ECV on extended breech at 38 weeks - my experience

[luize6]

Hi, I just wanted to share my ECV experience as I found it helpful to read others before I went through the procedure.
2nd pregnancy, midwife felt baby was breech at 36 week appt, referred for a confirmation scan the following week which confirmed extended (frank) breech. met with a doctor at 37 weeks to discuss options and whilst there are risks to an ECV they're very small so I agreed. procedure booked for 38+3 weeks...nil by mouth for 6 hours before as they treat you as an admission in case an emergency cs is needed. mine and the babies heart rates were monitored for a hour, consultant then performed scan to confirm position. I was then given an injection in my arm which is a muscle relaxant to relax your uterus. I felt a little jittery after 10 minutes but it's normal. consultant then laid me flat and covered my belly in gel to prevent friction. she then used her hands to push baby round to head down position. I'll be honest, I've read this was uncomfortable and others said really painful...I think it depends on your pain tolerance but I found it uncomfortable verging on pain but nowhere near painful to stop. I actually felt him pop into my pelvis which was weird. It took around 3 minutes all in which is amazing. We were thrn monitored for a hour, fed and monitored another 30 minutes before being discharged. I slept amazing after it, probably because I don't have a leg poking out of my side and a head in my ribs!! The consultant had a 100% success rate that date from 2 ecvs...I think the likelihood is based on their skill so don't be afraid to ask and challenge if you want someone more experienced. my tummy was a little sore the next day but otherwise felt great. I would definately do it again if I needed to, a lot of previous posts make it sound horrific and it really isn't...just relax and breath through it, definately worth it for the chance to avoid a c section.