospital: I would do everything in my power to help the natural process along, and knowing that we had done everything we could, accept a cesarean section if that meant we had a healthy son in our arms at the end of the pregnancy.

      Here is what we did to turn him - YEAH! And we are now praying he will stay that way until delivery day.

1. Talked to the baby: Every quiet moment, I would take the opportunity to send my thoughts to him, sometimes speaking out loud. I would tell him to move towards the exit, that I was taking long, deep breaths that were making room for him to turn, to tuck his chin and move towards the exit that was his safe entry into the world, that we, his family were eager to meet him and wanted him to be born naturally.

2. Visual imagery: I visualized him turning down and tucking into the right position. Now that he is turned, I am visualizing him staying there!!

3. Inversion: Method 1 - Prop an ironing board or similar object against a couch or ledge 12-18 inches above the ground. MAKE SURE IT IS SECURE!!! Lay back on it with your hips higher than your shoulders. Do this twice a day for 10-15 minutes.

     Inversion: Method 2 - Knee-Chest position - You begin by getting into a hands and knees position. Slowly lower your shoulders to the floor or bed, resting your head in a comfortable position.  You can try to move your knees further apart, causing your bottom to lower slightly while widening your pelvis.  You should look like you are in a frog position. Keeping your bottom higher than the shoulders while widening the pelvis may give the baby more room to turn.

     While I was in either of these positions, I also did some deep breathing, talked to him and visualized him turning.

4. Play music near the "exit": it is believed that babies will move towards music and light. I put my phone between my legs when I am in the car and play music that he responds to. I also read that light would work, but didn't try that one. The idea there was to shine a light at the top of the abdomen and then move it down, or just shine it at the exit point.  Since then I have read that some babies move away from light - so glad I did not try it.

5. Acupuncture: There is a specific therapy for turning a breech baby. In the doctor's office, they placed five needles in my head and one at a point in each inner ankle. Then they would apply heat (moxibustion) at the outer edge of my pinkie toes. This created a "turning" energy - more than any other therapy, I felt baby responding to this. He was active every time heat was applied to the toes!! We would do the moxi at home before going to bed on the days we didn't have acupuncture. Now that the baby is turned, we are not doing this anymore.  (We did have a couple more sessions with acupuncture only to help ease the labor.)

6. Webster protocol: Done by a chiropractor who is knowledgeable in this protocol. It is about aligning the pelvis, making sure it is open and "sublaxation-free" to receive the baby. This felt the best - after my first adjustment, the excruciating back pain I had felt on my right side was gone. We will keep checking the "Webster protocol" three times a week until delivery to make sure the pelvis is a safe place for baby to hang out.

7. Since he is a summer baby, we are lucky enough to use the pool.  Swimming is thought to help because it relaxes the abdominal muscles and the horizontal position in the water removes the gravitational pressure.  If nothing else, it felt great to have the pressure off my pelvis for a while.

     There are many more ideas on-line if you google "turn breech baby". The respected website is: www.spinningbabies.com.  No matter where you get your information, make sure you review any turning techniques with your care provider before trying them.

     Add again - lots of prayer.  We asked grandparents to put us on their prayer lists at church that Bryan would turn if that was God's will, and we also asked our friends to be in prayer for us. 

Journal:  August 15, 2009

     How the story ended and Bryan’s life "outside" began:  After 46 hours of labor, Bryan Victor Bowman was born on July 30, 2009 – 11 days after he turned. We had a vaginal birth and he was 9 pounds and 3 ounces. His cord was wrapped around his neck – maybe from turning?  I do not begrudge him the time he took since we are so grateful he is alive and well.

If you are in the Phoenix area, here are the doctors we used:

Dr. Deng – Accupuncture/Moxibustion

480-970-0000

 

Dr. Kevin Ross – Webster Protocol

480-730-7950

2405 E Southern Ave, Ste.4

     Looking back, Bruss and I agreed that if the natural techniques did not work, we would not do an external cephalic version (ECV) because we were not comfortable with the risks, which include

 

     The more I learn about birth through reading, observation and listening to our students birth stories, the more I find myself agreeing with Jay Hathaway, one of the founders of the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.  He did a presentation during our teacher training about breech presentation.  His philosophy is that babies are not merely "passengers" in the labor process, instead they are "pilots".  He believes that a baby knows how they need to get out, and they have an ability to control their position in the uterus.  If they choose a breech presentation, then it is for a reason that they know about, and it sometimes becomes apparent after they are born why they were in the breech position.

