Back to Your pregnancy and baby guide. If your baby is lying bottom or feet first, they are in the breech position. If the baby is close to being born, it may be safer for you to have a vaginal breech birth. This is because of the very small risk of the umbilical cord coming out of your womb before your baby is born cord prolapse. But, if your baby is still in the transverse position when you approach your due date or by the time labour begins, you'll most likely be advised to have a caesarean section.
Sometimes, the baby is in a bottom-first or feet-first position. This is called a breech birth or breech baby. Babies can be breech early in pregnancy. Most of them turn on their own to be headfirst by the time of delivery. As you get closer to your due date, your doctor will be able to tell if your baby is breech. They can check by a physical exam, ultrasound, or both.
When your baby is bottom or feet first in the womb, they are in a breech position. This is common in early pregnancy. The ideal position for birth is head-first. Around three to four babies in every remain breech. Complete or flexed breech describes a baby that is bottom first with their knees bent and their thighs against their tummy and chest.
In the last weeks of pregnancy, a fetus usually moves so his or her head is positioned to come out of the vagina first during birth. This is called a vertex presentation. It is not always known why a fetus is breech. Some factors that may contribute to a fetus being in a breech presentation include the following:.