Why do most women believe that a breech baby = Caesarean ?

Kate CP - posted on 12/27/2009

What Sharon said is spot on. Before c-sections many mothers and babies died trying to birth breech babies. Is it possible? Yes, but not always the best option. A healthy mom and baby is far better than a sick mother with a uterine infection and depression because she gave birth to her stillborn child. I do think c-sections are WAY too popular these days, but they do have a place in the obstetric field.

Cherie - posted on 12/27/2009

I had a c-section only because my son was breech. That WAS the actual problem. I considered a vaginal delivery, but I wasn't comfortable with the risks so I took what I think is the safer path, and had a c-section. I guess if you ever have a baby with one foot in your cervix and the other under his chin doing a split in your belly, you can know what it is like to be faced with that decision.

Sharon - posted on 12/27/2009

Try it this way.

I don't know women whine and snivel about having a csection. If I had to make a choice between my own personal suffering and potential suffering, short term or long term, of my unborn child, I will choose to take the suffering on my self.

Frankly, women who court danger on purpose out of a self serving greed to be "natural" are disgusting to me. They were gambling with their unborn childs' life which shows they are seriously lacking in the ability to care for another human being.

Jennifer - posted on 12/27/2009

There is a great documentary called The Business of Being Born about the high rate of c-sections in the US compared to other industrialized nations and using alternative options like midwives. I don't think they specifically address breech births, but the emphasis is that women should be informed that they do have options and that often the c-section is recommended more for the convenience and medico-legal reasons of the provider rather than the woman and her child.

Natasha - posted on 12/27/2009

Depends on the type of breech position. In my case, my son was a 'frank' breech position. This is when the feet are actually up around the head, kind of like if you bend your whole body over your so you touch your toes. This means his bottom was the only thing pointing down towards my pelvis. In this instance his total girth to crown would never be able to fit into my pelvis. So I had to have a scheduled c-section. Not all breech positions mean feet first.

Anna - posted on 12/27/2009

Quoting April:

Quoting anna:


One of my sisters twins was breech and she birthed them both vaginally with no probs. So do most women just not get the option to try? I mean cord prolapse can be an issue no matter which way the baby is lying in the womb, and the head getting stuck is normally only a problem if it is a premmie baby. Different positions that the mum gets into will help open up the pelvis more too. I dont see how they can justify slicing a woman in half if they havent given her the oportunity to try for a vaginal breech birth, and explaining that c-sect is not the ONLY option.

that's all well and good that your sister had a good birthing experience but it doesn't always work out that way. What WOULD have been my sister was breech.. the cord fell out somehow and got wrapped around her on the way out, she died before she was even able to be out.
Why risk your baby's health because you want a certain birthing experience?? I'm kind of glad Dr's will try and do what's best for us rather than risk a dead baby. If everything has been tried and baby still won't turn go for it.. isn't the end result what truly matters anyways???

Its not about the birthing experience. Its about letting the woman know the TRUE risks involved so that she can weigh up the risks for herself and make an informed decision on what she feels is best/safest  for her baby and herself.

April - posted on 12/27/2009

Quoting anna:



One of my sisters twins was breech and she birthed them both vaginally with no probs. So do most women just not get the option to try? I mean cord prolapse can be an issue no matter which way the baby is lying in the womb, and the head getting stuck is normally only a problem if it is a premmie baby. Different positions that the mum gets into will help open up the pelvis more too. I dont see how they can justify slicing a woman in half if they havent given her the oportunity to try for a vaginal breech birth, and explaining that c-sect is not the ONLY option.

C. - posted on 12/27/2009

Quoting anna:

Quoting Christina:

Quoting anna:

One of my sisters twins was breech and she birthed them both vaginally with no probs. So do most women just not get the option to try? I mean cord prolapse can be an issue no matter which way the baby is lying in the womb, and the head getting stuck is normally only a problem if it is a premmie baby. Different positions that the mum gets into will help open up the pelvis more too. I dont see how they can justify slicing a woman in half if they havent given her the oportunity to try for a vaginal breech birth, and explaining that c-sect is not the ONLY option.

