However, in the case of breech babies, they settle into a bottom-first or breech position. In this position, you find that the baby s bottom is down with its legs extended up towards the face. In this position, the thighs are flexed at the groin, but the legs are bent at the knees, almost as if the baby were sitting cross-legged. In this position, one or more of the feet or knees lies below the level of the buttocks of the baby, making it the part of the baby closest to the mother s vagina. A breech birth can be converted into a vertex position before the onset of labour by turning the baby manually.
Some babies are stubborn and return to the breech position even after being turned.
This is the reason doctors wait almost until term to turn the baby. If the placenta is situated low in the uterus. An ECV can be performed any time after 36 weeks. The first step is to do an ultrasound scan to check the position of the baby, the position of its limbs, the amount of amniotic fluid, the location of the placenta, and the size of the baby and the mother. All these factors have to be considered before taking the decision to go ahead.