Have you ever wondered why some births are fast and furious while others slowly putter along? Many times it has to do with the delicate dance between the baby’s position and the balance and room made in the pregnant person’s pelvis and soft tissue.
In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with the creator of the Spinning Babies® approach, Gail Tully (CPM). Gail explains Spinning Babies® methodology and shares how the baby’s position and the pregnant body impacts the birth flow. She also reveals what to do prenatally to enhance your chances of being one of those fortunate people with a well balanced body and a functional birth. (Hint: prenatal yoga is a pretty smart choice!)
In this episode:
- Learn a bit about Gail and her path to birth work and creating Spinning Babies®.
- Learn about the Spinning Babies® methodology.
- The importance of a balanced boney pelvis as well as the importance of the soft tissue.
- The psoas! And its role in a functional birth and why it is important to keep it supple and supportive.
- What people can do prenatally to help create balance in their body.
- When baby’s position starts to matter.
- How the baby’s positioning affects a functional and flowing birth.
- Defining a stalled labor and how to tell if baby’s positioning is the reason for a stalled out labor.
- The sacred sacrum.
- Proper squatting.
- Ways to help reposition the baby during labor.
- An explanation of side lying, standing, and abdominal release.
- One tip or piece of advice Gail has for new and expectant parents.
- Where to find Gails work!
Additional Resources:
- Liz Koch, Core Awareness
About Gail:
Midwife Gail Tully (CPM) is the creator of the Spinning Babies® approach. Recognized around the world by midwives, nurses, childbirth educators, and doulas, Gail’s ability to recognize the spatial relationships between the soft tissue pelvis and the baby has contributed a paradigm shift in childbirth care. Twenty years developing Spinning Babies has taken Gail’s small independent practice and local community work has grown to global education.
In her home town of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, Gail hass been a program coordinator for Hennepin County Doula Program, consultant for the Turtle Women Doula and Somali Doula Programs and a founding mother of the Childbirth Collective, one of the largest doula organizations in the USA.
Gail Tully is the author of Breech Birth Quick Guide; Spinning Babies® Quick Reference; and Belly Mapping®, How kicks and wiggles reveal your baby’s position. Gail has created three videos: Spinning Babies® Parent Class, Daily Essentials (with Sarah Longacre of Blooma); and Resolving Shoulder Dystocia. Penny Simkin and Ruth Ancheta’s Labor Progress Handbook features Belly Mapping in Chapter 3. Anne Frye’s Holistic Midwifery, Vol 2, cites Gail on shoulder dystocia. Midwifery Today published Gail on Shoulder Dystocia; The basics; Belly Mapping; and Opening the Brim, and Resolving Breech Obstruction.
Gail presents to residents when presenting the adaptation of her workshop for hospital systems to their staff midwives and nurses. Newton Wesley Hospital chose Spinning Babies® for a Quality Improvement program. The annual American Public Health Association accepted The NWH QI as a poster presentation. Enthusiastic nurses are using Spinning Babies® to reduce the cesarean rates at their hospitals.
See SpinningBabies.com for more information on Gail Tully, the Approved Trainers and Spinning Babies.