I really don't see where you get off making it out that people that do have Cesarians or the Cesarians themselves are bad?? I never had one and don't want one, but one of my sisters had to have one with all three children. She tried having her first baby vaginally, but he was being pushed up against her pelvis. Since she had an epidural, they let her push for 3 hours instead of just 2. Still nothing after 3 long hours and my sister is a Diabetic, has been since she was 8 or 9, and was high risk.. She HAD to have a C-Section and with her last two a Cesarian was strongly recommended. I really don't think it's your place to judge.. If a woman WANTS to have one, that's her decision.. If the woman WANTS a vaginal delivery, that's her decision.. But when the vaginal delivery is just not an option b/c it can harm the mother and/or baby, C-Sections are needed and they shouldn't be judged for getting one and the doctors shouldn't be judged for making that decision when it's in the best interest of the patient.

I have not judged anyone to be bad for having a c-sect. I totally agree with you about it being the womans decision wether she births vaginally or opts for a c-sect. Thats my point IS IT HER CHOICE ???or is she told "you have to have one cause its breech" most women are not informed about the choices they make, just because the baby is breech it doesnt mean it has to be delivered via c-sect. And I will judge the doctors that do  not make sure women are FULLY INFORMED ABOUT ALL THEIR OPTIONS because at the end of the day it is the WOMANS CHOICE wether the doc agrees with it or not. They are not god and they are no always right

Ok, you really need to understand something here.. The woman has a choice to a point. If her choice goes against what her doctors KNOW WILL HURT HER, they will NOT allow her that choice b/c at the end of the day they have to live with that decision and if something should happen to the mother b/c the doctor allowed her choice of delivery, it could be his career. If she wants to go against what the doctors are telling her when it's her/her baby's life on the line, she might as well have stayed home and delivered with no medical help at all. Doctors are doctors for a reason. And you're right, they aren't God, but guess what.. Neither is the woman and chances are that the woman hasn't gone through years of studies and training like her doctor has. You also need to understand that vaginally delivering a breech baby is DANGEROUS. Glad your sister could do it, but not every woman will be so lucky if she did the same thing.

Anna - posted on 12/26/2009

Quoting Christina:

Quoting anna:

One of my sisters twins was breech and she birthed them both vaginally with no probs. So do most women just not get the option to try? I mean cord prolapse can be an issue no matter which way the baby is lying in the womb, and the head getting stuck is normally only a problem if it is a premmie baby. Different positions that the mum gets into will help open up the pelvis more too. I dont see how they can justify slicing a woman in half if they havent given her the oportunity to try for a vaginal breech birth, and explaining that c-sect is not the ONLY option.

I really don't see where you get off making it out that people that do have Cesarians or the Cesarians themselves are bad?? I never had one and don't want one, but one of my sisters had to have one with all three children. She tried having her first baby vaginally, but he was being pushed up against her pelvis. Since she had an epidural, they let her push for 3 hours instead of just 2. Still nothing after 3 long hours and my sister is a Diabetic, has been since she was 8 or 9, and was high risk.. She HAD to have a C-Section and with her last two a Cesarian was strongly recommended. I really don't think it's your place to judge.. If a woman WANTS to have one, that's her decision.. If the woman WANTS a vaginal delivery, that's her decision.. But when the vaginal delivery is just not an option b/c it can harm the mother and/or baby, C-Sections are needed and they shouldn't be judged for getting one and the doctors shouldn't be judged for making that decision when it's in the best interest of the patient.

I have not judged anyone to be bad for having a c-sect. I totally agree with you about it being the womans decision wether she births vaginally or opts for a c-sect. Thats my point IS IT HER CHOICE ???or is she told "you have to have one cause its breech" most women are not informed about the choices they make, just because the baby is breech it doesnt mean it has to be delivered via c-sect. And I will judge the doctors that do  not make sure women are FULLY INFORMED ABOUT ALL THEIR OPTIONS because at the end of the day it is the WOMANS CHOICE wether the doc agrees with it or not. They are not god and they are no always right

Anna - posted on 12/26/2009

Quoting Christina:

Quoting anna:

One of my sisters twins was breech and she birthed them both vaginally with no probs. So do most women just not get the option to try? I mean cord prolapse can be an issue no matter which way the baby is lying in the womb, and the head getting stuck is normally only a problem if it is a premmie baby. Different positions that the mum gets into will help open up the pelvis more too. I dont see how they can justify slicing a woman in half if they havent given her the oportunity to try for a vaginal breech birth, and explaining that c-sect is not the ONLY option.

