What Is a Breech Birth?

A breech baby is a baby that is turned upside down during the delivery. Most babies move into the delivery position by week 37 with their heads positioned below their feet and buttocks. A baby positioned to come out feet or buttocks first is said to be breech.

“Breech presentations tend to happen when the baby does not have enough room in the uterus to get into the proper position,” labor and delivery nurse and pregnancy consultant Rachel Taylor, RN, told Mom.com. “This can be from tight uterine ligaments in the mother or a displaced uterus.”

Approximately 3 to 4% of babies are breech at the time of birth.

There is more than one position that your baby may be in that qualifies as a breech birth:

• Frank breech: Baby is folded over with the buttocks pointing to the vaginal canal and the feet up near the baby’s head.
• Complete breech: The baby’s buttocks are pointing down with both the hips and knees flexed, so the baby is folded up.
• Footling breech: Either one or both of the baby’s feet are point downward, so the baby is positioned vertically.
• Transverse lie: The baby is positioned horizontally rather than vertically. This often means that the baby’s shoulder will come out first.

While it is possible to deliver a healthy baby who is sitting in a breech position vaginally, as Angela did, it isn’t recommended. When Angela’s doctors discovered the breech positioning, they recommended a Cesarean section. Her water broke before the C-section could be scheduled.

In most cases, doctors recommend a C-section to avoid delivery complications. The breech position poses no threat while your baby is in your womb. However, the delivery process can get complicated. The baby may get stuck in the birth canal, and there is a greater risk of the baby’s oxygen supply, which is received through the umbilical cord, getting cut off.

Women who still want to have a vaginal birth may go through a procedure called external cephalic version.

What is external cephalic version?
If your baby is breech, your doctor will monitor the situation. Many babies move into the right position on their own. However, at 36 weeks, doctors may recommend an external cephalic version (ECV) which is a procedure where doctors manually turn the baby. They do this by manipulating your baby through your abdomen. This procedure is done in a hospital, with the baby being monitored at all times to ensure everything is OK. An ECV is successful about half of the time.

Another alternative: Moxibustion for breech baby
Since an ECV only works half of the time, you may look for alternatives to the procedure to avoid a C-section. Moxibustion for a breech baby is a Traditional Chinese medicine method that helps turn the baby into the correct position. In moxibustion, a Chinese herb is burned near the skin of an acupuncture point found on the little toe. You should feel a warming sensation as a result of the procedure. The procedure can be repeated up to two times daily.

There are some things to consider when looking at your options if your baby is in the breech position. You want to know the potential complications that exist.

Mothers need to be concerned with:

• Premature labor
• Premature rupture of amniotic sac
• Blood loss for mom or baby
• Baby getting stuck in vaginal canal

This is why many moms like Michelle G. Lopez chose to have an ECV to turn the baby around. She previously recounted her experience to Mom.com. Finding out that she had a breech baby had her “a little panicked,” and she knew it would “determine the fate of my labor.” She opted to do the ECV rather than do nothing and hope the baby turned on her own to avoid complications.

If doctors are able to turn the baby around, the host of possible complications goes away and allows mom to focus on getting ready for labor in a less stressful way.