Has anyone tried an external cephalic version (ecv)???

TedandJaclyn

I am almost 33 weeks with a butt-down breech baby (frank breech), and while she still has room to turn, she has been in this position for many weeks and doesn't seem to want to move.  The Dr's said that around 34-35 weeks we should discuss whether I want to schedule a c-section or elect to try an external cephalic version (ecv) which would be around 36-37 weeks or after, in case it causes me to go into labor.  Has anyone else had to make this decision?  I'm really torn...I really want to avoid a c-section, but I'm not sure how I feel about the risks / just so-so success rates of an ECV. 

Also, anyone have tips on getting my baby to turn on her own?  The Dr's said not to try until around 35 weeks, but I see no reason to wait.  Any advice appreciated!

hecallsmecat

I had to make this decision with my last pregnancy because DD turned breech at 36 weeks. They said I was a good candidate for the procedure because she seemed to have room to move and wasn't really "stuck" in the butt down position. I decided against it anyway though. After a TON of research I found that the risks were just too great for me. First of all, it only has about a 50% success rate. It can possibly cause hip and leg problems later in life for the baby, which would have made me feel terrible if my kid came to me at 5 or 10 years old complaining of pain and needing physical therapy just because I wanted to avoid a c-section. I think what sealed the deal for me was that they give you a medication to relax the uterus to prevent you from going into labor since the procedure is so traumatic for the body and they make sure there is a OR open in case you need an emergency c-section right then and there if something goes wrong. That just screams risky to me. Plus it's painful for the mother and I watched youtube videos of it that freaked me out. I figured that the baby got into that position for a reason and who am I to force her out of it. Turns out she had really long legs and couldn't get them into a comfortable position.

I didn't do any of the at-home methods to turn her, but she ended up turning head-down again on her own at 38.5 weeks just days before my scheduled c-section, so I ended up with a natural birth anyway. I will say though that when I had the consultation for the ECV they did a u/s to check if her unbilical cord was around her neck and it was not at that point. However, she was born with it around her neck so it happened when she turned back. Just another risk of what could happen by turning a baby around. She was fine, thank God, but it could have been worse.

Funny enough my new baby just turned breech last week so I may end up having a c-seciton with this one. I'm not considering an ECV this time, just praying he or she will turn on their own like DD did.

That being said, I know someone who had it done and she and her baby were fine, no complications at all. Just do a lot of research and make the decision that feels right to you. It's time to put those maternal instincts to use! Good luck whatever you decide.

pixieprincss

My doctor successfully moved my transverse LO at 37 weeks. My dr hadn?t done a version in two years and my doula had never seen a successful one, so we were leery it would work. But, it did! It felt like forever while they were doing it but it apparently only was 1.5-3 minutes total. I was shocked when they told me how quick it was! I put my Bradley relaxation practice to use and did visualizations, deep breathing, and releasing all tension to get through the pain. (Yours may be longer, they have twice as far to push your baby around.)

Was it painful? Yes. Was it forceful or traumatic? No. If baby doesn't move gently, then a responsible provider will stop. Did we have to go in prepared for an emergency c-section. Yes, but that is why we waited until DS was 37 weeks and full term.

After the version it took some time to get used to feeling LO in different places now. Every time he moved I was afraid he was turning back because he felt so different.  I was supposed to walk lots after the version so his head will get down in my pelvis and engage. I was very hyperactive for a few hours after b/c of the meds.

Before the version we tried several low-tech ways to get LO to flip: moxibustion, all of the spinningbabies.com tricks, doing hot and cold, music and light, going swimming and doing the flutterkick, doing handstands in the water, spending time in the inversion position, etc. We were planning on the Webster technique with a chiro. I would suggest starting that ASAP.

Also, if it didn't work, we planned to wait for labor to start rather than scheduling a c-section to give LO as much time as possible to turn (provided we were staying healthy) and let early contractions perhaps motivate him, etc. Transverse babies are in danger durging labor because of cord prolapse, so I would not have been allowed to labor long, but with a breech baby you may be able to labor for a good while before doing the c-section and that labor might just motivate him to flip.

This You Tube video helped me feel prepared: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AM6wDwTjmc. This is a very pleasant video that shows how a gentle provider will approach it.

How do you feel emotionally? A healthy baby and mama is #1, of course, but even though some people may think it is silly to have  a birth "dream", for me I couldn't get PG on my own or stay PG on my own, so if I could deliver LO as low-tech as possible, it was helpful to my grief process over IF and loss. Because of my strong emotions, we were open to trying everything. To me, those were all lower-risk things than surgery physically and emotionally. But, it is such a personal choice.

lalique216

My close friend went into labor yesterday and her baby girl was head down for the longest time. Turns out that she had flipped into a breech position at the last minute, and she had to make the decision of getting the EVC or having a c section.

Well she went with the EVC because she wanted to do everything possible before going the other route, and she said it hurt like HELL but was totally worth it because it worked! 

What I do know is that the doctor told her it had a 50/50 success rate. Hope this helps

best of luck!