Is your baby breech? While many women dread learning this, know that you have options to try to turn breech baby. First off, delivering a breech baby is not impossible. For centuries, women had no other choice and doctors were trained to deliver breech babies.
You should consider scheduling an appointment with your doctor so that he or she may attempt to turn the baby using external cephalic version (“ECV”). This is a non-surgical procedure, used by a doctor, in a hospital.
During the procedure, the doctor uses medication to relax the uterus so that he or she can push the baby, externally, into the vertex position. This is done by applying downward pressure to the lower abdomen (which some women find very uncomfortable).
Throughout the procedure, the doctor will use an ultrasound to monitor the position of the baby and placenta, along with the amount of amniotic fluid. The baby's heart rate will also be monitored throughout the procedure -- if it drops too low, an immediate emergency delivery may be necessary.
The ECV procedure is successful in approximately 58% of breech pregnancies. It has a higher rate of success in subsequent pregnancies. However, in some cases, ECV is not possible due to complications -- such as bleeding or lower-than-normal levels of amniotic fluid. It is also impossible to perform when the mother is carrying twins.
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