The extended OptiBreech team is pleased to announce a new publication.
Ceclia Gray and Ritika Roy (joint first authors) lead a systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis of women’s experiences of seeking to plan a vaginal breech birth. Gray and Roy are King’s College London medical students who were funded to undertake this work by King’s Undergraduate Research Fellowships.
Women seeking to plan a VBB feel vulnerable and wish to connect with capable and confident healthcare providers. To meet their needs, services should be designed so that they can connect with clinicians who are willing and able to support their autonomy. Services should also seek to limit their exposure to disrespectful and judgemental interactions with healthcare providers.
Gray and Roy were joined by service user co-researcher Charlene Akyiaa Prempeh-Bonsu, who planned a vaginal breech birth in the NHS herself within the past five years. Prempeh-Bonsu contributed to data analysis with support and reflective discussions. She helped to ensure the work reflected the needs and interests of the population being described.
The work was supervised by Dr Shawn Walker.
Roy R, Gray C, Prempeh-Bonsu CA and Walker S. What are women’s experiences of seeking to plan a vaginal breech birth? A systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]. NIHR Open Res 2023, 3:4 (https://doi.org/10.3310/nihropenres.13329.1)
What has your experience been? Have you planned (or tried to plan) a vaginal breech birth within the UK NHS? We invite you to leave a comment below. Please let us know if you gave birth within an OptiBreech site, or not.
The OptiBreech Project 
Working as a doula w refugee women in hostel accommodation when a baby is breech at 36 weeks, despite having had other straightforward vaginal births, the women are always booked for elective c sections. No other option has ever been offered. I work in Lewisham, kings, St Thomas, Croydon UCH’ and St George’s. I had 3 vaginal breeches ( in the 1990s) and had to pay an independent midwife to be able to have.
A ‘ trial of Labour’ as the consultant referred to it.
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Oh Sophie! That is awful. We just submitted our pilot trial data as well. I look forward to sharing that because it is clear that VBB is a choice for non-white-British women too. It is such a shame this choice is not being offered.
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