Tell me about your ECV!

[NCPuffin]

Had a scan on Wednesday (36+5) which showed our baby is footling breech (an improvement after being transverse the week before, but not great considering it had been head down from 30 weeks). I'm booked to have an ECV next Wednesday (37+5). I've been told it's very safe and have done my own research which confirms this. I was told there is a 1 in 2 success rate, but have also read it's only 40% for first time mothers. I was just wondering what other people's experiences were. On YouTube I could only find videos showing successful ECVs. I'm 33, will be 37+5 with my first baby, I am high risk due to high BMI and I'm about 5'5". Would love to hear from you!

I declined mine, but went with a friend to hers. She said it was more painful than she expected and the Dr was really putting her back in to it, broke a sweat! She was scanned first to check position and cord length, which I found reassuring. The pain stopped when the procedure stopped. The Dr said afterwards that the more painful it is, the less likely it is to be successful, and my friends wasn't. Baby is fine. The Dr tried 3 times.

Crikey! Not sure I'd go for three attempts, although guidelines say 4 is the maximum. Did she have her baby by caesarean in the end? And did you? I really don't want a caesarean, but there is no way I'll be attempting a footling breech vaginal delivery, even though my trust now lets women do that.

It was 3 times in the same appointment, not 3 separate appointments. Looked like hard work for the doctor and they declared him 'stuck' (in that position!). She did have a section in the end.

Mine turned the day before I went in to labour (I think it's what set labour off actually), but the labour was so horrific I've opted for a section this time!

Oof! I think I'd want separate appointments, especially if it's that painful! I think it's extremely rare for breech babies to turn by themselves at term. Shame the labour was still so difficult for you - the RCOG do say that there are more risks of interventions in labour with a baby that has only recently gone head down, but not much we can do about that! Good luck for your caesarean, do you have a date for it?

I had an ECV at 37+3, second baby, it worked but hurt quite a lot. Afterwards baby wasn’t happy so they were wondering about EMCS but she settled and I got my home water birth at 40+6.
Consultant said I would have been her 3rd EMCS in 10 years so reckon she was pretty competent. My NHS trust are happy to do breech vaginal too but I preferred to try the ECV first. Oh and I had the toe rubbing acupressure thing the day before as part of a pregnancy massage!
Baby is now 2.5 years and doing great. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing. All the official stuff by the RCOG etc says most women think it's fine... The doctor I spoke to said neither she nor any of her colleagues had ever had to do an emergency caesarean (would it be under GA?) after an ECV, so it does seem like a small risk. I've asked for extra monitoring as I am extremely anxious and my anxiety is focusing on the baby's movements. Instead of longer monitoring on the day, I think I'm going to ask for extra monitoring in th days following it. Do you happen to know if they also do monitoring afterwards if the ECV was not successful?

@sandstormbrewing out of interest, why did you decline?

I wasn't happy with the risks. I felt the risks of c section were better known, more quantifiable and easier to calculate for my circumstances. Whereas with an ecv you had the risks of the procedure itself which are difficult to be specific about in one person Vs another and are more general rusks and then you have the risks of a vaginal birth which again are less easily quantifiable to a specific person.

It's also the reason I'm going for a section this time-consuming known risk Vs unknown risk!

And yes, my friend was monitored after. I have to say, for her it was a positive experience and she's glad she tried, she'd do it again.

I had one at 38 weeks, completely successful, was like a 4 minute contraction, gas & air helped and I was determined not to have a section so was sticking it out no matter what, ended up bruised and had a friction burn but once baby turns it’s just like a pop and pain free immediately x good luck

I refused to have this procedure and managed to turn my baby by hanging upside down over a massive bouncy ball. It felt very odd when she flipped.

Just remembered, I went back the two days following ECV for monitoring; the staff hooked me up for an hour and let me go when they were happy her heart rate was steady and she had moved around a bit

My breech baby turned by himself at 37 weeks. Had a scan and was booked the following week for an ecv but I spent the intervening few days doing the exercises on the spinning babies website. Didn't fee any big movements so went in for the ECV but to my amazement, the scan confirmed he'd flipped round! Worth a try, basically it's lots of movements to give the baby room to shift down if they are engaged (I remember crawling around the house!) and space to move.

I had one with 3rd baby. I was given a relaxant then tipped up so my feet were above my head on the bed. The relaxant drug made my heart race which was a weird feeling. The dr really did have to work hard but he deemed the procedure successful. I went into natural labour but baby was stuck. I ended up with emcs. She was in the wrong position. My labour was very different to the other 2. I felt out of control and I demanded an epidural which I hadn’t needed with the others. My baby ended up with a cephalohaematoma (sorry I can’t remember how to spell that!) which is a fluid build up between her scalp and skull. Like a giant blister! It was harmless and dispersed but not until she was about 6 months old. All in all I wish I’d gone for the planned cabin the first place!

Planned CS obviously. Not planned cabin!

Hi! Have just come back from my ECV. Unfortunately it wasn't successful, they could get the baby almost transverse but then it would flip back. I found it extremely uncomfortable! It's hard to explain, but it just felt completely "wrong", like it went against what was right for my body. It didn't help that the relaxant had made me all shakey and they didn't get round to me until 1pm so I was absolutely starving! I felt like they were pushing everything out of my tummy, making me shake really badly. Ifeel quite bruised and wouldn't be surprised if I had a friction burn too! The doctor thought it was extremely unlikely another attempt would work. I have opted for a caesarean, as the risks to the baby are smaller with that than with a vaginal delivery in my case. Everyone was absolutely lovely to me, but it just wasn't going to happen - I don't think it was down to anyone's (lack of) willpower - except maybe the baby's!