C-sections Safest For Breech Births

An international study led by a U of T researcher has concluded that planning a caesarean section is the safest way to give birth to breech babies. The study, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, looked at outcomes for babies and mothers in breech deliveries, comparing planned c-sections with planned vaginal births. Death or serious problems in the babies occurred three times less often in the planned caesarean section group; only 1.6 per cent of the caesarean babies were adversely affected in the six-week period after birth compared with five per cent for the vaginal birth group, says the study’s principal investigator, Professor Mary Hannah of obstetrics and gynecology.