c-section for breech presentation

[gdk]

i was wondering what some people's experience was on how common it is for c-section with breech presentation. at the practice where my wife goes, it sounds automatic. i'm entering med school this fall and i guess watching my wife's cs will be my first surgery experience. they discovered the breech presentation at about 38 weeks.

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[IdiotBoxen]

It's not automatic where I work, as such... but i'd say that roughly 80-90% of breech presentations do get a c-section. The rest of them get assisted breech vaginal delivery. With some patients we do ECV, but, only after more extensive ultrasound studies. I personally am not fond of doing ECV's... I think c-section is a superior and safer way of delivery for the vast majority of patients who have breech presentation.

Some patients do ask us to do assisted vaginal delivery, and that's ok with me. About half of them end up getting a c-section in the end anyway...

 

[heatherkmd]

Well, I am just a pre-md but have two children and both were breech and both were c-sec so at my obgyn's it seems automatic, they did try the turning method but to no avail~ good luck with delivery~ how exciting!

Heather

 

[neilc]

at my school about 10% or so go to vag delivery. depends on things like the size of the baby and mom, what resident and attending are on the case, etc...but, unless there is a reason to believe that it will be easy to deliver vaginally, it goes to c/s. i would think that in the states they are even more likely to section mom simply due to liability issues. better safe than sorry.

 

[gdk]

thanks for the interesting feedback. the csection went off without a hitch. mom and daughter are doing well and we were back home in 3 days. i start at mcg in less than a week and they'll move over from atlanta in a couple months. man, that surgery was something else. i wanted to watch, but also wanted to try to comfort the mrs. so i went back and forth from watching over the curtain to trying to give reassurance.

 

[IdiotBoxen]

I'm glad it went well for you and that mum/baby are ok.