Need some help on my freestyle

I've been working on my head position, trying to keep my head down. But I can't seem to stop jerking it up for breaths. So I was told to keep my ear against my shoulder to allow for a simple head rotation. It is here that I have noticed what I think is a fundamental problem in that my left arm (I'm breathing to the right) is already too far down to make this position possible. The way it seems that I can counter this is by employing a more "catch-up" style where my left arm has to stay forward/paused until my right arm is almost forward and my head is back down. Does that make any sense? I just started experimenting with this style and am wondering if I am on the right track. I do notice that I am getting more body rotation and that I feel like I am pulling a lot more water - but that could also be because I am going so slow to try and work on this. One thing I am worried about is that my turnover is already very slow and this seems like it could make it even slower. Perhaps my timing has been forever wrong and I need re-learn these basics even if I will be swimming slow before I can hopefully eventually go faster? I'm not sure if I have had a revelation or I am about to work on something that is going to mess me up even more.