Midwife has mentioned ECV.....can you tell me your experiences?

[sue_88]

At the minute my baby is breech - still with hopefully enough time to turn I am praying.

However, midwife has informed me of ECV and that this is the first option for a low risk pregnancy.

But I don't think I want to have one. I've heard they aren't very successful for first timers, my baby is already measuring over average. My fluid levels biggest pool was 6.1cm (normal range is 3-8cm).

And without sounding like a wuss....even when midwife was feeling the baby's position it really hurt and now she has left my bump sore and bruised. ECV now is scaring me as I don't deal well with being pumlbed!


So yeah, I am leaning towards not having one....but I'd like to hear some thoughts?

 

[tracyy]

I'm afraid my experience isn't a positive one. They tried to turn my daughter who was breech. It was so painful. Ince they had turned her, she spun back to breech. I was left with bruises all over me and needing a c section at 37 weeks as I was in so much pain after they did they, I couldn't walk. I did already have a sore back but it made me bed ridden. After seeing how much pain I was in they said I had no choice than to have an early section.

As I said at the start my experience wasn't great. I hope someone can balance it will a successful story. X

 

[Dani_Ldn]

You have prob seen in other threads that my ecv did not work. Am a ftm too, the chances of an ecv working are higher if it is your second or third pregnancy, as your muscles are more stretched.

Mine was mainly uncomfortable, but also quite painful when they had his head up under my ribs. I had mine on Tuesday & have only just today had the sore feeling go away from my tummy, I couldn't even touch it for the 2 days after.

I don't think I would have an ecv done again if offered to me in the future.

 

[Louloubelle78]

Hi Hun, like you I was told at 32 weeks that baby is breech at that my consultant wants to do an ECV. I've read up on it and also started a thread on it here and decided that I do not want to have it, due to the low success rate, and also because I have had quite a traumatic pregnancy already (Downs scare, premature labour, low Pappa-a, my mother dying suddenly), and I don't want to add more stress.

I've been doing exercises from the site spinningbabies.com which help turn breech babies. I saw my midwife this week at 35 weeks and she is confident that baby has turned by himself

Try the exercises on the site, and also there is still time for your baby to turn by himself x

 

[sue_88]

I'm afraid my experience isn't a positive one. They tried to turn my daughter who was breech. It was so painful. Ince they had turned her, she spun back to breech. I was left with bruises all over me and needing a c section at 37 weeks as I was in so much pain after they did they, I couldn't walk. I did already have a sore back but it made me bed ridden. After seeing how much pain I was in they said I had no choice than to have an early section.

As I said at the start my experience wasn't great. I hope someone can balance it will a successful story. X

Thanks for sharing - this is what I am worried about.
I know a lot of people say it, but seriously I do bruise like a peach. My back already feels like it's crushing into 1000 pieces, as does my pelvis and crotch, I just feel being pushed and pulled by a doctor will not do me any favours.

You have prob seen in other threads that my ecv did not work. Am a ftm too, the chances of an ecv working are higher if it is your second or third pregnancy, as your muscles are more stretched.

Mine was mainly uncomfortable, but also quite painful when they had his head up under my ribs. I had mine on Tuesday & have only just today had the sore feeling go away from my tummy, I couldn't even touch it for the 2 days after.

I don't think I would have an ecv done again if offered to me in the future.

Thanks Dani, yeah I was aware yours didn't work. Sorry about that same thing with the pain of tummy though.

Baby was head down until about 29/30 weeks so I just feel like there is a reason she has turned around. She was obviously not comfortable and I don't want to force her into a position she's not happy with.

Also, even when I had my 4D scan at the weekend - being pushed with a probe she pulled the most heartbreaking face that said "that was horrible, don't do it again!" that I think an ECV would cause her some distress.

Ergh - well still on the "I'm not having one" bandwagon.

 

[sue_88]

Hi Hun, like you I was told at 32 weeks that baby is breech at that my consultant wants to do an ECV. I've read up on it and also started a thread on it here and decided that I do not want to have it, due to the low success rate, and also because I have had quite a traumatic pregnancy already (Downs scare, premature labour, low Pappa-a, my mother dying suddenly), and I don't want to add more stress.

I've been doing exercises from the site spinningbabies.com which help turn breech babies. I saw my midwife this week at 35 weeks and she is confident that baby has turned by himself

Try the exercises on the site, and also there is still time for your baby to turn by himself x

Thanks, I have been on that website and tried some of the exercises. But because of the pain in my back and pelvis I found them pretty much unbearable.

