ECV to turn breech baby, experiences please

[Puffinsandcreeks]

Hello
My baby has flipped over in to breech position, we have regular growth scans due to other complications but they've said if he doesn't flip over by the next one then they will book me in for a scan & ECV at 37 weeks (and if it is unsuccessful then they'll book me a section).

Could people please share their experiences of having an ECV to turn breech babies? I don't know anyone else that tried this, everyone else just went straight for the section. Did it work for you? The consultant says the success rate is around 50%.

I have a few weeks of birth ball jiggling to get him to turn again but need to know if I'd like to go ahead with this by two weeks time, in case.

Thank you

Hi! This happened to me - I was so desperate not to have a c-section that I did everything I could to turn the baby! What worked for us was acupuncture and moxibustion. I was really sceptical but even my midwives recommended it and literally as soon as we started each session the baby would go mental and start moving. Maybe it was a coincidence but I'm convinced it helped. We did this for 10 days at home after the initial appointment and I went in for the EVC and the baby had turned back!

I was actually told by the hospital that I could have a vaginal breech birth which I had decided to do. It is a possibility if you want to - breech does not mean you HAVE to have a c-section. I did a lot of research!

There was a really good video on the EVC I watched from Maidstone NHS. Will see if I can find it xxx

ECV not EVC sorry!

I did. I really wanted to give birth ‘properly’ (silly me at the time) so wanted to at least try and move her. Was pretty grim/mediaeval to be honest. Basically a muscle relaxant injection and then two doctors basically pushing all their weight with hands on either side of bump/into my sort of pelvis to try and shift her. Didn’t work and made me cry as it felt pretty horrible and unnatural. But I think she’d been in position for ages and just wouldn’t budge. It was over pretty quickly as they realised wasn’t going to work and for 10 mins of that vs c-section recovery, despite it being minging, I’d probably do it again (although that said, I’d prob go straight for a c-section again having had one, at least know what to expect!). Hope that helps!

Hi there I am a registered midwife. It's a pretty standard procedure these days. ECV has a success rate of 50-70 % depending on the skills of the practitioner. It's not hugely unpleasant and the risk of complications is low (mainly needing to go for an emergency CS straight away if your baby doesn't like it). They will talk you through your options again on the day and you can change your mind any time. Personally if I needed an operation on my back I would try a chiropractor first if it was safe/minimal risks. If you decide to proceed try to get some relaxation music on your phone and practice relaxing at home before the ECV. I observed one as a student many years ago. The specialist midwife credited her high success rate to the relaxation music she would get her patients to listen to for 1 hour before the procedure

Thank you for your replies so far, I really appreciate it. I currently feel more relaxed at the idea of an ELCS than the EVC and I wonder if that says a lot 😂

I was actually told by the hospital that I could have a vaginal breech birth which I had decided to do. It is a possibility if you want to - breech does not mean you HAVE to have a c-section. I did a lot of research!

I've had a very complicated pregnancy so to minimise risk I'd rather not have a breech delivery, baby is on the small side as well so I believe the chance of fetal distress is higher.

Tiredbehyondbelief thank you this is helpful. Is the chance of fetal distress particularly high? Especially in babies less than 10th centile?

It's not hugely unpleasant

Have you actually experienced one yourself? It is hugely unpleasant. With the muscle relaxant and pain I couldn't stop shaking. It was an awful experience and not one I would repeat. It didn't work either (thankfully! As I later found out that the cord was too short - hence the not being able to move - and was wrapped around dd's neck).

I tried everything possible to get her to move but it wasn't to be. And actually, the c-section was actually a lovely experience, really calm and relaxed.

henrysugar12 gosh that sounds awful. I guess the plus side with an ELCS is you know baby will be born then and you're awake for it too.
What was your recovery like?

I did moxibustion at home as well like PP, and after about a week DD turned dramatically during a session. It’s really easy, just burning herbs by your toes! I was highly sceptical but desperate. I would encourage you to read a bit about it and see if you feel like trying it while you wait for other interventions.
Best of luck - I know how terribly stressful breech is 😩

I opted not to have one. I read about one case with a very poor outcome. I'd had a VB with the first so knew what 'natural' was all about and was happy to have a planned and calm ELCS! I was offered a vaginal breech delivery with the reassurance that all the team had had the training (and only very few had successfully delivered that way) which wasn't enticing..

I had one and it was absolutely fine. It was a strange sensation, but not painful. Watched baby on the screen and a fantastic consultant moved her. At one point we didn't think it would work, but suddenly she flipped. I guess pain level etc could vary depending on position of the baby and skill of the consultant. I had a bit of a dizzy, funny spell afterwards, but they monitored me and soon all was well.

I had an ecv for DC2. It wasn't successful but also wasn't any more than mildly uncomfortable. I'm glad I tried because I had a terrible time with my elcs - really hated everything about it, lost a lot of blood and found recovery very difficult. At least I could feel like I did what I could to have avoided it. I also looked into vaginal breech birth but my dc was in a particularly bad breech position for that.

