choosing vaginal breech delivery

[bright0nmama]

Hi there

I'd love to hear about the experiences of women who opted for a vaginal breech delivery here in the UK.

I'm 36 weeks with my second. Was v lucky to have super straightforward (head down!) homebirth with my first. I'm weighing up all possible options for this birth. I'm booked in for an ECV next week, but not sure if I'm going to go ahead with it.

This lil fella has been v happily head up since 28 weeks and despite all my lying upside down/chiropractor/moxibustion/you name it, he hasn't budged. Maybe he's just happy and wants to come out that way.

I've done a lot of research about the risks of breech delivery both via c-section and vaginally, and I've seen a lot of wonderful stories from women who've chosen to have a c-section. It's harder to find stories of women who chose to have a vaginal delivery, and I'd love to find out more about it.

Thanks!

Thanks @bethmetal this is so great to hear. And congratulations! Are you glad you tried ECV? Would you do it again? How many weeks were you each time?

Thanks! Yes I'm glad I tried ECV - at 37 and 38 weeks. It was uncomfortable both times because DS clearly didn't want to budge (he was extended breech - apparently less likely to turn than complete/footling). But I had done my research and was happy with the low level of risk (0.5% chance of needing an immediate CS).

Ended up going through with ECV yesterday after a lot of deliberating. I decided to go ahead in the end as the midwife there happened to be the midwife who joined us for the delivery of ds1 at home 4.5 years ago. She was encouraging about trying it. And the doctor was fab. It wasn't too uncomfortable and the baby turned easily. Now I'm just waiting to see if he stays this way. Had the worst night's sleep last night as he and I both adjusted to the new position! I guess my feeling is that it really does come down to the doctor who performs the ECV -- that they know fairly quickly if it will work, and that they'll stop if it clearly won't.

Glad it went well for you :-)

Brighton - I have some vague recollection of reading that the single most important factor in the success of ECVs is the experience (personal success rate) of the consultant doing them. I hope your baby stays head down!

Beth - congratulations! It's SO important that women get to hear of positive vaginal breech birth experiences, as the more of them that happen, the more experience our medical professionals can gain in them, and the more confident they will be that they can support other women in similar situations.

Thanks for being brave enough to go for it - sounded like you were fortunate to have a good team behind you at your hospital. And thanks for sharing your story here: I'm sure it will help other mothers looking at similar decisions. ??

Yy CSLewis. Great news Brighton that the ECV was a success! From now until the birth you can make sure you are always as upright as poss, lots of walking, always sitting upright so knees are lower than hips etc