🌿 Beyond the Brand: What the New Spinning Babies® Study Really Means (and How Yoga Already Does It Better)
by Anne Catherine | Holistic Yoga Teacher & Perinatal Movement Specialist
TL;DR Summary
A new European Journal of Midwifery study found that people using the Spinning Babies® approach during labor were more likely to have their baby rotate from a posterior to anterior position.
However, the study was associative, not causal, meaning it shows correlation—not proof—that the techniques caused the rotation.
The study excluded cesarean births and only measured fetal rotation, not comfort, safety, or birth outcomes.
Spinning Babies® techniques mirror traditional yoga and midwifery practices already used for centuries.
Yoga remains the most holistic and evidence-backed form of movement for pregnancy, integrating strength, mobility, breath, and nervous system balance.
Understanding the Study
The European Journal of Midwifery (September 2025) published a retrospective study reviewing eight years of data (2016–2024) from Italian hospitals. Researchers analyzed 244 births where babies began labor in a posterior or transverse position—positions that can make birth longer or more challenging.
Spinning Babies® techniques were introduced only in the last two years of that period. Of the total births reviewed, 60 people used Spinning Babies®, while 184 did not. The study found that 93% of babies in the Spinning Babies® group rotated to the anterior position, compared to 64% in the control group.
At first glance, those numbers seem impressive. But several limitations affect how we interpret them:
The study was not randomized, meaning there could be selection bias—perhaps the individuals who received Spinning Babies® care were already more mobile, open to bodywork, or otherwise different from the control group.
Researchers excluded cesarean births, so anyone who used Spinning Babies® but still required surgery wasn’t included in the final analysis.
There was no mention of labor length, interventions (such as forceps or vacuum use), or comfort levels, making the data incomplete.
Ultimately, the study’s own authors wrote:
“The results are therefore associative, not causal.”
The only measured outcome was fetal rotation—not how or why it occurred.
What the Techniques Actually Do
Spinning Babies® TechniqueMarketing ClaimWhat’s Actually Happening BiomechanicallyA Yoga-Based EquivalentForward-Leaning Inversion“Releases uterine ligaments and creates space for baby to reposition.”A supported inversion-like decompression that momentarily shifts abdominal pressure and lifts the baby off the pelvic inlet. Doesn’t lengthen ligaments or “release fascia.”Supported Puppy Pose or gentle tabletop extensions with breath, accessible to all bodies.Side-Lying Release“Balances pelvis and releases fascia.”Lengthens piriformis and obturator internus, easing sacral rotation and promoting relaxation. Real fascial change takes time, not seconds.Restorative side-lying twists and Pigeon-based hip releases integrated into yoga.Abdominal Lift & Tuck“Helps baby engage.”A posterior pelvic tilt that changes gravitational force, aiding fetal alignment—essentially functional biomechanics.Pelvic tilts and Cat–Cow variations linked with breath.Rebozo Sifting“Balances body through gentle rocking.”Rhythmic movement that relaxes the abdomen and nervous system; a traditional cultural practice from Mexican and Central American midwifery.Somatic rocking or rhythmic breathing used in yoga-based prenatal classes.
In essence, these movements aren’t new—they’re rebranded versions of what yoga, physiotherapy, and traditional midwifery have practiced for generations.
What Actually Supports Fascia, Ligaments, and Balance
Fascia doesn’t “release” instantly—it adapts over time through movement, breath, warmth, and safety. What truly supports pelvic and fascial health is consistency, not quick fixes.
Mindful movement gently loads and unloads tissue over time.
Conscious breathing coordinates the diaphragm and pelvic floor.
Warmth and nourishment improve tissue hydration and elasticity.
Emotional safety and rest allow the nervous system to downshift from tension to ease.
Fascia and ligaments respond to relationship, not force.
These principles form the foundation of functional prenatal yoga.
Education as Empowerment
While the rebozo isn’t a traditional yoga tool, it can be integrated into educational prenatal classes to help students understand how movement and breath affect the body.
