Birth from breech end position
It is basically possible to give birth to a baby lying in the breech presentation naturally. However, this is not offered in every clinic these days. The reason for this is that many gynaecologists and midwives are no longer trained in this and therefore have too little experience.
Therefore, women are often advised to deliver the baby by Caesarean section. In the pelvic end delivery, the baby’s pelvis is at the bottom. For this reason, the baby’s body is born first and the baby’s head last.
The natural breech birth is considered a high-risk birth. Problems or injuries occur more often than with a normal birth in the head position. During the birth process, the birth of the body can lead to an oxygen deficiency because the umbilical cord can become trapped.
In order to avoid undersupply of oxygen to the baby, midwives and doctors try to deliver the head as soon as possible after the body is born. They succeed in this with special handles. To avoid complications during the birth process for both woman and baby, a pelvic end delivery should therefore only be carried out by experienced obstetricians. It is important that the pregnant woman is sufficiently informed in advance about possible risks by the midwife or the gynaecologist.
Why should a Caesarean section be performed in the case of a breech presentation?
A spontaneous, i.e. natural breech presentation is not always possible. There are many reasons for this. A common reason why women are advised to have a Caesarean section in the breech presentation is the lack of experience of the obstetricians.
Not all clinics and hospitals have midwives or doctors who are familiar with breech presentation births. Therefore, it should be clarified in advance whether the nearby hospital offers spontaneous births from breech presentation. Since breech presentation birth can pose a risk to mother and child even under normal and optimal conditions, natural birth is not recommended under certain circumstances.
There is an increased risk of complications during spontaneous delivery if the estimated birth weight is over 4000 g, previous incisional deliveries, complete foot position, pregnancy disorders and if the head is much larger than the baby’s abdomen. These factors can lead to a prolonged duration of birth and thus the risk of oxygen deficiency in the baby. To avoid this, women are therefore advised to have a Caesarean section. However, since a Caesarean section can also lead to complications, the doctor will advise on the possible options and provide detailed information on the advantages and disadvantages of spontaneous delivery and a Caesarean section.
