My Natural Breech Birth in the Hospital, Part 1
DISCLAIMER: This blog post is in no way medical advice. I am not a medical professional. I’m sharing my personal story in the hope that it will inspire you to advocate for yourself and your baby if a natural delivery without surgery is what YOU want. No shame here either. Please know that if you’ve had a c-section because of a breech presentation, there’s no shame in that. I’m NOT saying one way to birth a baby fits all. A healthy baby and healthy mama is the outcome we all want.
Why I’m talking about my Breech Birth
When I first learned that my baby was Frank breech at 38 weeks, I felt shocked. I knew I wanted to have a natural birth, even in a hospital setting, but breech wasn’t something most people talked about unless it ended in surgery.
Through research, prayer, and finding the right support (my doula and birth team), I came to believe that breech is a variation of normal—and that I was capable of birthing my baby boy without surgery.
In this post, I’m sharing how I prepared for a natural breech birth in the hospital and what helped me feel confident along the way.
If you’re navigating a similar path, I hope this encourages you to trust your body, ask the right questions for your unique situation, and know you’re not alone.
Breech Birth: Mindset Shift
When I was in high school I had a lovely older friend who grew up in Peru. She told me that her mother gave birth to TWO breech babies in the middle of the jungle (in the 1960’s). She expressed how scared they were and how difficult the delivery was. No thanks. That was the first time I had heard about breech and definitely did NOT want to experience that.
How funny life is.
There are no risk-free pregnancies or deliveries. That makes sense right? But when it comes to breech and vertex birth, vertex won in my mind as the “most safe” form of delivery. I think in many cases that’s true, because it’s difficult to find a birth team that is confident to support a breech delivery.
HOWEVER. That was not the case for me. My doctor (who is now retired) closed the door when I said to her “what happens if I refuse a c-section?”. I knew this would be an interesting conversation. She was either going to fire me as a patient or make a plan.
How my doctor chose to support me
She looked at me and said, “If I attend your natural breech delivery and anything goes wrong, I could be in a whole lot of trouble for supporting your decision.” Understood.
But she didn’t stop there. She told me that she would support my decision if I agreed to a c-section if it was evident that baby or mom were in distress and emergency measures were needed. Evidence based c-section. Yes, I would absolutely agree to that.
Having a “proven pelvis” with my first child (8.13lbs) also helped. She had delivered my firstborn and that experience gave her the confidence to work with me again. I’m sure knowing my doula, and trusting her, also helped her feel confident. My baby was Frank Breech (feet by his shoulders), and this is the most ideal breech position.
With that understanding in mind, she helped me prepare both mentally and physically, plus a LOT of appointments to check baby’s position and overall health.
My doctor worked with a team of midwives. She let them know of my hope for a natural birth, as well. When I delivered, there would be an OB, but potentially a midwife too if she was on the clock.
How I prepared for a Breech Birth
My first baby was a long 26-hour labor, but he was vertex (headfirst) and a big baby weighing in at 8lbs 13oz. I delivered him naturally, without an epidural. A very difference from my second baby’s birth.
I honestly don’t know how I would have coped with the pressure (from non-supportive hospital staff) during my 2nd, breech delivery, if I didn’t have my doula. She was by far the best comfort and resource throughout my entire pregnancy and especially when we found out my baby was presenting breech. She was very well educated in breech as a variation of normal and was excellent at informing me of possible options without pressuring me in any direction (love you, Amy!).
What I Tried to Flip the Baby (And What Didn’t Work)
I absolutely wanted my baby to flip to vertex. And trust me, I tried everything!
I remember feeling crazy as I laid head down on my back on an ironing board propped against the couch with a frozen bag of corn on top of my bump trying to give baby the space and the nudge (chilly corn!) to flip. Nope. I don’t even recall him wiggling around!
I tried Webster’s technique, too. And although I definitely would recommend this for birth prep, it didn’t encourage my baby to flip. He was clearly comfortable and not interested in moving. I do believe Webster’s technique helped my birth go smoother and quicker – although I cannot prove it, except for the fact that my 2nd breech was a totally different experience (long and painful) and I didn’t get chiropractic care at that time.
I tried having an External Cephalic Version (ECV). Not only was this an extremely painful experience, it was also very expensive. The procedure was done in the OR of my hospital, and several midwives tried to move him by placing their hands on my belly and literally trying to turn him. I assure you it’s even more painful than it sounds. Due to the risk to both baby and me, I had to stay in the hospital for several hours to make sure he wasn’t in distress. If you were my best friend, I would say to you “don’t do this.”
Ultimately, I decided that with the support of my husband, doula and OB, I would allow labor to begin and proceed with a breech delivery unless medically necessary to have a c-section. I prayed (a LOT) and tried to trust that God was going to lead me and my birth team when baby’s birthday came.
My First Breech Birth Story
I’m writing this down 6 years later and I’m going to give the big overview – so please, if you have specific questions, leave them in the comments and I will respond! I’d love to hear your questions.
I had strong contractions the night before I delievered and I thought it was active labor. My doula came to my house and stayed with me for a few hours that evening and we eventually decided that it wasn’t “the real deal”. She suggested we all get some sleep (she went home) and see how I felt in the morning.
