If baby is transverse do they do an ECV to get them in position? (Or I am being thick?)

[SarahScot]

My baby was breech until 27 weeks (ouch! the downwards kicks HURT), which I know is unimportant as she still had plenty of time to turn. She has now turned sideways and has been that way for 4 weeks. I'm only 31 weeks now so it's not as if I'm running out of time and I know there's still lots of time for turning.

But, because she has NEVER been head down - I know this because I've never felt a kick or movement above my belly button and my bump is very low - it's got me thinking. Is it fine to go into labour with the baby lying sideways? How do the Drs/MWs know if they'll turn head down or feet/bum down? Do they do an ECV like they would with a breech baby?

I had a successful ECV last week and it was ok. Nowhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be and it means baby is in the right position for a VB. It's worth thinking about and discussing with your midwife as the benefits seriously outweigh the very minor risks. They do like to do ECV by 37 weeks but I was 38 and it wasn't difficult.

Thanks for the answers. The idea of an ECV scares me. I'm not basing this on any medical evidence, but I feel that babies stay in the 'wrong' position for a reason - i.e. short cord, cord wrapped round them. Am I being paranoid? I'm pretty easy-going about most aspects of pregnancy and birth, but for some reason my head tells me I'd rather have an ELCS than an ECV. Does anyone know of any actual stats or figures based on research? Might help seen as I'm making these fears up in my head!

I was worried about that but apparently if the baby is in wrong position for a good reason, then it just won't be turned.

Apparently 37% of first time babies who are breech are successfully turned by ECV and the figure is higher for subsequent pregnancies as there is more room in the uterus. Only 3-4% of babies are eventually born breech.

They prep you as if you were going in for a c-section just in case but the risk of adverse consequences is less than 1%.

My consultant told me the success rate was 50% and that particular day, he did 3 successful procedures.

Do you want anymore info on how the procedure actually works? I was dreading it and thought it would be really painful but it wasn't too bad. I think the worst pain was from the injection of muscle relaxant and the pressure of the consultant's thumb on my abdomen.

Thanks gallicgirl. How does it actually work? Any pressing on my bump is really sore at the moment so I imagine it'd be really painful?

I don't know why I'm thinking about it so much, baby has weeks left to turn on her own!

I'm 36 weeks & this baby has been breech and transverse as well as head down. ECV will take place if this continues but midwife told me to get onto all fours with my arms / head closer to floor level so that your head is lower than your pelvis. Just a few minutes in this position with a bit of rocking REALLY works in getting baby head down! It will probably just creep back at some point but just get back into that position again! I never thought it would work so effectively but it really does (with this one anyway!) I'm trying to train it! Might be worth trying, especially as you get closer to 35/36 weeks. Good luck!

They string you up by your ankles and beat you with a stick like a Mexican pinata until that baby turns

I'm kidding, really.

First of all baby is monitored for 30 minutes to check it's not distressed. Then the consultant will do a scan to check position again and you'll be given an injection to relax uterus muscles. You're on a bed and they tilt your head lower than your hips. The consultant doesn't press on bump but on the area just above your bikini line. They are basically trying to get the baby out of your pelvis so it can be turned. The consultant keeps up pressure on the lower abdomen and uses other hand to manipulate baby around. I couldn't see this - just felt it. Like I said, the worst bit was the pressure of consultant's thumb making sure baby didn't slip back into pelvis. They use gravity to slip baby around to right position.

I didn't even feel her turn so when I was put upright after about 10 minutes, I really thought it hadn't worked. The consultant did a scan again to check in right position and then left. Baby is monitored again for 30 minutes to check ok and I was given something to eat and drink. Oh yeah, I forgot that you can't have any food or drink for 6 hours beforehand.

They give you a couple of tablets to take at home the night before, which prevent bile and sickness in case you have to go to surgery. They also put in a canula I think it's called, again just so they can give you drugs quickly if you do need an EMCS. It's like a little tube in your hand.

I'd follow Earlgrey's advice and try to use natural methods while tehre is still time for your baby to move by itself. There is a website called spinning babies I think which someone recommended on another thread here.

Good luck.

Thank you for all the great information. Will try doing what Earlgray described.

look at www.spinningbabies.com if you haven't already

Hi there,
My baby was transverse from 20 weeks and I never felt any kicks above my belly button till around 31 weeks when she went breech. At 36 weeks (Christmas got in the way) I had an ECV. We only used 1 of our 3 tries but we were only given a 30% chance of it working. To me after the first attempt it was obvious she wasn't moving. We had an ELCS last week and now our little girl is one week old! Please don't worry too much, I think these things happen for a reason. If you have the ECV and it works, great, if you don't have it, or baby doesn't turn when you do, you can make plans for the CS. I had a really lovely experience because it was all planned and it wasn't an emergency, if that makes sense.
Good luck!

My baby was breech and I tried the ECV, I also tried everything else possible - inverted positions from www.spinningbabies.com, putting frozen peas on the babies head (I didn't enjoy that but I don't think the baby cared!), I even tried homeopathy and moxibustion which I think are absolute nonsense but I was desperate. I did find the ECV pretty painful, DD was very low and engaged in my pelvis (with her bum ) so the registrar had to jab quite hard behind my pelvic bone to try to get her out, then the pressure of him pushing to turn her was really painful. I don' think his bedside manner helped though, he talked very very quickly and there was a student watching too. Then the female consultant had a go, and it was nowhere near as painful when she tried, and she decided that the baby didn't want to turn. So I had ELCS in the end whchi was fine once I'd adjusted to the idea. One thing, when they give you the injection to make your muscles relax for ECV it can make your heart race too - no-one told me this and I was starting to get worried as my heart was racing and I'd been left alone with DH for 30 mins. When I had the ELCS I asked the surgeon if he could see any reason why DD was breech, but he couldn't. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Feel better having read these experiences. Am 36+3 and going back to the consultant next week to review dd's position. She has been transverse/oblique since dot. Will try the ECV but if i can't deal with the pain I will ask them to stop and go for EC-sec. Really wanted a last try for a waterbirth as my previous two didn't allow but get the feeling I am destined to be a landlubber as far as childbirth goes. Thanks for everyone's posts.

Feel better having read these experiences. Am 36+3 and going back to the consultant next week to review dd's position. She has been transverse/oblique since dot. Will try the ECV but if i can't deal with the pain I will ask them to stop and go for EC-sec. Really wanted a last try for a waterbirth as my previous two didn't allow but get the feeling I am destined to be a landlubber as far as childbirth goes. Thanks for everyone's posts.

Don't give up just yet! My DC4 (due yesterday, still waiting), was breech at 36 weeks, ECV at 37+4 weeks was unsuccessful (even tho I had a successful one with DD2 at 38 week.) ECV not as bad as you might think and you can ask them to stop at any time.

I went for acupuncture at 38+1, didn't hurt at all and was actually quite relaxing.

At 39 weeks, still breech, went in for ELCS at 39+1, I actually got into the operating theatre, hosp gown, support stockings all prepped, last minute scan showed baby to be head down! Gobsmacked was not the word!

Hence we're still waiting, and he's still head down (fingers crossed!).

Good luck, hope all goes well.