ECV experiences? Have you had it? Did it work? How painful was it?

[idontbelieveit]

I'm booked in for an ECV on monday (will be 38 weeks exactly). Have had a previous section so they won't induce afterwards so i don't know if that means she's likley to flip back again before i labour spontaneously (hopefully}. Anyone like to share their experiences with me please? TIA.

(have also posted this in pregnancy section)

Bumping for you.

It hurt and didn't work. Pain as very short lived however and bearable. Still worth trying as less sore than trying to stand up straight after a c-section [as I am sure you are aware]!

I declined an ECV and had a vaginal breech birth at home with two wonderful IMs.

I had an ECV. It was very very painful and didn't work (I think the 2 factors are linked)

I had a ECV and it didn't work and was painful and very unpleasant.

It can work though so worth a go.

hmmm, thanks. Not sure what to do.
I've got the weekend to think it over i guess i can cancel it though they may not be very pleased to be messed around at the hospital. Would love a HB tangle but have got enough to worry about after previous traumatic section and a fetal bowel anomoly found at the 20 week scan so HB not really an option for me. Everyone i've heard from so far has had a painful unsucessful experience.
Any positive experiences?

There have been lots of threads about ECV in the past, many saying it isn't painful. Do a search and you'll probable find more positive comments.

i did have a look, i'm not very thorough , will have a proper browse at the weekend when dh takes dd out for a bit.

DD1 was an undiagnosed breech in a position that meant she couldn't be a vaginal birth and I had to be very insistent to get an ECV so i could at least say I had attempted to avoid a cs.
Only one consultant would perform it and he explained why he didn't think it would work.
it was my first pregnancy and there was no 'stretch' room so my uterus had no 'give' in it.
I was overdue with DD1, I was actually at 41.5 weeks so even less room, he explained this is why they are normally done earlier so there is more room to manouvre.
DD1 was in a veyr awkard position so they would have had to move her limbs before trying to turn her.

He said these are the most important factors in whether it would be successful or not.
It didnt work but then I wasnt really expecting it to after all that!
It did hurt, but it was a level of pain I was expecting, think of MW's pressing down to get heartbeat etc it was uncomfy and I could have done without it but wasn't horrific.

HTH

idontbelieveit - I know nothing of the details of your case and don't want to make things more complicated and these may be points you've already considered, but a couple of stray thoughts that might be of interest...

IMs tend to be linked with homebirth because getting the paperwork in place for them to practice in a hospital where they are not employees is not straightforward - that doesn't mean it can't or hasn't been done.

IMs can be much more supportive of unusual cases than the NHS - they don't have to justify any departures from hospital policy and tend to deal with each case on its own merits. Because of that they can have skills that NHS midwives don't get the chance to practice very often.

A lot of women are told they "can't" have a homebirth, when what is meant is that it would be against the hospital's policy. Your hospital or MW cannot dictate where you have your baby - that's entirely up to you.

I'm really not trying to say that a homebirth is a good idea for you and your baby (as I say, I know none of the details and neither is it any of my business), but if its something you are really interested in you loose nothing by talking to a couple of IMs over the phone and getting a 2nd opinion, not bound by policy, on whether it would be a realistic option.

You might find the Independent Midwives Association and AIMS usefull if you do want to look into it further

Oh tangle you've no idea how much i would love to get a couple of independent midwives and have a homebirth but there's no way we would find the money and in any case no guarantee we wouldn't end up in hospital anyway so i don't think it's an option for me.

I wanted a homebirth last time but ended up with a cascade of interventions after a failed induction due to oligohydramnious at 42+2. This time there's a risk that baby will have downs, bowel defect or CF so i want to be somewhere with top notch neonatal care. Have had a look at AIMS and IMA sites in the past. Thanks for your imput.

Jackbauer - I think i'm going to go to the appointment and have a chat with them and see what they reckon, I guess they might scan me again first to check position.

I had an unsucessful ECV about 10 days ago at 36+2. It was uncomfortable, but not unbearable. And in the big scheme of things regarding childbirth, it was nothing in comparison to contractions, stitches etc etc!
The doctor said he had a 60% success rate. He tried once and baby didn't move, so waited a couple of minutes and tried again. The baby went from breech to transverse, but has now gone back to breech.
I gave it a go because I didn't want to commit to C-section straight away without trying anything to shift the baby. Have also had some acupuncture and am trying pelvic tilts/ hand and knees etc etc, so at least I can say I tried my best to get it to move!!
I was scanned before and after to check the position.
I think it's worth giving a go, because it'll either work or not. You can ask them to stop if it's hurting, I did and doctor was v understanding.

I had a successful one with dd2 at 38 wks, I found it uncomfortable rather then painfull.

I do wonder if it was because she just needed a little extra help to get her head down as she was sort of stuck halfway round.

Can you ask your consultant his/her success rates. Only ask because the consultant who did mine had a 90% sucess rate. At the hospital i am at (now pg with dc3) only do them between 38/39 wks as there is less chance of the baby turning back round.

The only thing i found painful was the 3 weeks of contractions every afternoon for 4hours until i was induced at 41+1wks.

I had one at 39+5, it was unbearably painful and didn't work, which was the most likely outcome considering how far along I was and that I was a first timer. 8 hours later my waters broke and contractions started v quickly, to be honest the ECV was more painful than labour! But don't let you put that off, I"m glad I gave it a go and gave myself the chance of having a vaginal birth. The factors that are important are: how far along you are; whether you have had a pregnancy before; how skilled the consultant is (ask for a rate of success).

idontbelieveit - sorry HB isn't an option for you this time round - I can quite see where you're coming from. Fingers crossed your LO is born safely and healthy, and the birth is more straightforward this way round - however it happens

Thanks Tangle. Had the ECV today and it didn't work but on the plus side it wasn't as bad as i had feared and didn't cause baby any distress so am now booked in for a section next monday. Glad i tried though at least i feel i've done everything possible to avoid a section now. Thanks for all the advice guys.