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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

ECV- Is it very painful?

19 replies

Glammama · 06/02/2008 17:12

I'm booked to have an External Cephalic Version next Wednesday when I'll be 36+6 weeks. And I'm scared. This will be my 2nd child but first breech presentation. Any experiences of this gladly received. Because of traumatic first birth a big part of me wants to just ask at this point for an elective CS.

OP posts:

widgetsmummy · 06/02/2008 17:43

Glam - got no advice but wanted to bump this for you. Hope someone can reassure you x

Tamum · 06/02/2008 17:45

It varies enormously to be honest- I found it very painful (although over pretty quickly) but it's been discussed on here lots in the past and most people seemed to find it no more than mildly uncomfortable. I think in my case dd was stuck so fast that nothing would have budged her and that's why it hurt. I have the same history as you by the way- it was my second and the first birth was grim. I had an elective in the end, but I am glad I tried the ECV I think.

Original poster

Glammama · 06/02/2008 18:05

Thank you for your replies. I've heard that some women have been given gas and air so I'm going to ask for that. Good to hear your experiences, Tamum but sorry to hear your first birth was traumatic too. I have a feeling this one is stuck fast as well but I guess we'll have to wait and see. I also read that intervention in vaginal births is slightly higher after successful ECV. Really don't want to go there!

OP posts:

Tamum · 06/02/2008 18:15

Good luck with it I wouldn't have admitted that it was painful except that I was totally unprepared for it to be so, I knew nothing about it, and I think I would have coped a lot better if it hadn't been such a shock. All's well that ends well though- she's a strapping healthy 9 year old now

ArrietyClock · 06/02/2008 18:23

I've had one two and while I can't say it was painful, it certainly was very uncomfortable - I've likened it to being in the middle of a rugby scrum. Dh says it looked as if the Dr was wrestling with a cat in a bag. I'd say if/when you have had enough, say so. I think I let the Dr try for too long. Dd was stuck fast. But they say there's more chance of it working with a second.

ArrietyClock · 06/02/2008 18:25

TWO??? Too!

Didn't get much sleep last night. Can you tell???

frogs · 06/02/2008 18:25

I had a successful ECV with dd2 (3rd pg). It is significantly more likely to be successful in a 2nd or subsequent pregnancy. Do find out what your hospital's experience is -- mine reckone they did a couple of ECVs a week, and the last time they's had to do an emergency CS as a result had been 4 or 5 years ago. Which seemed like good odds to me.

I had a completely normal vaginal birth after the ECV, so completely glad I did it. Also over very quickly.

Def worth trying, I think - any discomfort wears off much quicker than a CS would.

hth

gomez · 06/02/2008 18:26

I found it very painful TBH - but over very quickly as it became clear DD wasn't for moving. We actually watched her swing round a wee bit and then spring back into her previous (presumably comfy position).

She was born with a ridge on the back of her head where she had been stuck under my ribcage and her legs stayed up behind her ears for weeks so don't think there was much chance to be fair .

Am still glad I tried thou'.

Good Luck

jamkan · 06/02/2008 18:32

I'm 38 and half weeks and was booked in for an ECV yesterday after they found out I was breech (third preg) last Friday. After reading some posts on here I was really anxious about the ECV and when a friend suggested giving moxibustion a go I thought what the heck. I went on Saturday and took the sticks home over the weekend to carry on with it. Amazingly when I turned up for my ECV yesterday the scan showed that the baby had turned on its own. The midwife was amazed and I was seriously relieved. After having success with this I would recommend it to anyone if you can afford it.

Original poster

Glammama · 06/02/2008 18:40

Thanks for all your replies. I may try the mmoxibustion but I really need all my spare pennies for a carpet

I think checking the hospital's record is a good idea. It's the very busy Royal London in the East End of London so I'm presuming they do a lot of these.

Anyway, forewarned is forearmed as they say, into the scrum I charge..

