Re positioning, my baby was extended breech (legs flexed and by the head - you can see how she came out on my profile!) and I felt hiccups down by my bikini line on the right and her head was clearly under my ribs as I could feel it when I pressed in. A nice suggestion by the midwives for why my baby was breech was that I had strong stomach muscles which were holding her tightly in place. I've spoken to some other women who were also fit and ended up with breeches for their first. It's a flattering theory, anyway! Another one I heard is that more babies are breech because we spend a lot of time sitting at computers so there is less room in our pelvises.
Meant to say that it's worth knowing where your placenta is for the ECV. Mine was anterior and it meant that the consultant couldn't really grab her head and bum properly to move her, though I guess that's not always the case.
The reason there was a move towards c-sections for breech births was because of the Term Breech Trial - the largest study into breech deliveries 7 years ago. It recommended that planned c-sections were safer than planned vaginal deliveries, and all consultants were advised to offer them for breech babies. But... the trial was revealed to be flawed for a number of reasons - more here: www.radmid.demon.co.uk/breechbanks.htm.
Although I ended up with a c-section, it's not something I'd choose if I knew I could have given birth naturally and I don't regret trying that route having found the right medical support. It is, after all, fairly major surgery and I know I'd much prefer to have been up and walking straight away after my birth. You end up in hospital for longer, on painkillers, unable to move around easily for your baby, complete with bad wind and support stockings! Having said that, it certainly has its place with breech births and is generally recommended as the safest way to deliver breech if they don't progress by themselves. And I'm recovering really well.