When people understand why something works, they become active participants in their birth preparation, not passive recipients of treatment.
Hands-on methods like massage, rebozo, osteopathic, or craniosacral therapy can be powerful—but they’re most effective when combined with self-awareness and body literacy.
True empowerment means understanding your own body and feeling confident to move with it—not having techniques done to you.
Abhyanga: A Model of Self-Led Care
Abhyanga, the Ayurvedic art of warm oil massage, offers a beautiful counterpoint to technique-based care. It can be done for yourself, encouraging connection, nourishment, and relaxation.
It supports circulation, digestion, lymph flow, and the nervous system—working with the body, not on it.
This daily ritual mirrors yoga’s holistic wisdom: healing through awareness, repetition, and compassion.
The Bigger Picture
It’s encouraging that Spinning Babies® offers birth workers tangible tools to help babies find optimal positions during labor. But birth is not a protocol—it’s an embodied process.
Yoga teaches responsiveness, not reactivity; awareness, not automation.
By cultivating breath, mobility, and balance throughout pregnancy—not just during labor—we prepare the body and mind to adapt naturally.
No one can do yoga to you. It’s an embodied practice at its core—powerful precisely because it strengthens your relationship to your own body, baby, and birth experience.
My Experience with Spinning Babies®
When I first studied Spinning Babies®, I considered certification. However, I quickly realized that most of its techniques were familiar from my own training in yoga, anatomy, and birth physiology. Many of these movements come from cross-cultural traditions, rebranded under a trademarked name.
Yoga teachers are specifically excluded from Spinning Babies® certification. I suspect this is because the method borrows directly from yoga postures and breathwork while intentionally avoiding the term “yoga.” When I purchased their movement video, I recognized nearly every pose and principle—things I’d been teaching for years. Still, it validated what I already knew: these movements work when practiced with awareness and respect for the body’s natural intelligence.
While I cannot claim to be a “Spinning Babies® practitioner,” I am Spinning Babies® informed—and I integrate those same physiological concepts into a trauma‑informed, holistic, yoga‑based framework.
Bringing It Full Circle
When we step back, this study tells a small part of a much larger story. Out of 244 births reviewed between 2016 and 2024, only 60 included Spinning Babies® techniques—and those births were drawn from the last two years of data collection. Because cesarean births were excluded, the results reflect only successful vaginal births. We don’t know how many people tried Spinning Babies® and still needed a surgical birth, or how long their labors lasted, or what interventions were required.
That means we’re seeing a snapshot, not the full picture—and one likely shaped by selection bias. The researchers themselves acknowledge this, noting their results are associative, not causal.
Still, the study’s existence matters. It opens doors for deeper research into physiological birth, movement, and the role of gravity and alignment in labor. It also reminds us that none of these ideas are new—they’re the essence of yoga and mindful embodiment.
🌸 The Takeaway
The study shows correlation—not causation—between Spinning Babies® and fetal rotation.
Only vaginal births were included; cesareans and birth interventions weren’t analyzed.
Most techniques replicate movements already used in yoga and traditional midwifery.
Yoga, practiced with a qualified prenatal teacher, integrates breath, alignment, and awareness to prepare the body holistically for labor.
True preparation for birth unfolds over time, through consistent relationship with your own body—not through quick fixes or branded methods.
References & Citations
European Journal of Midwifery. (2025). Spinning Babies® approach and fetal rotation during labor: A retrospective study. Retrieved from https://www.europeanjournalofmidwifery.eu/pdf-206972-128330
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2020). Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804.
World Health Organization. (2022). WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience. Geneva: WHO.
NHS. (2023). Exercise in pregnancy: Why it matters and how to move safely. NHS UK.
🪷 Journal Prompt
Take a few quiet moments to reflect:
How do you feel when you’re invited to take ownership of your own movement, body, and birth experience?
What practices—whether yoga, walking, self-massage, or mindful rest—help you connect to your inner wisdom and the rhythm of your changing body?
Write freely, without judgment. Let your breath and curiosity guide the words that come through.