Best one I can manage is being on all fours, arms bent with bum slightly in air but even that I can only hold for 5 mins.

 

[TTC Baby M]

I had one last Wednesday, first go was pretty uncomfortable but bearable, unfortunately it didn't work, whilst waiting to try again I started bleeding, apparently it's only 1:1000 chance but there has to be 1! Anyway I was rushed straight to theatre then and there and bub was born by emcs within about half hour! He is fine but I'm a little shaken from the speed of things. Just my experience but I guess it's really only a decision u can make, although if ur not good with pain I'd probably advise against it. Csection was nowhere near as bad as I expected

 

[Anidae]

I had it at 36 wks and it worked after 2 tries to turn her he did it and she stayed! I had a natural delivery. Totally the best option! Xx

 

[CottlestonPie]

I had one with DS1... I was a ftm and very overweight which I was told reduced my chances of it working. However I was in there and out within about an hour and it was a success. I was given an injection beforehand to help relax my muscles so it didn't hurt much, it was more just uncomfortable with the only pain being when his head was being taken out from under my ribs.
I was monitored before during and after to make sure baby was safe and he stayed head down until he was born naturally at 39+4.

My boys now are currently breech and I just wish there was a similar technique for twins as I really want to avoid a c section!

 

[MindUtopia]

Do the breech baby exercises from Spinning Babies (especially pelvic tilts, inversions and breech tilt) and spend lots of time on your hands and knees. Swimming is also great or any deep water immersion (you don't have to actually swim, just float belly down). It's also great for relieving pelvic and back pain. Look for a chiropractor (or osteopath) who is familiar with the Webster Technique. If you have so much pain that you can't do the Spinning Babies exercises, I'd definitely see a chiropractor or osteopath as they can probably help with that and baby's positioning. Two sessions with an osteo got rid of my SPD. Look into moxibustion from a trained acupuncturist. It has the same success rates as ECV in clinical trials, but without the pain to you or risk to baby. And as weird as it sounds maybe, talk to your baby and ask him/her to move if they can and it's safe (yes, really). More than likely if you do all these things and baby is still head up by 36-37 weeks, there might be a reason they can't turn and then you can look into other options.

My daughter was breech from 28 to 34 weeks. I did the Spinning Babies exercises, saw an osteopath (more for SPD but the same problems in your pelvis can lead to babies turning breech), swam 3 times a week, and just tried to relax and connect with my daughter and ask her to turn. By 34 weeks, we were head down and she was born naturally at home at 37 weeks. Have faith. There's lots you can do to encourage better positioning before you get to the point of deciding about ECV (though if you want my option having considered it and read the research on it, I would have gone with the ECV as I think the risks of a c-section are greater than the risks of trying ECV in order to have a natural vaginal birth).

 

[sue_88]

I've done spinning babies and I was in far too much pain to do the exercises, I see a physio for pelvic pain but it's not done much help.

I swim a lot so that may help, oesteopath is not covered under my private health insurance, nor is acupuncture so I won't be trying those as I would have to pay out of pocket which I'm not doing as I already pay private health insurance which covers my physio.

I'm a firm believer in there's a reason for everything and she needs to be head up currently, if she flips then fab but if not then I've decided I'm not going to let anyone turn her.

My hospital is quite advanced and experienced with natural breech births so I will have options to consider but I'm ruling out ECV.

 

[TrixieLox]

Yep, same here, I won't be having an ECV. Heard too many negative stories and if baby's lying that way, so be it.

The NHS are very keen to push for ECVs due to cost of c-sections being much higher than a vaginal birth. And of course, the slight increased risk of a c-section to the mother.

However, having done some research into it, c-sections are not as risky for the baby (it's a misconception c-sections are more dangerous for babies, the figures distorted by the fact some c-sections are as a result of difficult pregnancies or emergency c-sections which in turn carry higher risks anyway). Vaginal births carry just as many, if not more, risks for the baby. And an ECV can be very disruptive to a baby.

So no thanks! I don't mind being cut open for my baby and don't want to risk anything with an ECV.

 

[Kellya009]

My SIL had one done with her first, at 32 weeks and it worked for her. But when she had her boy at 39 weeks he was only 6 lbs, so I'm guessing he was pretty small at that time. She said it felt weird but not too painful.