What Will Your Midwide Do During A Breech Birth?
If you are planning on opting for a home birth to deliver your child, then it is best to choose a midwife who can deliver the baby for you. Midwives are experienced and trained professionals who are required to go through a specialized educational program before they are allowed to practice. There are 15,000 practicing midwives in the United States. These professionals are able to help mothers through natural births, even when difficulties arise. A breech birth is one of these difficulties. If you want to know what your midwife will do if your child is considered breech, then keep reading.
Allow The Birth To Progress Normally
One of the most important things your midwife will do if you are delivering a breech baby is to make sure that the delivery progresses as naturally as possible. One reason your midwife will allow this is because studies show that a vaginal breech birth is just as safe for the mother and child as a caesarean delivery. However, this may not be the case if the midwife decides to help the child along by pulling him or her out of the vaginal canal. Limbs may be dislocated and the vaginal wall may tear. This is one reason why your midwife will monitor your delivery to make sure that contractions are strong and your baby is moving normally through the birth canal. Generally, your midwife will support your baby once the buttocks and legs are delivered. This will help to make sure that the weight of the lower body does not force the head to deliver too quickly.
If your delivery does not progress as quickly as it should, your midwife may make the decision to complete an episiotomy. This procedure involves the placement of a small incision along the back of the vaginal wall to widen it a small amount.
Prepare Breathing Tools
A breech baby may be slower to breathe on their own than a child who is delivered normally. Breech births are likely to take longer, because it is more difficult to push out the legs and buttocks than it is to force out the head. This means that it will take longer for the head to emerge, and your child will not be able to breathe until this happens. Breech birth babies are not as likely to breathe spontaneously due to this fact. Your midwife will prepare a bag and mask device to help your child with breathing difficulties if there is a need.
Your midwife will first clear the airway and try to stimulate breathing naturally. If this does not work, then a bag and mask is used. Typically, the bag and mask will only need to be used for a short time before your child starts to breathe on their own.
Visit a doctor like George L Stankevych MD or another office for more information.