     I am so glad we were not faced with saying no to an ECV and waiting for labor to begin naturally so we could be wheeled into an operating room.  However, in a conversation with a doctor today as I researched doctors in the Phoenix area who do vaginal breech deliveries, she had an interesting analogy.  If you consider turning techniques on a ladder, the natural techniques are ranked at the lower rungs - and you work your way up the ladder to techniques like ECV.  If you want to avoid a cesarean, her advice was to work on the natural techniques and try an ECV at 38 weeks.

    I will close with my Bradley teacher mantra:  it is up to the parents to take responsibilty, do your research, and arrive at a decision that you agree is best for mom and baby.

Disclaimer:

The material included on this site is for informational purposes only.

It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.

 

Dr. Kevin Ross, DC has been our chiropractor since I went to see him for help with Bryan’s breech presentation.  He is trained in the Webster Protocol, which as he explained to our class last night, it’s NOT a turning technique.  It’s an adjustment that addresses the imbalance in the pelvis.  Once the pelvis is aligned, then the baby can safely turn head down.  They may be unborn, yet they are smart enough to avoid tension!!  We were very blessed that his “magic hands” worked to align my pelvis and Bryan turned head-down 11 days before he was born.

 

We invite him to come speak to our classes for a couple of reasons.  Being a Bradley Dad himself, he is a champion of natural birth.  He and his wife took Bradley Method® classes in preparation for the births of their two older children, and they had three homebirths.  He is also passionate about chiropractic care during pregnancy and childhood. 

 

He is a favorite of La Leche League leaders and lactation consultants.  They consider him a great resource and he is recommended to moms who are having breastfeeding challenges.  One of the fringe benefits of infant chiropractic care with Bryan was having our nursing relationship stabilize within two weeks after his birth, instead of the 4-6 weeks it took with our older two children who didn't receive chiropractic care as infants.

 

Since last night was our postpartum care class, we asked Dr. Ross to come speak to our class about what they should expect as “normal” for their infants and we also asked him to participate in our labor rehearsal.

 

He started his presentation by using his spine model and his baby doll to show our students about how a baby progresses through the birth canal.  He re-iterated what we strive to teach in our classes:  given a normal, uncomplicated birth, a mom’s body and the baby know how the baby needs to get out, and they can do it without any outside manipulation or maneuvering as the baby exists the birth canal.  He really emphasized to the families that they could trust mom’s body to do what it is designed to do.

 

He also used the spine and baby to demonstrate why it is that some babies seem to have a “favorite side” when they nurse.  As he likes to say, mom’s breasts are a matched set: they look the same, feel the same, and for all intents and purposes are the same size.  There is no reason other than a misalignment from the birth experience that would cause a baby to choose one side over another.  He explained that if a baby has tension in their spine, it is uncomfortable for them to turn to one side, therefore it lends to the appearance that baby favors one breast over the other one.

 

Dr. Ross made use of the spine model to demonstrate why lying in a supine position on the bed (on your back) is so painful during labor.  He reminded the students that studies have shown it’s the best way to slow down a labor, which then leads to a host of interventions.  He suggested that if our students want their labor to progress as it was designed to do, mom should stay off her back.  Thanks, Dr. Ross!

 

The first thing he showed us for labor rehearsal was how to deal with “back labor”.  Back labor is generally caused by a baby who has the bony part of the head against mom’s spine, called “sunny-side up” in the vernacular and “occiput posterior” in medical terms.  In two of the graduate birth stories we heard, babies in a posterior position had slowed their labors down.  Dr Ross has a very specific way to address posterior presentation without physically manipulating the baby. 

 

He also shared a way to help open the inlet of pelvis during early and active labor, and then open the outlet of the pelvis during late first stage labor.  We practiced this in side-lying position, as well as in a labor scenario where couples would be walking between contractions and then either squatting or standing against the wall during a contraction.

 

Having Dr. Ross visit was informative on so many levels.  Unfortunately, although I had my video camera and my still camera ready, I was so caught up listening that I didn’t take pictures or video to share today!  Next time…the picture at the top is thanks to Bruss' quick shot with his phone camera.

 

For more about the Webster Protocol, please visit Dr. Ross’ webpage:

http://rechargeyourlife.com/drross_chiropage/webster_turning.html

 

Disclaimer:

The material included on this site is for informational purposes only.

It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.