Gail Tully is the midwife who conceived and developed Spinning Babies®. Spinning Babies® went online in 2001. Over 40 years with birth including 20 years as a homebirth midwife, Gail now writes and teaches and supports change in the birth paradigm.
Back in the day, Gail was kept busy organizing doula program development in hospitals and community non-profits in Minneapolis/St. Paul while training doulas with DONA International approval status.
Gail Tully developed the concepts and curriculum that revolutionized our view on physiological breech. Spinning Babies®, Belly Mapping®, Belly Mapping MethodTM, Resolving Shoulder Dystocia*, and Breech Basics* are Gail Tully originals.
Reach out to Gail through info@spinningbabies.com
Born in 1959, Gail grew up moving frequently, mostly in Minnesota. She went to the College of Social Work at the University of Minnesota for a BS in Family Dynamics. At the same time as parenting and going to college, Gail began assisting homebirth midwives and then to offer her own doula and midwifery services.
In 2000, Gail obtained a Certified Professional Midwife certificate from North American Registry of Midwives. Gail offered doula trainings (1998-2010) and was supporting nonprofits like the American Indian Center and United Way with their own doula programs. She led 8 doulas through a pilot project conducted by Allina Health and they helped the staff reduce the cesarean rates among doula supported families down to 3.9 percent. Gail led the Hennepin County Medical Center’s doula program in it’s beginning (8% cesarean rate with doulas). Gail continued supporting homebirth parents and finished her active midwifery years serving with Clare Welter, CNM, and Emme Corbeil, CPM, of Trillium Midwives during their start-up years.
Gail didn’t grow up with her father, William Tully, a NSA analyst. “Bill” became quite proud of Gail’s midwifery certificate and work with Spinning Babies before he passed in 2012. Bill, a soldier with a poet’s heart, wrote a poem for his daughter:
A child is born into Gail’s hands;
She snips the red ribbon of God’s Gift
(While Gail is unlikely to cut an umbilical cord, not to mention waiting until it is quite white, this recognition by her accomplished father was very welcome.)
Gail took small but direct action in the grassroots efforts to regulate homebirth midwives. She wasn’t keen on regulation but saw the future. Her contribution was in writing the description of normal birth for the statute in a way that made sure non-licensed midwives were not illegal in her state. The intent was so parents could pick who they wanted with them to give birth and community midwives were legal to practice. Gail was instrumental in keeping the care of breech and twins within the definition of normal midwifery. She has then sought training in 7 countries by over 12 experts in the breech to become proficient in solving breech obstruction during what would otherwise be a normal, healthy, and supported vaginal breech birth. Breech Birth; Quick Guide complements Gail’s in-person class for providers.
Gail is also interested in how head down babies occasionally may get stuck shoulders. She found the literature and suggested (mandatory) solutions for this emergency to be lacking. Her development of FlipFLOP memory tool helps midwives and doctors remember an effective solution for over 80% of stuck shoulders and has another suggested solution for the others. Speed, success, and gentleness are dependent on where in the pelvis the shoulder waits. Resolving Shoulder Dystocia is Gail’s video class.
Gail is married to Vic Froehlich, a retired supercomputer programmer who can talk to the “zeros and ones” of binary language. (No wonder he can also talk, “Gail.”) Together they enjoy 6 children in their lives (2 of whom Gail got to give birth to) and 10 grandchildren. Gail and Vic live in Minnesota, USA
Gail welcomes those that support physiological birth and the questions that will get us there.
Gail’s related published works include:
Gail’s unpublished paper, Perspectives in Breech Birth (1994) helped to preserve breech options in Minnesota Traditional Midwifery law (1999).
*Restorative Birthwork, at www.RestoryBirthwork.com is the new owner of Breech Basics and Resolving Shoulder Dystocia as of 2024.
Yes. Gail does receive emails every day. Gail suggests that before contacting her, you try these things:
Start with balance, and the rest usually works itself out.
If you email, please note: By emailing Gail, you agree that your email’s content may be used publicly on her site or social media. Names will not be posted unless you grant permission in your email. You can also email info@spinningbabies.com, and our staff will help direct complex emails or birth stories to Gail.
Your stories telling how using you used Spinning Babies® are needed to inspire thousands of expectant women and couples. Sharing your story, even while you’re pregnant and the story is in progress, is a way to have a nice conversation.
Gail does not answer questions posted on the Spinning Babies® blog or on the Facebook page.
Gail does want to celebrate your journey and shares your desire for an emotionally nurturing birth.
