Supporting your body, easing your worries, and preparing for birth with personalized, holistic prenatal care.
Finding out your baby is breech, sideways, or in another unexpected position can bring up so many feelings.
Maybe you've been imagining a particular birth experience. Maybe you're hoping to avoid a cesarean. Or perhaps you've been searching for every possible exercise or technique that might encourage your little one to turn.
I understand that desire to do something.
You want your baby to be comfortable. You want your body to be ready. And you want to feel that you've explored your options.
But before you spend hundreds of dollars trying to get someone to turn your baby, I want you to know that there are gentle, accessible ways to support your body and mind throughout pregnancy.
And you don't have to figure them out alone.
Why I Teach More Than Exercises
Over my years of teaching prenatal yoga, I've worked with many women whose babies were breech, transverse (sideways), or posterior—often called sunny side up.
I've witnessed babies turn after their mothers began practicing gentle mobility movements, diaphragmatic breathing, pelvic floor awareness, and nervous system regulation.
We explored ways to soften unnecessary abdominal tension, improve comfortable movement, and ease some of the anxiety surrounding birth.
Did those practices cause the babies to turn? We can't know for certain. Babies frequently change positions naturally, and research hasn't established that yoga reliably turns breech babies.
But I know how meaningful it can be for a mother to discover that she has ways to support herself.
My work isn't about fixing your body. It's about helping you understand it, move comfortably within it, and feel more confident as you prepare for birth.
And that's something we can work on together, regardless of where your baby is positioned.
Creating Room to Breathe, Move, and Grow
One of the things I focus on in every prenatal yoga class is mobility.
Not stretching for the sake of stretching, but helping the body maintain the movement it needs as pregnancy progresses.
We work holistically with the muscles, fascia, joints, spine, rib cage, and pelvis.
Your body is constantly adapting to accommodate your growing baby. I want to help you move comfortably through those changes.
And sometimes, creating more space is something you can actually feel.
Your Rib Cage Needs Room to Expand
Here's something I frequently encourage my students to notice:
How does your bra feel when you take a deep, comfortable breath?
Does the band allow your rib cage to expand?
Or does it feel like you're breathing against a tight strap?
During pregnancy, your rib cage naturally widens, and your diaphragm adapts as your uterus grows.
The amount of air you move with each breath typically increases by approximately 30–50%, even though your breathing rate usually remains relatively stable.
That's why rib cage mobility and diaphragmatic breathing are such important parts of my classes.
We explore gentle movements through the upper back, ribs, shoulders, and surrounding muscles and fascia.
We practice breathing that allows the rib cage to expand comfortably in multiple directions.
And sometimes, women discover that their bras have become far too restrictive!
My Recommendation? Let Go of the Bras That Squeeze You.
I mean it.
If your everyday bra makes you feel compressed around your ribs or prevents you from taking a satisfying breath, it's time to find something more comfortable.
You don't need to give up support. You need support that accommodates your changing body.
Most adults take roughly 17,000–29,000 breaths in a day, based on typical resting breathing rates.
That's thousands of opportunities for your diaphragm, rib cage, abdominal wall, and pelvic floor to work together.
Why spend those hours wearing something that makes comfortable breathing harder?
There's also a nervous system connection worth understanding.
Feeling unable to get a satisfying breath can be unsettling. Air hunger can trigger an alarm response, and anxiety can make breathing feel even more difficult.
That doesn't mean every snug bra activates fight-or-flight, but persistent discomfort isn't something you need to tolerate.
Your clothing should support your body, not make you struggle against it.
Some women notice that once they begin exploring rib mobility and breathing, they feel less restricted through their upper abdomen.
They may even describe feeling as though their baby isn't pressing quite so uncomfortably into their ribs.
That doesn't necessarily mean the baby has gained more physical room or changed position, but the improvement in comfort is meaningful.
Gentle Movement That Works With Your Body
In my classes, we explore movements that support mobility, breathing, and awareness rather than forcing the body into a particular shape.
