Breech ELCS being cancelled last minute due to baby turning?

[Boothfrances]

Hello all,

My baby has been breech since at least 34 weeks and I have ECS booked in for 3 days time (at 39 weeks). I know this sounds completely ridiculous, but I’m now terrified that I’ll go in on the morning of the ECS and he will have turned last minute and they’ll cancel it and send me home :( Although I obviously would have preferred a natural vaginal birth overall, now that the c-section is booked in, this is what I have mentally and physically prepared for, and the thought of that now suddenly changing at the last minute is making me so anxious and unhappy. I also feel like he’s still moving around so much (the round hard lump of head/ bottom is swinging around all over the place from day to day!) so I would really worry that even if he was head down in six days time and they sent me away, that he could then flip right back again to breech!

Does anyone have any experience of this happening and if the hospital still gave them the choice to go ahead?

Thanks in advance! X

Not me but my neighbour was booked for a section due to breech and then in the day if delivery they did a quick scan and baby had turned cephalic. They refused the section and sent her home. I remember her being very upset and crying to be let to have the section and her husband was very vocal about it too. Still said no and sent her home. She had a natural delivery 8 days later.

I had an elcs and I double checked with them as I was lying on the operating table and they scanned me one last time and they said even if baby had turned I could opt to have the section still as they had the theatre ready and everything booked so I said that’s what I wanted to do. Luckily the baby hadn’t turned but I was very worried like you but they said I could definitely have stayed and still had the baby.

I know someone this happened to, baby suddenly head down on c section day. They did the section as planned but she had to sign a form to say she understood the c section was now not medically necessary and that she knew the risks.

Where I work women would be (And are) sent home in such a situation.

Can you check with your consultant what the hospital's policy is?

This happened to my friend - they did a last check just before the c section and the baby had turned. As she was all booked in and ready to go she decided just to go ahead with the c section.

Same where I work @VivaLeBeaver. Colleague of mine had a breech baby, she still was sent home when baby turned the night before.

Where I work women are given the choice of what to do but are then back of the queue if there are other ELCS booked in and they decide to go ahead with a section, and more likely to be delayed / cancelled if emergencies need theatre (we don't have a separate ELCS list and we only have one theatre for maternity)

I had this with DC2. The day before my appointment a scan showed she had finally turned. I opted for a vaginal birth rather than going with the C-section as my first birth was relatively easy and fast. DD arrived two hours after my first contraction, two weeks after the C-section was initially scheduled.

I know exactly how you feel, and I was quite relieved that DC stayed head up! I am pretty sure I was told after my failed ECV that I could still have the CS if the baby was head-down on the day. Ask your midwife/ consultant what the policy is at your hospital.