I really don't see where you get off making it out that people that do have Cesarians or the Cesarians themselves are bad?? I never had one and don't want one, but one of my sisters had to have one with all three children. She tried having her first baby vaginally, but he was being pushed up against her pelvis. Since she had an epidural, they let her push for 3 hours instead of just 2. Still nothing after 3 long hours and my sister is a Diabetic, has been since she was 8 or 9, and was high risk.. She HAD to have a C-Section and with her last two a Cesarian was strongly recommended. I really don't think it's your place to judge.. If a woman WANTS to have one, that's her decision.. If the woman WANTS a vaginal delivery, that's her decision.. But when the vaginal delivery is just not an option b/c it can harm the mother and/or baby, C-Sections are needed and they shouldn't be judged for getting one and the doctors shouldn't be judged for making that decision when it's in the best interest of the patient.

I have not judged anyone to be bad for having a c-sect. I totally agree with you about it being the womans decision wether she births vaginally or opts for a c-sect. Thats my point IS IT HER CHOICE ???or is she told "you have to have one cause its breech" most women are not informed about the choices they make, just because the baby is breech it doesnt mean it has to be delivered via c-sect. And I will judge the doctors that do  not make sure women are FULLY INFORMED ABOUT ALL THEIR OPTIONS because at the end of the day it is the WOMANS CHOICE wether the doc agrees with it or not. They are not god and they are no always right

Anna - posted on 12/26/2009

Quoting Christina:

Quoting anna:

One of my sisters twins was breech and she birthed them both vaginally with no probs. So do most women just not get the option to try? I mean cord prolapse can be an issue no matter which way the baby is lying in the womb, and the head getting stuck is normally only a problem if it is a premmie baby. Different positions that the mum gets into will help open up the pelvis more too. I dont see how they can justify slicing a woman in half if they havent given her the oportunity to try for a vaginal breech birth, and explaining that c-sect is not the ONLY option.

I really don't see where you get off making it out that people that do have Cesarians or the Cesarians themselves are bad?? I never had one and don't want one, but one of my sisters had to have one with all three children. She tried having her first baby vaginally, but he was being pushed up against her pelvis. Since she had an epidural, they let her push for 3 hours instead of just 2. Still nothing after 3 long hours and my sister is a Diabetic, has been since she was 8 or 9, and was high risk.. She HAD to have a C-Section and with her last two a Cesarian was strongly recommended. I really don't think it's your place to judge.. If a woman WANTS to have one, that's her decision.. If the woman WANTS a vaginal delivery, that's her decision.. But when the vaginal delivery is just not an option b/c it can harm the mother and/or baby, C-Sections are needed and they shouldn't be judged for getting one and the doctors shouldn't be judged for making that decision when it's in the best interest of the patient.

I have not judged anyone to be bad for having a c-sect. I totally agree with you about it being the womans decision wether she births vaginally or opts for a c-sect. Thats my point IS IT HER CHOICE ???or is she told "you have to have one cause its breech" most women are not informed about the choices they make, just because the baby is breech it doesnt mean it has to be delivered via c-sect. And I will judge the doctors that do  not make sure women are FULLY INFORMED ABOUT ALL THEIR OPTIONS because at the end of the day it is the WOMANS CHOICE wether the doc agrees with it or not. They are not god and they are no always right

C. - posted on 12/26/2009

Quoting anna:

One of my sisters twins was breech and she birthed them both vaginally with no probs. So do most women just not get the option to try? I mean cord prolapse can be an issue no matter which way the baby is lying in the womb, and the head getting stuck is normally only a problem if it is a premmie baby. Different positions that the mum gets into will help open up the pelvis more too. I dont see how they can justify slicing a woman in half if they havent given her the oportunity to try for a vaginal breech birth, and explaining that c-sect is not the ONLY option.