Supported Forward-Leaning Position
This is one of my favorite ways to help women explore abdominal relaxation.
Begin on hands and knees with a bolster or cushion beneath your knees.
Slowly walk your hands forward and slightly wider apart, allowing your upper body to lower comfortably.
You may remain in tabletop or lower your upper body toward approximately a 45-degree angle.
Rest your forehead on a cushion if that feels comfortable.
The most important part is allowing your abdominal muscles to fully relax.
There's no need to brace your core, force a stretch, or achieve a deep inversion.
The goal isn't how far you lean. It's whether you can breathe comfortably and allow your abdomen to soften.
Scared Cat and Stretchy Cat
These are my accessible versions of Cat–Cow.
Moving gently on hands and knees, we explore spinal mobility, pelvic movement, and breath coordination.
There is no need to exaggerate the movements.
We simply notice how the spine and pelvis respond and explore comfortable ranges of motion.
Pelvic Circles and Figure-Eights
Using a birth ball, standing support, or hands-and-knees positioning, we explore gentle movement through the hips and pelvis.
These movements help women become more aware of their bodies and discover positions that feel comfortable.
Diaphragmatic Breathing and Pelvic Floor Awareness
This is foundational to my teaching.
The diaphragm, abdominal wall, and pelvic floor work together to manage pressure and support movement.
Many women have spent years being told to pull their bellies in, tighten their cores, or constantly perform Kegels.
But the pelvic floor needs more than strength.
It needs to coordinate, respond, and relax.
We practice comfortable breathing, rib cage expansion, and awareness of how the pelvic floor responds.
We also explore how to recognize unnecessary tension and allow the body to soften without forcing anything.
These are skills you can use throughout pregnancy, during labor, and long after your baby is born.
Your Nervous System Matters, Too
When a woman comes to me worried about her baby's position, I don't just look at how her pelvis moves.
I want to know how she's feeling.
Is she frightened about her birth?
Is she worried that something is wrong?
Has she been told she needs to do a particular exercise every day or risk losing the birth experience she hoped for?
Those worries deserve attention.
Stress and anxiety can affect breathing patterns, muscle tension, sleep, and how comfortable we feel in our bodies.
That doesn't mean anxiety causes a baby to remain breech, or that relaxing will make a baby turn.
You are not responsible for your baby's position because of how you feel.
But when you're worried, having someone listen, answer your questions, and help you find comfortable ways to move can make a meaningful difference.
In my classes, we work with gentle breathing, movement, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation.
We make room for questions and conversation.
Sometimes the most important thing a woman needs isn't another exercise.
It's to feel heard, supported, and reassured that she has choices.
What About Spinning Babies, Body Ready Method, and Chiropractic Care?
If you've been researching breech presentation, you've probably come across Spinning Babies®, Body Ready Method®, or the Webster Technique offered by chiropractors.
These approaches organize movement, positioning, and bodywork principles into recognizable methods that practitioners can learn and apply.
There's value in standardized education. It provides a common foundation and practical skills.
But learning a method and knowing how to adapt it to an individual are not necessarily the same thing.
The benefit of a method is consistency. Its potential limitation is that consistency doesn't automatically mean personalization.
A thoughtful practitioner can certainly individualize a standardized approach.
My own teaching draws from many of the same foundations—anatomy, biomechanics, movement science, yoga, and traditional birth-support practices—but I don't begin with a prescribed sequence.
I begin with the woman in front of me.
Why I Prefer Gentle, Supported Movement Over Steep Inversions
You may have seen the Forward-Leaning Inversion popularized by Spinning Babies, where a pregnant woman kneels on an elevated surface and lowers her upper body toward the floor.
I take a different approach.
For many women, a steep inversion can feel intimidating, uncomfortable, or physically demanding. Depending on how it's performed, it may also encourage abdominal bracing rather than the relaxation we're exploring.
