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Birth Presentations and Delivery
A Guide for Baby's Arrival
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
Judith Turner, a stay-at-home mother from Sandy, Utah, says, "My fifth baby was breech until a week before he was born – at 37 weeks. The plan was to either try to turn him when I went into labor or to try a vaginal breech delivery at the hospital instead of the birthing center. We discovered the previous day at an ultrasound that he had already flipped."
In the category of breech births, there are several positions a baby could take. These include Frank breech, complete breech, incomplete breech, footling and double footling. In the position of Frank breech, the baby is in a "V" position. The buttocks and pelvis are in the birth canal but the legs are flexed up over the baby's body. Complete breech is when the baby is sitting "Indian style," and incomplete breech is when the baby is sitting "Indian style" with one of the legs or feet dangling down. A footling position is when one of the feet is extended down toward the birth canal, and double footling is when both feet are extended down so that the first thing into the birth canal is the feet.
A compound presentation occurs when more than one part of the baby enters the pelvic outlet or birth canal at the same time. The most common compound presentation is the hand or arm alongside the head. The risk with a compound presentation is related to the size of the pelvis. If the pelvis is able to compensate for the extra room needed for a compound presentation, the doctor may allow the birth to occur naturally. However, if the cervix and pelvis are not able to compensate, an episiotomy – or a Cesarean section in extreme or emergency situations – may be performed.
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