Breech births: Everything you need to know
There are a few possible complications associated with breech births, but it is possible to deliver safely with the right care.
A breech pregnancy occurs when an unborn baby is positioned head-up, rather than head-down in preparation for birth. There are a number of different types of breech pregnancies: frank, complete and footling, depending on the position of the baby in the uterus. Although it is not clear what exactly causes a breech pregnancy, there are a few factors that could cause a baby to position itself in this way. These include an abnormally-shaped uterus, a history of a premature birth in the past, and a pregnancy with multiples.
Can you tell if your baby is breech?
According to Rebecca Graham, a registered midwife at Grace Birthing Centre in Westville, KwaZulu-Natal, expecting mothers can know their babies are breech from their baby’s movement. “They will feel kicks down low, rather than at the top of the uterus. A scan or a CTG will confirm where the foetal heart is and we will then be able to tell where the baby is lying,” she explains.
Rebecca goes on to explain that it is quite common for babies to turn during pregnancy. “It’s only at around the 35-to-26-week mark that we start to become more concerned, and we’ll recommend certain exercises. These include forward-leaning inversion; and hot/cold therapies. Normally these are quite effective in helping babies turn, or it might just be that baby naturally turns.”
In some cases, however, a breech baby won’t turn on their own. “If exercises don’t help, we’ll send our moms to a practitioner for a procedure known as an external version (EV),” says Rebecca. During this procedure, the practitioner will turn the baby manually by adjusting the baby’s position with their hands through the stomach. Rebecca notes that this procedure is not very common in South Africa, and many doctors will opt to perform a caesarean instead.
What are the possible complications?
In most cases, there are no significant risks with a breech pregnancy until the delivery. At this point, there is a higher chance that the baby will get stuck in the birth canal or that the umbilical cord will become compressed and cut off the baby’s oxygen supply during a natural delivery. Your doctor or midwife will explain the possible complications of a breech birth, and will advise you on the best way forward. Rebecca explains that a persistent breech that doesn’t turn will generally be referred for a C-section.
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