Being upside down isn't automatically a fight-or-flight trigger, and some experienced practitioners find inversions comfortable. But I don't believe a pregnant woman needs to put herself in a challenging position to receive the benefits of gentle movement and body awareness.
If a position makes you feel unsafe, tense, or unable to relax, it's not the position I want you forcing yourself into.
My supported forward-leaning variation allows each woman to find a comfortable angle where her abdomen can soften and her breathing remains easy.
It's not about achieving a particular shape.
It's about understanding what we're trying to support and adapting the movement to your body.
Chiropractic Care Can Be a Helpful Complement
I appreciate thoughtful, pregnancy-informed chiropractors, particularly those who address soft tissues, movement, and musculoskeletal comfort rather than relying on adjustments alone.
The Webster Technique focuses on sacral and pelvic musculoskeletal function. It does not involve manually turning the baby.
Some women find chiropractic care helpful for pregnancy-related discomfort.
However, research hasn't established that chiropractic adjustments reliably turn breech babies.
A frequently cited 2002 Webster Technique survey reported a high proportion of breech presentations resolving, but it lacked a control group and couldn't account for babies turning naturally.
So while chiropractic care may complement your prenatal care, I wouldn't want you to feel pressured to spend significant money on repeated treatments because someone has promised they can turn your baby.
No practitioner can guarantee that they will fix your baby's position. And you are not something that needs fixing.
If you're considering chiropractic care, ask what the treatment involves, what it costs, what evidence supports it, and how it fits with your maternity care.
You deserve to feel comfortable with any approach you choose.
Accessible, Ongoing Support Matters
Specialized bodywork and chiropractic appointments can be expensive, especially when multiple visits are recommended.
My small-group prenatal yoga classes offer a more affordable way to receive ongoing movement education, breathing practices, and supportive care.
Rather than having something done to you, you're learning skills you can use yourself.
And those skills don't disappear when you leave class.
You can take them into your daily life, your birth experience, and your postpartum recovery.
I also offer private sessions when more individualized attention would be helpful.
Other Options for a Breech Baby
Gentle prenatal movement can be one part of your care, but it's important to understand the medical and complementary options available.
Moxibustion: This traditional East Asian medicine practice uses heat near specific acupuncture points. A 2023 Cochrane review found moderate-certainty evidence that moxibustion added to usual care probably reduces the likelihood of a baby remaining non-head-down at birth. It should be explored with qualified practitioners and your maternity provider.
External Cephalic Version (ECV): Around 36–37 weeks, your provider may offer a medical procedure to encourage a breech baby to turn. ECV succeeds in approximately half of attempts and is performed with appropriate fetal monitoring and emergency obstetric care available.
Birth planning: If your baby remains breech, your maternity team can help you explore planned cesarean birth or, where appropriate and available, vaginal breech birth with experienced clinicians.
If your baby is transverse near term or when labor begins, prompt assessment is especially important because of the risk of cord prolapse if the membranes rupture.
There is no single approach that is right for everyone.
Professional Knowledge, Lived Experience, and the Wisdom of Motherhood
My approach is shaped by more than 25 years of yoga practice, extensive education in biomechanics and physical therapist–developed perinatal corrective exercise, specialized pelvic health yoga training, and traditional birth-support practices.
I'm also a seasoned mother of more than 20 years.
I've experienced pregnancy, birth, postpartum recovery, and the many changing seasons of motherhood—from infancy and childhood through adolescence and adulthood.
That lived experience is an important part of what I bring to my work.
In Ayurveda, we recognize that life moves through different seasons, each with its own qualities and opportunities for growth.
I'm in a different season of motherhood now than I was when my children were babies.
I remember those early years deeply, but I can also look back with the perspective that comes from having lived through them.
That perspective informs how I listen, teach, and hold space for the women who come to me.
I'm not simply sharing techniques I've learned in a training.
I'm bringing years of professional education together with the experience of having lived through many of the transitions my students are navigating.
And beyond the movements themselves, something else matters deeply to me: helping women reconnect with their own inner knowing and the wisdom that has supported mothers through generations.