I really don't see where you get off making it out that people that do have Cesarians or the Cesarians themselves are bad?? I never had one and don't want one, but one of my sisters had to have one with all three children. She tried having her first baby vaginally, but he was being pushed up against her pelvis. Since she had an epidural, they let her push for 3 hours instead of just 2. Still nothing after 3 long hours and my sister is a Diabetic, has been since she was 8 or 9, and was high risk.. She HAD to have a C-Section and with her last two a Cesarian was strongly recommended. I really don't think it's your place to judge.. If a woman WANTS to have one, that's her decision.. If the woman WANTS a vaginal delivery, that's her decision.. But when the vaginal delivery is just not an option b/c it can harm the mother and/or baby, C-Sections are needed and they shouldn't be judged for getting one and the doctors shouldn't be judged for making that decision when it's in the best interest of the patient.

C. - posted on 12/26/2009

Many women end up having to have C-Sections b/c of breech babies.. If the woman has been in labor for too long already and there is no sign of the baby moving, they will have to cut her open or risk the child being stillborn or having severe medical problems due to lack of oxygen and all the stress on the baby. Or if there are complications that arise for the mother, even if she hasn't been in labor that long, but the baby won't move, they will have to cut her open.. There are many reasons to NEED a C-Section. Having a breech baby vaginally can pose serious risks to both baby and mother.

Erin - posted on 12/26/2009

Quoting anna:

One of my sisters twins was breech and she birthed them both vaginally with no probs. So do most women just not get the option to try? I mean cord prolapse can be an issue no matter which way the baby is lying in the womb, and the head getting stuck is normally only a problem if it is a premmie baby. Different positions that the mum gets into will help open up the pelvis more too. I dont see how they can justify slicing a woman in half if they havent given her the oportunity to try for a vaginal breech birth, and explaining that c-sect is not the ONLY option.

I didn't get an option, but even if I did I still would of went for the c-section. I wouldn't want to risk him getting stuck or something.

Renee - posted on 12/26/2009

I had to have a c-section because my son was breech he decided to turn in the breech position in my last two weeks of pregnancy

Anna - posted on 12/26/2009

One of my sisters twins was breech and she birthed them both vaginally with no probs. So do most women just not get the option to try? I mean cord prolapse can be an issue no matter which way the baby is lying in the womb, and the head getting stuck is normally only a problem if it is a premmie baby. Different positions that the mum gets into will help open up the pelvis more too. I dont see how they can justify slicing a woman in half if they havent given her the oportunity to try for a vaginal breech birth, and explaining that c-sect is not the ONLY option.

Denise - posted on 12/26/2009

My first child was born breech and vaginally. The doctor was pushing for a c-section, my friend who was a midwife, advised me that it was not automatically necessary, so I held out. After less than 6 hours of labour, she was born with no complications or problems. I think doctors are afraid of running into problems, so they automatically go for a c-section which they see as easier. Only problem is that csections have problems and complications of their own. I would still take my chance at delivering vaginally if I were to have another breech baby, but if it came down to an emergency and a c-section was necessary, then so be it.

Tara - posted on 12/26/2009

A lot of doctors won't allow you to deliver vaginally if the baby is breech because of the number of things that can go wrong. That said, sometimes they are able to turn the baby during labour so you can deliver vaginally, but your doctor and hospital have to be willing to make the effort. If they are willing to make the effort they will attempt to turn the baby so that you can deliver vaginally, but depending on the breech position they may be unable to turn the baby enough to deliver safely and you'd wind up with a cesarean anyway.

