Discovering that you are carrying a baby that has decided to stay bum presenting is one of pregnancy's greatest challenges. for any woman that has decided that cesarean birth is not her preferred choice of birth, a breech baby can be devastating news. Since 1999 and the release of the Term Breech Trial vaginal birth has  been on the decline. Physicians have been refusing to offer vaginal breech birth to their expectant moms due to the findings of this study and litigation. Primary care givers of expectant women are losing the art of vaginal breech birth, therefore women are also losing out on personal choice. They are losing the choice of having an attendant knowledgeable about breech birth attend to them should they decide that vaginal birth by the breech is their desired choice of delivery.

Following are descriptions of how a vaginal breech birth is conducted by numerous attendants of vaginal breech birth. The technique ranges from physician attended care where the woman is administered epidural anesthesia and placed in stirrups for the "breech extraction" to descriptions of un-medicated mothers following their own instincts and the birth attendant having a "hands off the breech" attitude.

The Society of Obstetrician and Gynecologists of Canada no longer have a position statement or policy on management of vaginal breech delivery on their website.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists policy statement on management of vaginal breech birth  - coming soon

Birthing a Baby by the Breech -by Mary Cronk

another version of the same article, but on a web site

Mary Cronk, MBE is a well known and well respected independent midwife. During her many years of practice she has acquired a vast experience of birthing breech babies vaginally. In this article, which is an edited version of a talk which she gives to accompany her unique and revealing set of breech birth slides, she explains how babies can be born presenting by the breech.

also.........Breech Delivery vs. Breech Birth

Breech Presentation Authored by Richard Fischer, MD. This article is a fairly non-biased discussion of breech babies and methods of birth.  It also acknowledges that the art of assisting a vaginal breech birth is being lost to the advent of cesarean birth for all breech babies. A good read for all parents with a breech presenting baby.

The Best Way to Deliver a Breech Baby -

"What we're talking about here is a difference in thinking between those in private practice and those in academics."

Midwifery Today E-News Volume 1, Number 6: Breech Babies

Breech Presentations and Delivery - The Canadian Consensus on Breech Management at Term. (Adobe Acrobat reader needed)

Michael Odent's natural protocol for breech birth- an excerpt from his brook Birth Reborn

Jane O'Hare Gives a nice description of birthing breech (references included)

Birthing at Home - this is a page with some very good instructions for how to handle a breech birth, for both expectant moms and breech birth attendants.

Sarah Morning Star has a word or two to say about attending a breech birth...see it here.