External cephalic version

External cephalic version is a process by which a breech babycan sometimes be turned from buttocks or foot first to head first. It should only be attempted from 34 weeks on and often times is reserved for later due to the fact that breech presentation greatly decreases with every week.

In this procedure hands are placed on the mother's abdomenaround the baby. The baby is moved up and away from the pelvisand gently turned in several steps from breech, to a sideways position, and finally to a head first presentation. In any attempt to move the baby the fetus should be encouraged to keep its knees pulled in so as not to further complicate things.

As with any procedure there can be complications most of which can be greatly decreased by having an experienced professional on your birth team. An ultrasoundto estimate a sufficient amount of umbilical cord and monitoring of the fetus immediately after the procedure can also help minimize risks.

There are a few cases in which there can be a greater risk, these include Pre-eclampsia, uterine scarring, and multiple pregnancies or fetal abnormality.

External links

• American Family Physician article

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It uses material from the Wikipedia article External cephalic version.