Sharon - posted on 12/26/2009

Breech position of an unborn baby is one of the most common reasons for doing a C-section. C-sections are done, of course, for problems, and the problem with breech babies is that the head comes out last. The reason this is a problem is that the head is the biggest part of the baby and that damage to it causes the most harm to a baby from a quality of life standpoint.
When a baby is normally head first, the entire delivery can't happen if there's a significant difference (the wrong way) in the size of the baby's head and the size of the mother's pelvis. This problem is remedied via a C-section. But the terrifying thing about these conditions in a breech baby is that the rest of the baby delivers first but the head becomes trapped inside. The cord is compressed at this point, so heroic measures are employed to get the baby's head delivered as well, no matter what. There's no difference between injury to a baby's head coming out first versus injury to a baby's head coming out last, except that there's ample warning when the baby's head leads the way. The entrapment of the aftercoming head is always a bad surprise. Even when delivery is ultimately successful, there are those who feel the children so delivered may be at risk for what are called soft neurological problems, like Attention Deficit Disorder, dyslexia, hyperactivity, and so on.

http://www.gynob.com/breechvag.htm

Sharon - posted on 12/26/2009

Risks of Vaginal Breech Delivery
While all vaginal breech deliveries involve some degree of increased risk, footling breech deliveries are the most dangerous. They are notably associated with an increased risk of:

Umbilical cord prolapse, and

Delivery of the feet through an incompletely dilated cervix, leading to arm or head entrapment.

In cephalic presentations, the head fits very well into the lower uterine segment and usually physically blocks the umbilical cord from falling out before the fetus. Umbilical cord prolapse occurs more frequently with breeches because the breech often does not fit as well into the lower uterine segment very well. The risk of prolapsed cord is somewhat increased for frank breech, increased more for complete breech, and significantly increased for footling breech.

Head entrapment occurs when the smaller body of the fetus passes through the cervix before it is completely dilated, leaving the larger fetal head trapped behind an incompletely dilated cervix. This can be a big problem, since the umbilical cord is usually occluded at that point by the head wedged into the lower uterine segment. It is more likely to occur the more premature the fetus. Younger fetuses tend to have larger heads in proportion to their torsos. At 36 weeks, the heads and torsos are approximately the same size. After 36 weeks, the proportions steadily reverse and by full term, the fetal heads are smaller than the fetal torso.

In general, vaginal breech delivery poses more risks for the fetus than cesarean section. These risks include both asphyxial injury and mechanical injury to the fetus as it is delivered. Because of these risks, some physicians deliver most or all their breech babies a by cesarean section. Other physicians will attempt vaginal breech delivery if:

He/she is experienced with vaginal breech deliveries and their complications,

The overall risk environment is low, and

The informed mother desires this over cesarean section.

It's difficult to quantify how much experience and how current that breech experience should be. Many well-trained obstetricians will deliver 100 babies a year. Of those, about 4 of them will be breech. Half of those will likely be delivered by cesarean section because of high-risk factors. One more will probably be delivered by cesarean because the mother prefers cesarean delivery. For this initially well-trained obstetrician, continuing vaginal breech delivery experience may only occur once a year. It may prove difficult for that obstetrician's skills to remain current under these circumstances.

Risk Factors
Factors that are often considered when contemplating a vaginal breech delivery include:

Size of the fetus (not too small and not too large)

Size of the maternal pelvis (the larger the better)

Previous vaginal births (more is better)

Previous vaginal breeches (more is better)

Gestational age (not too old and not too young)

Presentation (Frank breech is best, but complete breech is better than footling breech)

Position of the fetal head (flexed is good, deflexed is very bad, neutral position is in-between)

Electronic fetal monitor tracing of labor (normal is good, non-reassuring is bad).

Progress in labor (normal progress is good, slow progress is bad)

Availability of resources (immediate presence of anesthesia, OR, nursing, pediatrics, etc. is good, possibly delayed is bad)

Enthusiasm of the informed mother for vaginal breech (very enthusiastic is good, not so enthusiastic is bad)

http://www.brooksidepress.org/Products/M...

Erin - posted on 12/26/2009

I had a c-section only because he was breech, there were no other problems.

Ashley - posted on 12/26/2009

it would be cause they are just breech i almost had to have a c-section and thats what i was told but they had me push a little and he turned around in time