If your baby is breech
Turning the baby is an option, and it is often not offered.
A small proportion of babies are bottom or feet first at term. Before a cesarean is scheduled, a doctor can attempt to turn the baby head down by pressing on your abdomen, usually late in the third trimester. This is called external cephalic version.
Many women are told their baby is breech and scheduled for a cesarean without ever being offered a version attempt.
Ask directly"Is external cephalic version available here, who performs it, and if it is not being offered to me, why not?" The full evidence on breech birth, version success rates and the trade-offs is in Part 2.
Covered in the essential classes
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.