OP posts:

Trolleydolly71 · 06/02/2008 18:40

Message withdrawn

DforDiva · 06/02/2008 18:40

Hi,
I had ECV with dd when 37 weeks. I had injection, but it still felt weird, not as much as contraction pain though. I was glad they offered me ECV, in some hospitals they dont do ECV due to its highly skilled, experienced medical pro.
I was told to tell them stop if i wabt to. I had good experience and dd turned after tried 3 times.
Good luck

GrapefruitMoon · 06/02/2008 18:43

I had ECV with my third and found it an uncomfortable sensation but not painful.

Good luck with whatever you decide....

Original poster

Glammama · 06/02/2008 18:49

Trolleydolly, that's a good point. My midwife is due to ring me tomorrow so I will have a word with her. I do feel quite strongly that I'd like a CS now and I came to that decision after many hours of research into the pros and cons. I can't help feeling that nature has decided that perhaps this time mother and baby could be spared unnecessary distress by avoiding the panic of a medically accelerated birth. Hence LO sitting up facing my spine, feet stamping on bladder

Lots of positive stories though from people on here, much appreciated. x

OP posts:

evenhope · 06/02/2008 19:00

Mine was excruciating. Even the gas and air didn't touch it. This was my fifth baby so should have been easy (no stomach muscles ) but she was wedged in tight.

As it turned out her back was to my back as well so in retrospect I was glad not to suffer a vaginal delivery

LittleMy34 · 06/02/2008 19:08

hi there,

just wanted to add my comments - we had an ECV with DS1 and he went over easy as pie, not even uncomfortable. It did make me wonder whether he was ready to turn over anyway and might have done it by himself if left to his own devices.

but then he had to be induced as we went 17 days overdue, and in the end was an emergency CS as his head wasn't positioned correctly and he got stuck. So I still wonder whether if we'd left him alone he might have turned over by himself AND got it right!

but the doctor was great, she said tell me as soon as it hurts and I'll stop, so you can just say STOP at any moment.

HTH

BetsyBoop · 06/02/2008 22:11

DD (my first) was breech & I had ECV at 37wks. It was mildly uncomfortable (TBH no worse than say turning over in bed by that point) & over really quickly. The cons actually said "that was far too easy, I've never had one turn back to breech before, but this might be my first") - he was right DD turned back breech 2 days later! She turned head down under her own steam at 38+6 & was born at 39+4 weighing 8lb8.5oz, so it's not like she was little, but she seemed to manage to find the space to move around Ended up with an em c/s - long story - so didn't manage to avoid the c/s anyway...

The cons did say to me he would stop at any time if I asked & in any case not try for longer than 5mins, if they are going to move it generally doesn't take long.

It's worth asking about the experience & success rate of whoever is doing it, my cons had done loads & had a 80+% success rate. It's the sort of thing you need to do fairly often to keep your hand in, so to speak.

The worst bit was no food & drink all morning (my ECV was booked for 12) - they starve you just in case (very small chance) they may need to do an em c/s if the baby gets distressed.

rdk · 06/02/2008 22:39

sorry to sound daft but can anyone tell me how they do a ECV, my babys breech but im only 29+ wks so hopefully time to turn yet.just wanted to understand it a bit if i have to have it.

LittleMy34 · 07/02/2008 08:22

The way it happened for me was that they scanned the baby to make sure of where he was, and then they put a heart monitor on so they could hear if he was in any distress. Then I lay slightly on my side, and the doctor put baby powder all over the bump. Sometimes they give you a drug to relax your muscles a bit, but they didn't bother with me.

Then the doctor dug around towards the bottom of the bump with her hands - a bit uncomfortable, not painful - to get the baby's bottom out of my pelvis, and then she literally just pushed him round. It was a bit like kneading dough if you see what I mean.

Then they scan you again to make sure the baby is in the right position, and you stay there for an hour with the heart monitor on to make sure the baby is ok. DS kicked like a mule afterwards, I think he was outraged at what had just happened!

In our case, all over very quickly, for some people it takes longer and is more painful, but you can ask them to stop at any moment.

HTH

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