Getting into an upside down position can help a breech, an oblique (diagonal lie) or posterior baby reposition themselves.

Leah is using the Inversion in late pregnancy. Leah has her chin tucked and her womb actually hangs, for just a moment, by her cervical ligaments.
On using the inversion for late pregnancy to help fetal position. Sometimes the uterine ligaments are not equal on each side of the body. If one side has shortened ligaments the entire lower uterine segment can have a twist in it. This effect is not uncommon among women who twist to do their work (massage therapists, nurses, chiropractors, etc.) or who hold a child on one hip frequently.

How to do an inversion.

Find a safe place to get your knees and hips 12-20" above your head and shoulders. Make sure you can get up and down with out tumbling. Allow your head to be free. Hold yourself up with your forearms, for instance. Or use an inversion table if you have access to one. A minute or two is long enough in this position. Repeat twice if your uterine and abdominal tone is somewhat loose (you can easily feel your baby's back and limbs through your skin). If your abdominal muscles are tight (you can hardly tell the baby's parts through the abdomen), then repeat once or twice a day for several days. When shouldn't you do it? Skip ahead and see below.

Letting the uterus hang a moment from the cervical ligaments stretches these ligaments. Standing back up relaxes the cervical ligaments and now the cervix can relax in a more symmetrical position. When the baby is not symmetrical, help the mother's body into a more symmetrical position and the baby will follow. Then, scroll way down to read a first time mothers question about what will happen if her posterior baby doesn't rotate before labor.

Watch a short movie of an inversion.

Emily and Ludvig learn to do an inversion.  The movie is 1.5 minutes long. See it here and on the Spinning Babies Lady Blog.

 

Dr. Carol Phillips, DC shares an inversion image with Spinning Babies Website viewers!  Dr. Phillips works extensively with pregnant women (as well as babies and children). She shares this slide from her PowerPoint presentation to train other chiropractors and craniosacral therapists.

See the ligaments (pink in the inset). The weight of the baby gently pulls on the ligaments and gives a stretch to the cervical ligaments. See the short pink ligaments near the tailbone and sacrum. They are harder to find than the large broad ligament surrounding the baby. When the mother stands up the ligaments relax and are less tense than before.
Relaxing the uterine ligaments helps the uterus be more balanced. Meaning, symmetrical on either side. This helps the baby to get in a better position for birth- or helps the mother to birth a baby in a challenging position.

A letter about a need for the Inversion in late pregnancy

"I am a doula in the Seattle area. I was fortunate enough to have attended one of your workshops in Tacoma when you were here a few years ago. I have been incorporating all of what I learned into my work. It has been helpful so many times.

Now, I am 37 weeks pregnant and am in need of this work myself. I believe, as does my midwife, that my baby is resting asynclitic in my pelvis and is causing a great deal of pain in my left leg and groin area. Had to stand and walk after I have been sitting for even a short period of time.

I thought that Open Knee Chest would be helpful...

Here are pictures of the Open-Knee Chest position. In the picture on the left, Birth Doula Trainer and DONA International co-founder, Penny Simkin, PT, shows doulas how to support a woman's shoulders, and so the weight of her torso, with the doula's own ankles. Funny, but effective!

If you have any other ideas, please let me know. I have also been doing pelvic tilts, abdominal lifts and lunging.  Thanks!

Dear Jennifer.,

Scenario A. This couch Open Knee Chest would be a great way to back up baby if your uterus is symmetric. However, the inversion allows you to tuck your chin while you do it more easily than the Open Knee Chest. WIth either technique, don't lift your chin. When you get up, lean forward and put a pregnancy belt on to create a “slope” for your lower uterus. The baby needs a slope to angle her head into the pelvic inlet and tuck her own chin. In this case, you only need to be in this position for about 5-10 minutes max. Depending on results, you may need to repeat it.

Scenario B. If your uterus is not symmetric there will be a much more effective inversion position to do on the stairs. Tuck your chin a bit towards your chest. 5 minutes a day, each day. This corrects twisted ligaments in the lower uterine segment (below the round and broad ligaments.

Inverting in any of these positions can be safely done for the average mother. The exceptions are, if the amount of amniotic fluid is quite abundant the baby could flip to a breech position--So,

Don't do the inversion with a head-down baby, If

    * There is more than the usual amount of amniotic fluid around your baby,
    * in pregnancy, the abdominal tone is unusually loose (the mother has given birth before, for instance),
    * in labor, there had been abundant fluid, the baby is high, -2 station, for instance, and the water has broken, in which case use a belly down position, such as Left Lean Over, until the head comes into the inlet, or
    * you don't feel that this is right for you.

In your description, your baby doesn't seem engaged, so keep inversion short. Pick one, not both exercises, and which ever you do, keep your chin tucked.

In labor, do one of the upside down positions

    * Only if you have real slow progress (slow enough to get the midwife wondering)
    * Back or hip pain that seems more than from contractions and is not matched by the pain in the uterus or other hip.
    * In other words, something isn’t matching up, the labor pattern is not symmetrical.
    * You are advised to by your care provider (Dr., Nurse, Midwife) and you feel that it is safe for you to do so.

In the hospital, you can easily do the inversion with the help of the nurse to adjust the birthing bed.

Put the foot of the bed all the way down. Put a pillow or two at the very foot of the bed. Kneel in the middle of the bed but face the foot of the bed.

