Successful ECV!!

[mrsjskelton]

Just that really - had our second attempt yesterday at 37+2 after discovering baby was breech and the consultant managed to flip her!! Was dreading a C Section but now HOPEFULLY able to still have a natural birth! Happy New Year

I had a successful ECV at 36 wks last March, natural delivery at 40 wks and now have a healthy 8.5 month old. Happy New Year OP!

Happy new year - great news. Hope all goes well when bub decides to come x

ECV is so dangerous for the baby! I'm delighted that yours was successful, but the dangers (that are so often glossed over by professionals to keep CS rates down) are so so great

Really, just take the C-section next time. It's not at all fun, but ECV just not worth the risk to the baby.

I can't find it now, but when I was pg there was a thread on here by a woman who lost her unborn DC following ECV...it brought to light a lot of research that I had been completely unaware of - just so sad.

This isn't actually the thread I meant, but somehow it seems even worse that there's more than one...

We had all the risks explained and they always seem so terrifying! But our hospital said their stats for putting the baby in any kind of distress were less than half a percent. They were very careful and constantly monitoring the procedure throughout so all seemed okay! Thanks for your replies

I'm pleased for you Mrs Skelton - great news and a great start to the new year.
As for you - Jambonandjerusalem - was there really any need for such a reply, especially after the procedure. This wasn't a post asking for our views but a post to celebrate.
I really do not understand your reply other than to be nasty.
As for everyone else reading this - Happy New Year to you all! xx

Oh god that story on the other thread, poor woman and baby I've read some awful stories of ECV over the years.

I'm glad you're feeling positive op, please keep a close eye on movements etc. are you having a hospital birth?

I've just read the thread and it is tragic what can happen, I completely understand people's hesitation and regret when carrying out something like that. It's done now so nothing I can do will change any future outcome. I do feel guilty because I even went back for a second ECV when the first appointment didn't work! Second one was performed by a consultant who was much more skilled than the obstetrician (not that she wasn't good at it!)
Baby is kicking and wriggling nicely, no change there and heartbeat was completely unaltered - almost defiant !

I'm so pleased for you that things went well for you, but yes, I do feel it was necessary to write the post I did. Not at all to make you feel bad, but the NHS is under such pressure to reduce the rates of C-Sections that the risks are often explained in such a way as to gloss over the true risks.

I hope my post and those of others on the thread I linked to will encourage other couples being offered ECV to research the true risks.

There should always be balanced replies to stories of medical procedures, especially when the stakes are so high.

As a balance I declined an evc 11 years ago. Purely because I was pretty needle phobic and was more scared of the injection of pethidine they offeres when I went pretty unprepared to the evc. Nothing had been explained to me. I didn't even have a hospital bag and was about 37 weeks.

2 years ago I was offered another evc but declined based on the Internet research I had done. I am very glad I did.

Both c sections were pretty straightforward with completely manageable pain and I believe the risks associated with a c section are less to the baby than the ecv.

It is up to individuals to make tge right decision for them and their baby and no one should be judged. But sadly with ecvs there are risks involved and they should not be minimised. 0.5% is 1 in 200 which isn't an insignificant figure.

Yes bim I see your point, but why post a terrifying story about an ECV after someone has had one? Why scare the shit out of someone unnecessarily? If the op was asking about people's experience of ecv then fair enough, but she wasn't!
OP, you made the right decision for you and your baby. There are horror stories about every aspect of child birth on the Internet (I could even give you some about planned sections!). The majority of babies who have ecv are fine.
Just in case your baby decides to flip or you need a section for another reason, don't be scared! I had one last year (footling breech) and it was lovely. I had a gentle section birth plan. Trying for vbac this time but baby is breech again! Hopefully he will turn though 😀 regardless, I will still have my section birth plan just in case I need one!
Hope your baby stays head down!

Yes, OP has already had the procedure, but if the personal experiences to which I linked encourage even one couple to examine the actual risks of ECV in more detail, then it won't have been in vain.

There is an awful lot of ignorance around ECV, I'm sincerely hoping it is left back in obstetric history where it belongs. More training for vaginal breech delivery would be an excellent start as the current 'ECV vs C Section' choice that is currently presented to women isn't good enough.

We will have to agree to disagree as I don't think it was the appropriate post to scaremonger as she had already had it done! Regardless of what you think, the vast majority of ecv babies are absolutely fine. The 0.5% who show distress are fine as they are born by emcs. Although the story you posted was devastating, we don't know all the facts and wouldn't do unless it was published as a case review.

And fwiw, my options included breech birth

Congratulations OP I have to say you are very brave going for a second one. I had one with DD as she was breech. It was so painful, nothing could convince me to ever try it again (not that I could now, as I ended up with and elcs for the breech). My consultant has a promising career ahead of him in sports massage if the whole medicine thing doesn't work out for him! (strong thumbs!)
Are they going to induce you now? That's what they said would happen to me if it had been successful so the little bugger didn't have a chance to turn back!

Fair enough

I guess my point is that this isn't just a private thread i.e. a conversation between OP and a few others. There are hundreds of thousands of MN users and many more lurkers who are likely to read this thread. This is why is is so vital to present a balance of views.