I coped surprisingly well with the recovery! I found recovery of my gallbladder being removed far, far worse!
It really wasn't as bad as I was expecting, I was up and walking a few hours afterwards.

I had an ECV for ds1. I found it a deeply unpleasant experience and ds1 was definitely not moving. I ended up having 3 c sections and once I mentally accepted the fact they were my best option they actually were all pleasant and positive experiences.

I wouldn't be able to comment if risks are higher with a baby on the 10th centile. I can imagine it might be easier to turn a smaller baby. However I heard babies sometimes turn back to the original position! I heard positive stories about moxibusture and acupuncture However you might need to go private for that. It won't be difficult to get an elective CS agreed on if this is how you feel. I think you might benefit from seeing a Consultant doctor or Consultant midwife to go through the risks and benefits of every option depending on your personal circumstances. I hope it helps

I had one.
It didn't work but was not painful. I didn't have the muscle relaxant injection.

My daughter was breech (feet first). We tried her being turned and the consultant said he though she moved slightly but then quickly reverted back. He told us we had a stubborn baby, he wasn’t wrong. Eleven years on my daughter is very much her own person 😁

The turning didn’t hurt. I had a C Section in the end. My advice would be kind to yourself, it’s not the “easy option” and sometimes it really is the safest option for you and the baby.

I had one. Baby of 7lb. He didn’t move an inch and I ended up black and blue! But figured it was worth a try. Had CS a couple of days later.

Thanks for your replies everyone, really appreciate everyones views.

I see a consultant every 2 weeks at the moment so will discuss pros/cons of ECV vs ELCSnwith them but at the moment I am leaning towards ELCS if baby doesn't turn over naturally. It has been a very difficult stressful pregnancy with a lot of uncertainties and I feel like if it gets to that stage, I'd rather just cut to the chase and have a definitive. But I'll continue considering my options for a couple of weeks.

did moxibustion at home as well like PP, and after about a week DD turned dramatically during a session. It’s really easy, just burning herbs by your toes! I was highly sceptical but desperate. I would encourage you to read a bit about it and see if you feel like trying it while you wait for other interventions.
Best of luck - I know how terribly stressful breech is 😩

Burning herbs near my toes is actually right up my street, as weird as that sounds 😂 I will look into it. I have become quite stressed out since finding out baby is breech, I'm hoping the next few weeks aren't too difficult.

I think seeing an acupuncturist would be great, not just for moxibustion but to help with the stress you're feeling.

I had one. It was mildly uncomfortable for about 30 seconds and then it was over. Baby was turned, head down and I ended up giving birth to him 4 weeks later, in water at the local midwife-led unit.

I was told that the consultant I had at the John Radcliffe was very experienced and there was an high success rate.

I agree it’s very unpleasant - but have you also had a vaginal birth? The discomfort of an ECV is neither here nor there when the purpose of having it is to facilitate a VB, in my experience (of both). Although the consultant told me that the ECV tends to hurt a lot more in the cases where it doesn’t work, which makes sense.

In response to the OP - with my DC2 they offered me an ECV at 36 weeks. It didn’t work and was really quite painful, although nothing compared to a VB which I’d had the first time around and obviously wanted again so that didn’t bother me, but unfortunately it did break my waters and my son then had to be delivered prematurely by C section and taken straight into intensive care. I personally wouldn’t bother with it again - I read a lot about breech babies that week and concluded that by and large, the ones that will turn at all will turn by themselves. Obviously I will never know what my son’s health would have been like had he been delivered at full term but I’d hypothesise he’d have been better off cooking for a few more weeks. He was very small and very jaundiced for months and months.

Thank you for all of your replies. I have given this a lot of consideration overnight. I will do what I can at home to encourage baby to turn, but if they don't, there is probably a reason why and forcing it doesn't seem like the right decision for me. I am also nervous of something going wrong and needing an EMCS. So if baby remains breech then I think I will have an ELCS.

They are moving around a LOT today do you never know, maybe baby is trying to get back in to position. Possible wishful thinking but I will prepare myself for either outcome, VB or ELCS.

My 3rd baby was breech after 2 normal births. I had her turned. It wasn’t a pleasant experience but it didn’t take too long and we were told it worked. However she got stuck during labour and wasn’t in the right position so I ended up with an emergency c section and she ended up with a cephalohematoma meaning a giant blister like bubble on her head for her first 6 months caused by fluid between her skull and skin on her head. Not harmful but still worrying. I don’t think I’d have the procedure to turn her if I was having another baby.

I would want confirmation from a scan that they could see a decent amount/location of the umbilical cord. My friend was encouraged to have it when her baby was breech. She declined (thankfully) and when she had her c-section they discovered her daughter had a really short cord. Forcing her to turn would have been fatal.