I woke up and felt very convinced it was time. By around 7:30am I was up and waking around, sitting on the exercise ball and just trying to breathe through the contractions.
Breech hospital birth: It’s time!
Contractions started becoming very painful around 10:30am and we decided it was best to head to the hospital.
My doula drove me to the hospital and my husband drove seperately. Once we got there she helped me register at the front desk. My water broke right there!! I remembered whispering to her “Amy! My water just broke!”. “Where?!” she said.
Little tip: if you know you are in labor, wear the largest pad on the market and you’ll save yourself a mess when your water breaks. Maybe TMI, but I hope it helps someone. ha!
Shortly after settling into my room, I was pressured to consider a c-section to the point that one nurse (not even a doctor!), essentially threatened and intended to intimidate me into it by saying I was choosing harm to myself and my child by refusing a c-section. This is absolutely not okay.
I politely told her I thoroughly discussed my birth plan with my doctor and midwives and she was not allowed to enter my delivery room again. What a horrible thing to say to a woman in labor!! (see my birth story Part 2 for a continuation of my history with that nurse, and how God redeemed that situation 😉
For the first two hours of labor, my pain was manageable. My doctor wanted me to try not to get an epidural so I could feel contractions and push well. She instead gave me a paracervical block for the pain. This was wonderful and allowed me to have a relatively manageable pain level throughout labor and delivery.
Birth was imminent, but pushing felt impossible
When it came time to push, about 4 hours from when my water broke, I started to lose my confidence. Pushing felt SO DIFFERENT from my first baby (vertex). I remember looking at my doula and saying “I can’t do this!” and she looked at me with a determined and kind face and said “Oh honey, you ARE doing this. You WILL do this” And that was all I needed. (seriously, hire a doula!)
Okay wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. When birth was imminent, the head nurse asked me if I would allow any L&D staff to enter the delivery room to witness a breech birth, since it’s so rare. She told me that many of the people that watched would probably never see it again.
One of my prayers for having this natural breech birth was that it would start to pave the way for breech to become viewed as a variation of normal. At that moment I felt more like an exhibit on display, but I said yes because I felt it may be an answer to that prayer. Around 10-15 people were in the room with me!
Movement in labor—what felt different
Pushing felt very different. It felt like pushing against a brick wall. I couldn’t tell if progress was happening and I remember my doula saying to the midwife “please tell Rachel what’s happening, she needs to hear about progress!”. My midwife became very vocal at that point with a play by play of what I couldn’t see, and wow, did that help give me the mental strength I needed. After about 20 minutes and 3-4 pushes, he was born. It took about 3 pushes to get his body out, and his head came with the final push.
It’s funny to me how wildly different my births have been. While I was pushing with my firstborn, I was totally silent and in deep concentration when he was born. My second (breech) I roared him out with fierce determination!
The most beautiful moment was seeing my baby for the first time. Then the room burst into applause and tears when he was born. It was such an amazing experience to have so many people happy, thankful and excited about his birth.
I’ll never forget that feeling and seeing tears streaming down the faces of those present. As you can imagine, they were quite tense while the delivery was happening and that tension fizzled the instant when he was born! Relief and joy!
Encouragement for Moms Facing Breech Birth
I want to encourage you that you can be unsure, a bit frightened and still go into your labor and delivery strong. The most important thing I can say to you is hire a doula who is confident in breech as a variation of normal, even before you find out how your baby is presenting close to birth. All of my fears I poured onto my doula. She gently guided me through my emotions and options without ever making my feel pressured one way or the other (c-section or natural).
Also, make sure you can be open and honest with your OB. This was huge for me. We developed a relationship of trust and that gave me huge confidence when birth day came. I made sure all of my questions were answered before I went to the hospital so I could be confident of the plan.
Know your Rights
And lastly, know your rights. No one can do anything to your body in a hospital without your consent. And intimidation should never be tolerated. You are in charge. Be wise, be kind, be open to hearing their opinion and reasoning, but also be strong and say no when needed – and don’t be afraid to.
Let me give you an example. After my baby was born, I was bleeding way too much. My midwife knew my desire to not have any interventions and let my body do what God intended, however, at that point my hemorrhage was nearing crisis level. Do you know what I did? I took the Pitocin. That was my option in the moment. Evidence based intervention is a blessing and saves lives.
Would I Do Anything Differently?
I’m very happy with this birth story. Even with several uncomfortable moments. It was intense and most of that came from the nursing staff being unsupportive of my wishes. I didn’t want a butterfly needle in my hand for the “just in case”, they were upset about that. I was refusing a c-section, they were VERY upset about that.
Knowing my rights, having my doula by my side and a doctor and midwife that supported my decisions were crucial to my confidence going into this delivery. I’m so glad I knew these things and had this support going into this birth.
Would I do it again? Yes! My 3rd son was also born breech naturally, but a very different labor (and hear why I opted for an epidural!) and you can read about his story coming soon. Subscribe so you’ll get that story sent straight to your inbox!
Have you experienced a breech birth or are you facing one? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.
If you are in the Chicagoland/Northwest Indiana area and are interested in hiring a Doula, please reach out to Hoosier Doula Network!
