Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

Whereas the normal position for birth of a baby is head first, it can happen in a significant proportion of cases that the baby is in breech position at the time of birth; i.e. buttocks or feet first.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have laid down a number of factors that may impact the position of the baby and determine whether the baby is in breech position or not:

• When a mother is carrying multiple fetuses,  breech babies are more likely
• If there is an imbalance of amniotic fluid; either too much or too little of the amniotic fluid present in the uterus, also the feet or buttocks may be poised to emerge first
• The risk also rises when the baby is preterm or premature. It is a significant statistic that 25% of fetuses are in the breech position at 32 weeks gestation; this drops to three percent at term so sometimes a breech may result simply because the baby has not had time to get into position.
• Placenta previa, where the placenta partially or completely block s the birth canal is another factor
• A prior pregnancy is also thought to be a factor. Some experts also believe that a prior C section could increase the risk of a baby being in breech position.

Source: Medicine Net