Have help to lower your self to rest your breasts on the pillows and let your chin come down off the edge of the bed. Tuck your chin. Now you should be in the same exaggerated Open-Knee Chest position as you were on the stairway.

It's easier to get into the Open Knee Chest while the bed is flat and once you are in the bed, lower the foot of the bed. It would be less acrobatic for you. [Gail prefers a steeper inversion with your neck free to move, rather than your cheek resting on the mattress or floor. But the Open-Knee Chest position has helped many, many labors!]

...After my [inverted] time on the couch yesterday, I gave it a good test. I went to a movie! The most painful time is/was standing up and attempting to walk after sitting for even a short period of time. So after sitting for 2 hours, I slowly got up and felt pretty good. Only after standing for a few minutes that I noticed I was sore. (Not the same pain, but a little different) This was so exciting. I couldn't believe it. I came home, sat on my ball and then when I got up, I was sore again. So, it is better, but I am still having some pain. I believe that I will repeat this same position today for that 5 - 10 minutes to see if it can help more.

...It sounds like things are going in the right direction. --Your dear baby’s head, specifically. The pinchy feelings on your cervix are very reassuring, as well as reduced pain.

I’m happy to hear of your upcoming appointments. A little Nelson’s Arnica cream before and after on your lower back and sacrum may help reduce tenderness from the first chiropractic visit. The first one can shift things that weren’t in place a long time and can cause a little muscle ache for some people in some adjustments. It may not happen to you, but the homeopathic arnica will also help relax your muscles for a more effective chiropractic adjustment. We use it all the time, in labor, too. Just don’t put it on mucous membranes or open sores.


Is there any risk to being inverted and have her move in a less than ideal position if she is already in a "good" position?

This type of inversion is for 30 seconds at a time, not 20 minutes, the typical recommendation for a breech tilt. If a woman has a notably large amount of amniotic fluid the risk of flipping the baby moves from none to small, if she has loose ligaments and lots of water, a little more risk. If the baby's head is high (not engaged) and the water is broke, don't invert. For a normal pregnant woman there is little risk of flipping the baby in this short time

...Be in this head down, bottom up with pubic bone away from your spine position WHILE YOUR HEAD is flexed towards your chest. When you invert with your chin away from your chest as in the photo, you are twisting your fascia that wraps your pelvis and tightens the tissues around your pelvic floor and increases malposition.

I had not thought of that before, but it make complete sense. How would you recommend doing this in a hospital setting? Or is it too late by the time you are in labor because it should be repeated multiple times?

Right now, I am extremely optimistic that I have made really good progress with getting her head in a good position. I have also noticed that since yesterday, I am feeling more pressure and pinchy feelings on my cervix. I want to try the stairs. I also have made a Chiropractic appointment for Monday and a cranio-sacral appointment for Tuesday.

I really can't tell you how much I appreciate the knowledge that I have gained from you.

Thanks and I will update you tomorrow.


Jennifer

Here's another letter from a woman who tried the inversion for pregnancy discomfort.

“hi gail, i really need some advice. i think i am in early labour, cramping, lots of irregular painful contractions, loose bowels i have been like this for > nearly 3 days. I am getting frustrated because my back is really hurting too and i cant figure position of baby.

I have been told its posterior. I have been trying for days for a couple of hours each day to do all the exercises but nothing has changed exept baby has been trying to move in the night.

I feel very tired because of the cramps at night i don't know how much longer i can go on for like this.”

Hi, Your baby's position isn't causing this type of back ache, rather your uterine position is. To help release the twist in your lower uterus, you can do a number of things.

At home:

Do a complete inversion on the stairs with your chin tucked. Have a helper to guard you. Kneel at the top of a short flight of stairs and crawl your hands down about three steps. Brace your elbow on that step and keep your knees on the landing above the stairs. Your helper is below you with their hands on their shoulders. Hold this position for five minutes or three contractions, which ever you can bear. Keep your chin tucked.

Lean forward during contractions with knees slightly bent, move as you instinctually feel the urge to with the contractions. Stand between occasionally to rest your legs. When you lay down, Rest forward. Lean over a ball or back of the couch when kneeling on the couch. Remember not to put your chin up in any position when your purpose is to correct the symmetry of your pelvis, baby's position or ligaments.

Try the Abdominal Lift and Tuck with your belly DURING your contractions.

If you can see a body worker,

• Have a pot of red raspberry leaf tea (bulk not tea bag). The minerals in the tea seem to help reduce leg cramps and uterine “irritability.”
• Chewable calcium. (I don't suggest an antacid with calcium because I worry about heavy metals and too much antacid.)
• A shower or deep bath, lay on your side with a towel rolled up between your knees and thighs to relax your ligaments.
• Have a perception change. Don't think of this as labor. Your hormones are revving up. The Red Raspberry Leaf tea will help. Mind you this isn't raspberry flavored black tea, it is the real Red Raspberry plant leaf.
• Try and sleep and be in the moment.
• Eat drink and let your mind go so you can sleep.
• Review what your caregiver said about when to call, but let your mind get off the clock otherwise.

“hi gail, my contractions have calmed down and the pain i was getting at the sides since the inversion. I have since been getting like a stabbing pain down below and feel the baby even lower now.

[Now that the baby can get his or her head down, the cervical lace, called fibrogen, is breaking up so the cervix can soften and ripen. This process can feel pinchy, achey or even stabbing. Few women find it actually painful.]

Hi, I'm glad the inversion helped! It seems to, or its a coincidence. But it did seem warranted for a try. -Gail