No no no no no.

I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was, when my friend in midwife school told me that student doctors and student midwives in the US are no longer taught how to deliver vaginal breech births. It is assumed from the start that a diagnosed breech should be delivered by caesarian. And if you have an undiagnosed breech, they'll rush you to an emergency caesarian if they have time, and if they don't -- you may well be in a dangerous situation, because there may not be anyone around who knows how to handle this. Even though someone who has been taught the appropriate skills could handle it just fine.

Since she won't get it in school, my friend is planning to travel somewhere else where she can learn how to do it -- but even if she gets enough practice to feel confident, she probably won't be able to get malpractice insurance without promising she'll require a caesarian for breeches. There are no words for how wrong that is.

Lots of research to do about the midwives and doctors in this area. I have heard there are a lot of good resources out there, and separately I've heard that things are a mess. Except for the whole travelling to Tennessee bit, The Farm is sounding better all the time.