Deb Lawrence, President of the Informed Beginnings certifying cooperative for Childbirth Educators introduces a technique she’s developed to open tight hips and pelvic muscles in labor or late pregnancy. Kate Andrews took a video and sent it to me to share. (This video is no longer available)
The evidence will be in the success of the technique, not in the the explanation of how it works, necessarily. The head may move from this dipping divin’ hip opener. I will have to try it myself after palpating the baby’s position. Deb asks the mother for her report on the baby’s position and that is good enough. Let’s give this technique some attention and see if we find as much success as Deb does!
I’m calling this Dip the Hip Circles so the title reflects the action. Deb didn’t tell me the name of this technique so I made one up unless she offers a name.
Deb grabs the woman’s pants or sides to do this for her. Deb is the guide. Being the guide and being this vigorous is her way to get a myofascial release. Though getting intuitive with one another will help.
Sometimes attempting to get into the right brain isn’t working for people in a very left brain setting. This technique will work to release the muscles and fascia for two people approaching the issue of the occiput posterior baby from the left brain perspective. I see the value in this technique and am thrilled to bring it home with me from the 2013 Midwifery Today Conference in Eugene where I met Deb Lawrence.
I think a similar response can be achieved with the sidelying release (done one both sides). It will be fun to find out what birth helpers find out in comparing these two techniques. Try it with your birthie friends and get the hang of the rhythm and depth of the dip.
Do it with someone. Follow it up with forward leaning inversion and side lying and if you have more questions email me. Its hard to answer questions on your comments here. Thanks!
Deb is rather brilliant to add this technique to our “Optimal Fetal Positioning birth bag.” I’m so glad she shared it with us!
Added in December 2013:
Deb Lawrence brings us Dip the Hip, figure-8 movements to make room in the pelvis for baby to rotate from the right to the left, from posterior to anterior. She noticed a tight spot in the mother’s back was associated with a lack of rotation to the anterior and she developed this technique to loosen that spasm. It works. This can be done in pregnancy every day and in labor as needed, the earlier the better.
Adrienne Caldwell, theraputic massage therapist and Spinning Babies advisor, recommends doing this gently with the same excellent results and less risk of achey S. I. joints afterwards.
Send in your story, your photo or link to your online video clip of doing the Hip Dip, and Spinning Babies will select those concisely written (even if not the most dramatically successful) and, or those clear images for teaching others how and when to do this. Meanwhile, visit my blog to see Deb herself Dip the Hip.
After a tremendously releasing session at Lake Pointe in St. Louis Park, MN (Minneapolis) with Dr. Carrie Getzmier, DC, I hurried to make another appointment with her. At that moment, Dr Jessica Peterson, DC, also came up to their reception desk. Dr. Jessica and I were suddenly talking about Deb’s Dip the Hip. I was wondering if it released the pelvic floor like the Sidelying Release as both seem to help babies rotate with similar effectiveness (according to initial reports on Dip the Hip).
Dr. Jessica suggests Dip the Hip releases the Quadratus Lumborum. The quadratus lumborum connects the lumbar spine (and 12th rib) to the iliac crest.. With unilateral contraction it will pull the pelvis into lateral flexion (one hip pulled towards body center), bilateral contraction will pull it into extension (hips out but also too much lordosis).