Successful ECV anyone??? - Baby

serenajoyce Platinum member

30/06/2008 at 06:19

Hi ladies

My bump is breech at the moment and at 36+6 there is little hope of him/her turning by itself. I've got an appointment with the consultant this afternoon to discuss my options and I'm sure an ECV will be offered. As far as I can tell the success rate for this is very low and I'd love to hear from anyone who had a successful ECV. The last thing I wanted was a c-section but my sister had an ECV with her first and said it was awful (and it didn't work) so I'm just trying to figure out whether it's worth putting bump and myself through that or just settling for the c-section I dreaded.

Many thanks

Serena xxxx

claire-abelle Platinum member

30/06/2008 at 06:25

Hi

My friend has a successful ECV but she did say she'd never go thru it again, the pain was unbearable. sorry!
its hard to plan for anything, I planned for a home birth but ended up having emerg c sec after 18hours in a labour, so be prepared for any eventuality as I hadn't and i struggled to get my head around a c-sec

good luck xxx

ollier2001 Platinum member

30/06/2008 at 06:26

hi serena
i'm a midwife, and although i have never had a breech baby, i've seen a number of ECV's on the Day Unit where i work.

i couldnt give you percentages on how many are successful, as we seem to go ages without success, then loads with!

as to painful - if it is painful, you need to tell them to stop! if uncomfortable, just see how you feel with that. they should monitor your baby before & after the attempt to make sure eveything is ok for you.

i would say give it a try - if it doesnt work, you havent really lost anything in trying - you'd still have a breech baby, and be strongly advised to have a C/S!

if it does work, then you get the chance for a vaginal delivery!

good luck with whatever you decide, anyway!! - and let us know what happened!!

xxxxxx

lu007

30/06/2008 at 07:15

Hi, I've got 2 friends who both had an ECV. It worked for one of them who had a normal birth, but it didn't work for the other one who had an elective c-section

babycakes

30/06/2008 at 07:40

Lily was breech and I had an ECV at 37 weeks to try and turn her round. Unfortunately it didn't work but I'm glad I gave it go and I would do the same again. I can honestly say I didn't find the procedure painful, but it was uncomfortable - a bit like someone giving you a chinese burn. You can ask the consultant to stop at any time if you find it painful. I was monitored before and afterwards to check all was OK (fortunately it was) and you are told to go in prepared for a section as in a small number of cases it can bring on labour. As I said the procedure didn't work for me so I was booked in for a section at 39 weeks. It was the last thing I wanted, but after the failed ECV i became resigned to it and everything went really well and I had a very positive experience.
I would recommend you give it a try, but good luck with whatever you decide.

prettygirl Platinum member

30/06/2008 at 08:04

hiya my lo was breech so gave the ecv ago as i was desparete to have a vb,but it was so painfull i had to tell them to stop...i had to have a c section but everything worked out just fine in the end!x

serenajoyce Platinum member

30/06/2008 at 12:00

Thanks for your replies everyone. It seems everyone's experiences are very different. Well I've just got back from seeing the consultant and she's booked me in for an ECV tomorrow afternoon. She was very positive about it (I suppose she would be!) and said there was a 1 in 3 chance it would work. Apparently my baby hasn't engaged in my pelvis yet, it's still floating around, so that's in my favour. She also said they would monitor me before, during and after to make sure baby doesn't get distressed. And she also said in rare cases they have to deliver the baby by c-section if it does show signs of distress after the procedure, this scares me a little!!

So I think I'll have to give it a go. Like you say ollier2001 I've nothing to lose really.

Keep everything crossed for me that it's a success!!

Serena xxxx

prettygirl Platinum member

30/06/2008 at 14:18

thats what happened to me they will monitor baby before and after i stayed for about 2hrs after being monitored,im sure you will be fine....gud luk.x

serenajoyce Platinum member

04/07/2008 at 13:09

Well I finally had my ECV yesterday (I chickened out on Tuesday, and it was postponed on Wednesday!) and it was a SUCCESS!! It did hurt but it was bearable and my little one turned at the 1st attempt. I feel a little bruised today, as if I've been punched in the stomach, but it was soo worth it and I'm still in shock that it worked! It now looks like I'll get the vaginal delivery I so wanted!

Thanks everyone.

Serena xxxx

ollier2001 Platinum member

04/07/2008 at 13:35

serena! that is great news!!

i'm really glad it worked for you!! hope all goes according to plan with your vaginal delivery!!

love nicki

xxxxxx

Eva75

07/07/2008 at 11:02

Hi Serena - I'm so pleased that you finally got your ECV & that it was a complete success!!! I bet thats a weight of your mind..

