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Health & Fitness

Can the Chiropractic Webster Technique Help Pregnant Women Avoid Breech Positioning?

Learn what the Webster Technique is and how it can help pregnant women facing breech presentation of their baby.

When a pregnant woman is told that her baby is in the breech position, she is likely not told to seek out a chiropractor certified in the Webster Technique.  While many OB’s, midwives and doulas are becoming more aware of how chiropractic can help, women are commonly told that they can either: 1) schedule a cesarean section or 2) do an External Cephalic Version (ECV).  Both options can be very scary for a pregnant woman.  A cesarean section is a major surgical procedure that involves serious trauma to the abdominal structures and requires long healing times.  The ECV is typically uncomfortable and only has an approximate success rate of 50%.  

The chiropractic Webster Technique has been shown to be very effective for allowing breech positioned babies to turn to the normal vertex position. The reported success rates are between 70-100%!  Dr. Katie Sleigh, a pregnancy chiropractor in Arlington Heights IL states that, “The Webster Technique is most effective as soon as a woman finds out that her baby is breech.  I encourage pregnant women to seek out a chiropractor certified in the Webster Technique as soon as possible.”   

The Webster Technique is a specific analysis and adjustment of the sacral and pelvic regions of pregnant women.  Because this is the area where the baby grows and develops, alignment and balance in the pelvis dramatically affects the baby. When the pelvis of a pregnant woman is out of balance, the muscles and ligaments in the pelvic region can also become torqued and twisted.  The combination of pelvic imbalance and torsion on the ligaments can lead to a breech presentation because the developing baby may be unable to turn to the normal vertex position.  Using the Webster Technique, certified chiropractors are able to determine if an imbalance exists and deliver a gentle and specific adjustment to restore proper function.  When this proper function is restored, the baby is able to turn to the vertex position in the majority of cases. 

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It is important to note that there are many causes of breech positioning.  If there is something other than pelvic and ligament imbalance causing the baby to be breech, the Webster Technique may not result in proper positioning of the baby.  Dr. Katie Sleigh states, “While this is always a possibility, I encourage women facing breech presentation of their baby to at least get checked for pelvic and ligament imbalance.”

Looking for more information?  Click for more information on the Webster Technique or Chiropractic During Pregnancy.

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