As reported by Midwifery Today: The Heart & Science of Birth
In June of this year, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) released updated clinical practice guidelines for the vaginal birth of a breech presentation. After a review of available research comparing outcomes of breech birth via the vaginal route with breech birth via c-section, the society's Maternal Fetal Medicine Committee reached the conclusion (among others) that "[c]areful case selection and labor management in a modern obstetrical setting may achieve a level of safety similar to elective Cesarean section."
For Canadian women and their doctors, this means that the c-section is no longer the default standard of practice for breech births in hospital settings. Could this lead to changes in the way breech presentations are handled in the US?
Read the updated guidelines in full at: http://www.sogc.org/
— Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, "Vaginal Delivery of Breech Presentation," June 2009
I don't think this will change anything because most doctors today simply do not know how to facilitate breech births. They are scared of breeches, whereas they may perform several c-sections every day and consider them to be safe and easy.
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