Nat X x 39 wks + 6 days

Belle2

26/05/2012 at 20:36

I had an ECV and at 37 weeks and I would like to say that they monator the baby's movement and heartbeat for about 30 min before they start and after the ECV. The specialist only took 46 sec to turn my baby and it was not painful or uncomfortable. I understand that I was one of the lucky ones but all I can say is that it really is worth a try as it should not be painful or stressful for the baby and they will stop if you are in pain or the baby is distressed in any way.

maryssia

16/07/2012 at 15:48

maryssia

16/07/2012 at 16:33

I had ECV done this morning and would like to say, it wasn't bad at all. My baby is so active, I was told it can change position before due date ( 38+ week now) anyway but despite that fact it was worth to do it as I want VB. After going through most forums about ECV I almost cancelled my appointment today but finally did it! I was just petrified reading about all bad experiences and feel sorry for mums who went through pain, from my experience thou I would like to say - just try it, It wasn't any unbearable pain in my case, monitoring baby's moves takes much longer than just repositioning - it took no more than couple minutes to put my baby in a right position, don't be scared, it doesn't hurt - it's just uncomfortable for FEW MINUTES. Regards, wish everybody good experience with ECV and want to say thank you to doctor who was doing my ECV - you're a star! Womens Hospital Edgbaston, Birmingham.

RollieNolie Silver member

30/07/2012 at 15:14

Shelley Shaw Silver member

07/10/2012 at 18:46

I had an ECV done last week at 38+4 and it was quick and painless (5 minutes). The odds were on my side as I think my baby girl is under 7lb, this is my second child and she wasn't yet engaged...I think it also helps if mum is relaxed about the idea and is able to let the doctor 'do their thing', though they did give me tablets to relax my womb. If it was my first pregnancy I think it would have been tougher as there would have been less 'give' in my muscles and I was much more uptight and protective of the pregnancy. Thankfully my girl has stayed head down and am still awaiting a second natural birth, fingers crossed! I would very much recommend trying this procedure to anyone that really wants a natural birth and to avoid a C-Section.

Shelley Shaw Silver member

20/10/2012 at 23:35

Just to add that my baby girl turned out to be 7lb 11oz born (accidentally on the bathroom floor) at 40+4 - a normal vaginal birth..though she came out back to back

had the ECV at 38+4.

Kitkat2

21/01/2013 at 18:39

Inna Erskine Silver member

12/04/2013 at 21:42

Hi everyone,

I'm 36+6weeks and had an ECV this morning - this is my 3rd pregnancy and my second birth was an undetected breech (still managed a normal delivery) so I was being carefully monitored this time around!

I was really apprehensive going into it, but step by step here's what happened:

- I arrived, got settled into a room on the delivery suite and had my temp checked, blood pressure checked, and hooked up to take a trace of the baby's heart rate.

- About 40 mins in, the consultant came and explained the procedure to me, and did a scan of the baby to double check positioning, plus how much fluid there was and where the cord/placenta were. The baby was bottom down with her feet tucked under buddha style.

- The consultant then tried to turn the baby - this basically involved him trying to cup the baby's bottom up and out of my pelvis, and guiding the head around. It felt like exactly what it was - a grown man putting most of his weight against my belly!! Uncomfortable, but not painful - and the lovely midwife mouthed to me to keep breathing which really helped.

- That didn't work unfortunately, so he recommended I have the muscle relaxant injection and that we try again once it had taken effect. This made me feel a tiny bit jittery, but just as though I'd had one too many cups of coffee, nothing too dramatic.

- About 20 minutes later, the consultant came back and said the muscle relaxant had made a big difference to how much he could mobilise the baby. He tried to turn her into a forward roll twice but she kept slipping back - and then he tried turning her backwards and he must have got her about a 3rd of the way around and she just suddenly flipped the rest of the way herself! Again, the consultant was putting a lot of his weight into my belly, but I knew what to expect this time around and kept breathing, and while it wasn't comfortable, it wasn't painful either.

- They had another scan to confirm that she was now head down, then hooked me up to take another trace of the foetal heartbeat - she was very wriggly (probably annoyed at having been moved!) and the trace kept cutting out, which probably meant we were hooked up a bit longer than we probably could have been, but the trace was fairly much the same as the one taken before so they were happy for us to go home about 40 minutes later.

I feel a bit tender around the belly this evening, but otherwise completely fine - and now just hoping that bump stays where she's supposed to be and doesn't turn back - but overall I've had a completely positive experience and would recommend that it's worth a try!!

Good luck to anyone considering it.

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