When do they do an elective section if your breech?

[birdofthenorth]

Hi all

I'm breech at 36 weeks and very nervous about an ECV after two friends had 'excruciating' experiences, only one of which successfully turned the baby.

Can anyone tell me what happens next? Will I be scanned? If I opt for a planned C-section, do they wait for you to get to your due date or plan it for earlier?

Thank you!

Sorry should of course say you're not your in the title thread -can I blame baby brain please?!

DD1 was breech from 28 weeks. It was confirmed by scan at 36 weeks (after we pushed - default was 37 weeks), at which point we were booked in to see a member of the consultants team. ECV was booked for when I was about 37 weeks (but we declined) and they'd have booked a CS at 39 weeks. However, we went for Option B and had a home birth with IMs - DD arrived at 41+3, still breech.

We were told that the national average for ECV success is 50%. However, that will vary consultant to consultant. Its worth asking what your individual consultant's success rate is before agreeing (you can ask when you're there for the ECV itself and get up and leave if you really don't like the answer). Personally, I'd be concerned if a consultant refused to to tell me anything other than to quote "50% national average" at me... Which is all our registrar did...

The experience of most women who have gone for a CS seems to be that they will scan just before hand and they will only proceed with a surgical delivery if the baby is still breech.

"Breech Birth" by Benna Waites is a book that we found very informative, and it has a chapter on complementary methods you can use to encourage your baby to turn. There's also a lot of ideas on Spinning Babies

Good luck

One of my friends had a breech C-section a fortnight ago. She was booked in for 39 weeks with a scan at 38 weeks to check baby still breech.

I found out DD was breech at 37 weeks, and she was delivered by ECS at 38+3. DS was ECS at 38+6. Generally I think they are done a couple of days ahead of due date.

You could see an acupuncturist instead of ECV - there was a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1998 showing a success rate of 75% in moving babies from breech to head down. This compares with a success rate of about 40% for first babies with ECV - and the acupuncture is much less invasive and painful!

Spinning Babies is a useful website as well although my baby was alternating between transverse and oblique, so without knowing exactly what she was doing I was reluctant to try some of the techniques on there. But my baby had been transverse / oblique at my last two appointments (so for the last four weeks); I went this morning after going to acupuncture 10 days ago and she has moved into a definitive head down position; hurrah!

As to your question about when a section would be done though, I believe they try to go for a week before due date - that way your baby gets as much growing done as possible but hopefully avoids you going into labour.

Good luck!

I was booked in at 38 wks with dd2 as she was transverse. Ds was breech and was booked in at 38 wks too. However, I fought like mad to have him turned and he did so, successfully. Though it was bloody painful. Had maximum morphine and told my consultant I loved him ! But with 2 older ones and SPD throughout pg I just wanted to get back to 'normal' which I did v quickly after other (vaginal) deliveries.

I would honestly say that ECV is worse than labour, but much much shorter (IME). So whether to go for it or not is down to whether you desperately want a vaginal delivery or are happy to go for a section. I didn't want a section but that's my choice. Neither is the 'easy' option IMO!

I had a planned section at 39 weeks after a failed ECV at 38. The ECV was quite painful but I was not offered any pain relief for it and it was over quickly. The section itself was fine - much less traumatic than my vaginal delivery 2 years later!

My DD was breech, firmly feet down till 38 weeks, when after a solid night of pain (at home alone) she appeared to have turned, because when I was scanned the following day - she was head down in the blast off position.

ECV really wasn't a big deal for me. Consultant had a good go at 37 weeks, but it was obvious that baby was going nowhere. Didn't need pain relief - if it hurt too much he was going to stop. Section at 39+5 and consultant came to ward to scan me an hour or so before op. Although as I said to him, I knew it was still breech on account of the familiar grinding of a head against my ribcage! Good luck.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences all. I feel much better informed!

Got a midwife appointment tomorrow so hopefully my options and the timescales will be clearer then. Pretty sure s/he is still breech though, felt a lot of wriggling yesterday which encouraged me it might be turning round, but I'm pretty sure I can still feel (actually see!) the shape of a head up by my boobs!

A baby can turn in labour and as you don't know what your baby's own personal gestation is I don't like that they put a cut off on it.

More and more studies done a breech babies are proving that the safest thing to do with a breech baby is leave it alone and let it come naturally with a hands off birth.

i had an ECv which was succesful, but it wasnt my first baby

it was uncomfortable, just a lot of pressing hard on my bump. not as bad as one contraction . if its too painful you can ask them to stop. they wont do it for another week or two, as many babies turn themselves.

get on your hands and knees and crawl around