External cephalic version is a procedure that externally rotates the fetus from a breech presentation to a vertex presentation. It is often reserved for late pregnancy because breech presentation greatly decreases with every week.
It is preferable to wait until term (37 weeks of gestation) before external version is attempted because of an increased success rate and avoidance of preterm delivery if complications arise.
Most babies who are in a bottom down (breech) position will turn to the normal head down position (cephalic) by 37 weeks. After 37 weeks they are much less likely to turn by themselves.
However, it is often possible to manually turn a baby head down by applying gentle pressure on the mother's abdomen, thus improving the chances of having a straightforward birth.
With the woman placed in the supine position, the abdomen is liberally coated with ultrasonic gel in order to decrease friction and lessen the chances of an overvigorous manipulation. External version can be performed by one or two persons experienced in the procedure.
About video: This technique is known as an External Cephalic Version or ECV and this video explains what is involved and answers some commonly asked questions.
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