At 28 weeks of pregnancy, about 1 in 4 babies is breech, or head up in the abdomen instead of head down in the pelvis. And they usually start to figure out they're not going to fit well that way as the pregnancy continues. By 32 weeks, only 7-14% of babies are breech and by full-term, or 37 weeks, only 3-4% of babies are breech. Now, of the babies that are breech at full-term, whether or not they'll turn before you deliver is a good question. It's hard to say for sure. Now, sometimes babies do spontaneously turn on their own but there are a few different things that would go into whether or not this is likely or not. For example, if you are having your first baby, your uterus isn't nearly as stretchy because it's never been pregnant before. So a baby doesn't have as much ability to move around inside the uterus. But if this is your fifth baby, your uterus is super stretchy from being stretched out during each pregnancy prior to this one. So a baby has more ability to flip and move further on into the pregnancy. There's a lot of different things that go into it. I recommend talking to your doctor about what their plan is for delivery. Chances are, if your baby is breech, the doctor's planning on a C-section because vaginal delivery for breech babies is not considered safe in most situations. Now, there is something called a version. This is where your doctor brings you into a hospital setting. Sometimes it's done under epidural anesthesia because it can be painful once you're, like, 39-40 weeks. The doctor puts a whole bunch of goo on your belly and tries to manipulate the baby so that they are now head down in your pelvis. Sometimes this is successful and sometimes it's not and it can pose a risk to the baby. There are reasons why it wouldn't even be a good idea to try in the first place. Like, if the placenta's in the way or the umbilical cord's around the baby's neck or something, it's not a good idea to try it. So you can talk to your doctor about whether or not this is an option for you and based on their knowledge of your pregnancy history and perhaps an exam like an ultrasound, they can decide if you would be a good candidate and if so, talk to you in more detail about it. Chances are, though, it boils down to the fact that if your baby is head up or breech and you're full-term and this is your first baby, chances of your baby flipping spontaneously are not great. But again, talk to your doctor in more detail because they know more about your situation. If you have any other questions for me in the future, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at facebook.com/intermountainmoms and recommend us to your friends and family, too.
