Anyone had ECV to turn a breech baby?

[Rebecca41]

Hi
I'm nearly 37 weeks pregnant with my second baby, and it's been breech for the last few weeks, not showing any sign of moving.

Today I had a scan, and I've been given my various options - trying for vaginal delivery, having a booked Caesarean, or having ECV.

I've got all the stats etc, but I just wondered if anyone could tell me their positive and negative experiences of ECV, to help me decide what to do.

Thank you

had ecv at 37+5 was monitored for about an hour (was in delivery suite room!!) then consultant tipped bed so head near floor and bump up and midwife monitored me/baby and he scanned at regular times, it wasnt painful but was uncomfortable he turned dd1 about half way then she popped straight back into breech position, tried twice more and we agreed she wasnt budging so section date booke for 39+4 and advised to come in immeadiately if I went into labour. Was monitored for around an hour afterwards had some lunch and went home!

Had elective section all went really well dd1 had tehn cord round her neck twice so in a way blessing in disguise that she hadnt turned as would have had a crash section there and then at the ecv. In fact the electove section went so well I chose to have another section with dd2 and had it booked when I was 20 wjs pg (although she was transverse so I appear to produce babies who cannot face the right way )

at typing errors - sorry

No experience but I'm watching as am on baby no.3 who is breech......

DD1 was palpated as breech from about 28 weeks. She never turned. We declined an ECV and she was born as a breech baby at home with IMs.

One of our reasons for using IMs was that we knew exactly who would be walking through the door when I was in labour, how much experience of breech birth they had (a lot) and what their definition of breech birth was (as depending on who you talk to it varies from the Mary Cronk/Jane Evans "hands-off" version to the very medicalised "lithotomy, episiotomy and forceps" approach and everything in between, all under the same label - I was quite happy with the former but not at all keen on the latter!). Incidentally we didn't book the IMs till I was 36 weeks.

When DH and I were trying to decide on the best way forward I was lent a couple of books that I found very informative: "Breech Birth" by Benna Waites and "Breech Birth: What are my options" by Jane Evans. This article by Mary Cronk sums up the difference in approach to vaginal breech birth/delivery quite nicely.

I wouldn't dismiss breech birth on the NHS, but I would want to be very sure of what I was getting into in terms of who would be in charge, what their ethos was and how much experience they had. Do you know the source for the stats? I ask as the NICE guidelines still lean heavily on the Term Breech Trial by Hannah et al, which found CS to be safer than vaginal delivery for breech babies - but that study has since been widely discredited.

With DD I had home birth booked but at 39 weeks discovered she was breech (had known she was at 28 weeks but m/w assured me at 32 that she'd turned: she hadn't it later transpired.).

Went in for ECV at 39+ weeks which was exceedingly painful and unsuccessful I'm afraid, but I think this was as she was well and truly wedged and at 39+ weeks, probably too big to turn.

I'd do it all again though, preferably at 36/37 weeks when it's more likely to work!

My top tip for an ECV: use the gas and air correctly (I didn't). M/w offered me gas and air and it wasn't until the turning had started (and the pain) that I started gulping on it and by the time it took effect, the doc had stopped turning and I'd be all woosey - out of sync with the next attempt. Next time, I'd compose myself, start on the g/a and THEN the doc could begin!

I had an ECV with DS1 at 37 weeks and it was completely plain sailing - he went over with no trouble and no pain whatsoever. They sometimes give you a drug to relax the uterine muscles but they didn't with me.

the doctor who did it said I should just let them know if it hurt and she would stop immediately, but he just rolled over in about ten seconds flat. So they can and do work well on occasions!

Good luck, whatever you decide

hi i had an ecv at 36 weeks with dd1, who had been breech since about 30weeks! The doctor tried several times to turn her and it was very very uncomfortable and she didnt move. I think the thing that shocked me so much was how hard he pressed on my bump!
I ended up having a csection at 38 weeks which went fine. Now pg again and hoping this one will be in the right position for a natural birth.

tbh, if I had to decide again i would go straight for the csection and not have the ecv as it was so uncomfy, unsuccesful and very worrying!

Good Luck with whatever you decide!

I have just had an ECV at 38+5 and am happy to say not only was it a success it was completely painless for me.

I was very anxious about missing out on the labour experience so am very keen to avoid a c-section. We read sooo much on the internet about breech births, getting baby to turn etc and I did have reflexology, did headstands in the pool and was on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor before the ECV. I will never know whether any of this helped but the midwife was able to turn baby quickly and easily. I am now hoping he stays there!

My advice to anyone would be it is worth a try. Three things that were important in my experience: the relaxant drug, the experience of the midwife (who has been turning babies for ten years and was a superstar in terms of her attitude and approach) and being closely monitored (baby's heartbeat)for a decent amount of time afterwards so that you are re-assured the baby has not been distressed in any way.

They did a study at our county hospital comparing ECV vs acupuncture to turn breech babies which showed that both had around the same success rate.

It may be worth giving acupuncture a go first? (You need to have a midwife present.)

Good luck & you never know ... your baby may turn yet.

I had external palpatation as ds was breech at 38weeks with a home birth booked - eek. Doc was very experienced with a good success rate and although uncomfortable, not painfull. All went well. DS was born at home normally 3 days later.

There have been a couple of threads about this recently. I had ECV which didn't work, I tried everything else as well (moxibustion, all sorts of weird positions from www.spinningbabies.com, and other odd stuff). I found the ECV really quite painful, but I think that was a lot to do with the registrar doing it, and that DD was very well engaged bum-first so he had to really jab to disengage her before he could try turning. The consultant supervising him had a go after him and she was much much gentler, and said very quickly that it wasn't going to work as DD was determined not too move. I did find it painful and a little distressing but was glad I tried it before making the decision to have a C-section which I figured would be a lot more to deal with than ECV (C-section was fine though).

Yes and never again!