mizuno
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- Oct 5, 2011
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I just wanted to post this because you see so many horror stories about the version. I know I had a lot of anxiety because of it, so I thought I'd share a positive story. Of course, this is only my experience, and I do not intend to talk anyone into doing this , I just want to share my reasoning for going through with it and what the procedure was like for me.
The procedure is not without risks and is not the most comfortable thing, but it certainly was not as bad as I thought it would be. Sorry about the length of the post
As for the reasoning for going through with it, I really wanted to avoid a c-section, so I looked into some actual evidence. First, the procedure is recommended by the guidelines as a way to avoid a c-section. Second, two large clinical trials showed that the procedure is safe (though that wasn't the main point of the studies, there were very few 'side effects', the most common being temporary decrease in fetal heart rate). Here is the link if you choose to read the whole report on the second study:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02837.x/full This, and the fact that my doc was supportive
So here is how it went down:
I was just over 37 weeks pregnant (my doc doesn't recommend it before full term, in case they need to deliver) with my first baby. I checked into labour and delivery and they admitted me as if i was staying for delivery. I put on the gown, they started an i.v. (for saline, and in case they have to do a c section; this was way more painful than the procedure) and gave me a muscle relaxant to relax uterine muscles (patch). They offered to give me pain meds, but I refused, the reason being that I wanted to feel everything and in case it's too painful I would have asked them to stop. They then looked with an ultrasound where the baby is and if there is enough amniotic fluid. The doc thought that everything looked good but explained that:
There is a very low chance of it working (20-30%) - more like 20% as this is my first pregnancy
There is a very small chance of complications, such as placental abruption and cord compression (less than 1%), but as they would be monitoring the baby throughout, they would deliver the baby immediately if that happened
That there is a chance that the baby might turn back around and be breech again
That a c-section still migh be necessary (it is not clear why, but babies that have been turned still often end up being delivered by c-section - perhaps they don't get a chance to descend enough before labour or the mother's pelvis is not conducive to vaginal labour)
With all this, I agreed to go through with it, with the understanding that if at any point I'm uncomfortable they will stop. When they first started pushing on my belly, I freaked out a bit, not because it hurt, but because I was shocked at the pressure, so I asked them to stop after about 10 seconds of starting
. We took a break and the doc said that the timing is good as the baby seems to be moving a lot. I gave them the ok to continue and they really went for it again, it was not painful, just really uncomfortable. The most painful bit was my skin, as one part of my belly didn't have the ultrasound gel on it and it was kind of scraping my skin. The whole thing took about 30 seconds and the baby was flipped! 
They then monitored the baby's heart rate and my contractions for another 30-45 min and sent us home. The baby's heart rate never went down and I did not have any contractions, just a bit of cramping for a few minutes right after. My abdomen was sore for the rest of the day, so I took it easy and just lounged around. I won't lie, it was very nerve-wracking and for those 30 seconds I questioned everything - why am I fighting a c-section so much, are they hurting the baby, what have I done? I was a mess for a few minutes afterwards, it was very emotional. But throughout the whole thing I felt that me and my baby are well taken care of and that if anything went wrong, they would handle it.
I understand that the baby still might flip and that I might still have to have a c-section, but it makes me feel good that I did everything I could to try to avoid it, so for me, it was worth going through it.
I would love to hear other people's experiences!
The procedure is not without risks and is not the most comfortable thing, but it certainly was not as bad as I thought it would be. Sorry about the length of the post
As for the reasoning for going through with it, I really wanted to avoid a c-section, so I looked into some actual evidence. First, the procedure is recommended by the guidelines as a way to avoid a c-section. Second, two large clinical trials showed that the procedure is safe (though that wasn't the main point of the studies, there were very few 'side effects', the most common being temporary decrease in fetal heart rate). Here is the link if you choose to read the whole report on the second study:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02837.x/full This, and the fact that my doc was supportive
So here is how it went down:
I was just over 37 weeks pregnant (my doc doesn't recommend it before full term, in case they need to deliver) with my first baby. I checked into labour and delivery and they admitted me as if i was staying for delivery. I put on the gown, they started an i.v. (for saline, and in case they have to do a c section; this was way more painful than the procedure) and gave me a muscle relaxant to relax uterine muscles (patch). They offered to give me pain meds, but I refused, the reason being that I wanted to feel everything and in case it's too painful I would have asked them to stop. They then looked with an ultrasound where the baby is and if there is enough amniotic fluid. The doc thought that everything looked good but explained that:
There is a very low chance of it working (20-30%) - more like 20% as this is my first pregnancy
There is a very small chance of complications, such as placental abruption and cord compression (less than 1%), but as they would be monitoring the baby throughout, they would deliver the baby immediately if that happened
That there is a chance that the baby might turn back around and be breech again
That a c-section still migh be necessary (it is not clear why, but babies that have been turned still often end up being delivered by c-section - perhaps they don't get a chance to descend enough before labour or the mother's pelvis is not conducive to vaginal labour)
With all this, I agreed to go through with it, with the understanding that if at any point I'm uncomfortable they will stop. When they first started pushing on my belly, I freaked out a bit, not because it hurt, but because I was shocked at the pressure, so I asked them to stop after about 10 seconds of starting
. We took a break and the doc said that the timing is good as the baby seems to be moving a lot. I gave them the ok to continue and they really went for it again, it was not painful, just really uncomfortable. The most painful bit was my skin, as one part of my belly didn't have the ultrasound gel on it and it was kind of scraping my skin. The whole thing took about 30 seconds and the baby was flipped! They then monitored the baby's heart rate and my contractions for another 30-45 min and sent us home. The baby's heart rate never went down and I did not have any contractions, just a bit of cramping for a few minutes right after. My abdomen was sore for the rest of the day, so I took it easy and just lounged around. I won't lie, it was very nerve-wracking and for those 30 seconds I questioned everything - why am I fighting a c-section so much, are they hurting the baby, what have I done? I was a mess for a few minutes afterwards, it was very emotional. But throughout the whole thing I felt that me and my baby are well taken care of and that if anything went wrong, they would handle it.I understand that the baby still might flip and that I might still have to have a c-section, but it makes me feel good that I did everything I could to try to avoid it, so for me, it was worth going through it.
I would love to hear other people's experiences!
