Not enough evidence to say if helping a breech baby to be born in one pushing contraction following the birth of the baby's umbilicus (navel) is of benefit.
Babies normally present head first during labour (called vertex presentation). Breech presentation is when the baby is coming bottom first, and this happens in about 4% of pregnancies. Breech babies have a higher incidence of problems during birth than babies coming head first. There is debate about whether it might be helpful for a breech baby during labour to be born quickly, that is in one pushing contraction once the umbilicus (navel) has been born. This is to try to avoid a possible shortage of oxygen for the baby once the cord is being compressed. The problem in trying to enable a fast birth is that there may be trauma or damage to the baby or the mother, or both. The review looked for trials which assessed a quick (or expedited) birth compared with the usual care. No good quality trials were identified. Hence, there is not enough evidence to support the intervention of helping a breech baby to be born in one pushing contraction following the birth of the baby's umbilicus.