![]() How can you tell if your baby is in a breech position?Īs your due date nears, your doctor or midwife will determine your baby's position by feeling the outside of your abdomen and uterus - the term used to describe this series of abdominal palpations is Leopold maneuvers. Data shows that smoking during pregnancy may up the risk of a breech baby. Having an abnormally short umbilical cord may also limit your baby’s movement. Fetal abnormalities. Very rarely, a problem with the baby’s muscular or central nervous system can cause a breech presentation.Trusted Source National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine Maternal and paternal contribution to intergenerational recurrence of breech delivery: population based cohort study See All Sources If so, there’s a higher chance your own baby will be breech, according to some research. The earlier your baby is born, the higher the chance she’ll be breech: About 25 percent of babies are breech at 28 weeks, but only 3 percent or so are breech at term. If you've had a previous breech baby, you run a somewhat higher chance of subsequent babies turning out breech as well. If you’re pregnant with multiples, one or more of the babies may not be able to get in the head-down position since there’s less space to move around. Not enough fluid makes it difficult for your baby to “swim” around, while too much means she has too much space and can flip between breech and a head-down position. Too little or too much amniotic fluid can also cause a breech position. If your placenta is low-lying ( placenta previa), covers the cervix or is located up near the top of your uterine wall but blocking the space near your baby’s head, she may not be able to wiggle her way into a downward position. As a result, your baby may not have enough space to flip and exit head down. You may have an abnormality from birth or develop one later due to scar tissue from surgery (including a C-section), fibroids or a severe uterine infection. Usually the uterus looks like a hollow, upside-down pear - but in some women it’s a different shape, often detected by a pelvic exam or ultrasound before or during pregnancy. Trusted Source American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists If Your Baby Is Breech See All Sources Keep in mind, however, that most of the time, none of these risk factors are present and your baby just ends up with her little butt down. What causes a baby to be breech?Īlthough doctors sometimes can’t determine why a baby winds up in a breech position, there are some possible conditions that contribute to this outcome. Footling breech: Your baby is head-up with one or both feet hanging down (meaning she’d come out feet-first if delivered vaginally).Complete breech: In this position, baby's head is up and her buttocks are down with both hips and knees flexed - so now imagine she's tucked into a little ball.Frank breech: This is the most common breech position, with your baby’s bottom down, her hips flexed with legs pointing upward and her feet near her head - as if she were in "V" pike position.Your baby on board could be in a number of different breech positions, such as the following: ![]() Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Fetal presentation before birth See All Sources What are the different types of breech positions? This is instead of the coveted vertex presentation, which means positioned vertically in utero with her bottom up so she can exit your vagina head first. What does it mean if a baby is breech?Ī breech position is when baby’s buttocks, feet or both are poised to come out of the vagina first during birth. Fortunately, there are steps you and your doctor can take to change direction before you go into labor.įor some help understanding what breech means, including each type of breech position and whether turning your baby is possible before you deliver, read on. ![]() But if your full-term baby stays in breech position come delivery day, a vaginal birth can be difficult and maybe impossible. Some babies don’t let on what end will ultimately be up until just before birth.
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