I want you to understand why we're practicing a movement, what it may support, and how to adapt it to your own body.
Because your pregnancy isn't a protocol, and your body isn't a template.
Your Baby's Position Is Only One Part of Your Birth Story
I know how much you may want your baby to turn.
Perhaps you're hoping for a vaginal birth. Perhaps you're anxious about a cesarean. Perhaps you've had a difficult birth before and are hoping for a different experience this time.
Those feelings deserve to be heard.
And while no yoga practice, bodywork technique, or breathing exercise can promise that your baby will turn, there are meaningful ways we can support you as you prepare for birth.
I've seen women discover how much more comfortable they can feel when they learn to move differently, coordinate their breath, soften unnecessary tension, and approach birth with greater confidence.
I've also witnessed babies change position during the weeks we were working together.
Sometimes babies turn. Sometimes they don't.
And sometimes birth unfolds differently than we imagined.
Your baby's position doesn't determine your worth, your strength, or whether you've prepared well for birth.
You deserve thoughtful care and support whatever direction your birth takes.
Come As You Are. I'd Love to Work With You.
If your baby is breech, transverse, or posterior—or you're simply hoping to prepare your body for a more comfortable pregnancy and confident birth—I'd love to welcome you.
You don't have to figure everything out from online videos or another list of exercises.
You can come with your questions, your worries, your hopes, and your wonderfully unique pregnant body.
In my Women's Health + Prenatal Yoga classes in Lafayette, Colorado, we explore functional movement, pelvic health, breathing, nervous system regulation, and the practical reasons behind the movements we practice.
Our small classes allow time for personal attention, education, and connection.
I also offer private prenatal yoga and corrective exercise sessions for women who would benefit from more individualized movement support, along with perinatal doula care.
We'll work alongside your maternity care team, respecting your medical needs and your choices.
You don't need to be flexible. You don't need yoga experience. And you don't need to arrive with everything figured out.
Come as you are. I'd genuinely love to help you feel more comfortable, connected, and supported as you prepare to welcome your baby.
Explore Classes and Private Prenatal Support
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Research, Resources, and Further Reading
The following resources informed this article and provide additional information about fetal positioning, prenatal movement, and birth preparation.
Clinical Guidance and Research
Breech Presentation and Birth Options
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG): If Your Baby Is Breech
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG): Breech Baby at the End of Pregnancy
Maternal Positioning and Complementary Practices
Cochrane: Cephalic Version by Postural Management for Breech Presentation
Cochrane (2023): Moxibustion for Turning a Baby in Breech Position
Chiropractic and Integrative Care Research
Pistolese, R. A. (2002). The Webster Technique: A Chiropractic Technique. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.
Prenatal Yoga, Breathing, and Biomechanics
Additional Professional Education Resources
The following programs and approaches are mentioned for context because pregnant women may encounter them while researching fetal positioning and birth preparation:
Spinning Babies® — A childbirth education approach emphasizing fetal positioning, maternal movement, and body balancing techniques.
Body Ready Method® (BRM) — A professional education framework incorporating biomechanics, movement, and functional preparation for pregnancy and birth.
Webster Technique — A chiropractic assessment and adjustment protocol used by some pregnancy-focused chiropractors.
These approaches represent different ways of organizing and applying movement and bodywork education. Their inclusion is informational and does not imply that their claims about fetal positioning are equally supported by clinical evidence.
Educational disclaimer: This article provides general information and does not replace individualized medical advice. Breech, transverse, or otherwise concerning fetal presentation should be evaluated by a qualified maternity care provider. Consult your provider before attempting new positioning exercises, inversions, or manual therapies during pregnancy, particularly if you have complications or activity restrictions. Seek prompt maternity assessment for reduced fetal movements, bleeding, leaking fluid, significant pain, or other concerning symptoms. New, persistent, or worsening shortness of breath should also be discussed with your provider; sudden or severe breathlessness requires urgent assessment.
