If the pregnancy has reached term we still need to consider whether there is any reason why this baby is presenting by the breech. Placenta praevia is a possibility. Women with this condition do not always bleed antenatally, and this possibility is an occasion where selective ultrasound is of considerable value, as it can identify a placenta praevia, or other objects in the pelvis, such as fibroids or ovarian cysts which would make caesarean section advisable. There may be a bi-cornuate uterus - a uterus which is divided. This condition does not necessarily exclude a vaginal birth, it will depend on the degree.
A midwife will also be considering whether the baby has a problem. Fetal anomalies such as hydrocephaly and conditions involving generalised laxity, for example, brittle bone disease, can lead to a breech presentation and these conditions should be excluded if possible.
A normal breech birth
Having excluded the above complications, the "normal" woman who at term has a baby in a breech position which shows no inclination to turn can, I believe be born easily and spontaneously, if the labour proceeds spontaneously and easily. Just like a cephalic presentation (head down), if the labour progresses and all is well, the woman is supported and cared for, the baby will be born. There is one major difference. Where in a cephalic presentation, labour is incoordinate, or lacks progress, augmentation is occasionally justified. I do not believe that there is any place for induction or augmentation in a breech labour.
If a breech labour does not progress, this woman's body is telling us something, and we should listen. There is no emergency, there is no rush, this labour just isn't progressing, and this baby should be delivered by caesarean operation.