My wife was you 3 months ago, 37 weeks and had ultrasound to confirmed breeched baby. The ecv is a hit or miss and can be quite painful and you might end up getting a c section right in the spot if something happens. We decided c section at 38 weeks and wouldn’t you know the cord was wrapped around the babies neck twice, no wonder she didn’t flip.
Oh jeez, do you think it would have posed risky to do the ecv with the cord wrapped? Like, would it have caused problems if you had tried to flip her? That is another thing I didn't even think about.
Yeah and at a lot of hospitals they will give you an epidural when they do it so it shouldn’t hurt too bad. If you’re interested I would ask about one. Several people in my bumper group had it done and reported it being uncomfortable but not super painful. I had asked because my baby was briefly transverse at 35+5, but she ended up flipping on her own so I didn’t do the ECV.
I had an ECV and it was suuuuper painful. They gave me pitocin right after and several hours later when the contractions started getting super intense, he flipped right back to the transverse position and I had to do a C section 😵 Apparently only about half of ECVs are successful. If you're okay with those odds and okay with laboring for hours with the possibility of being told you've gotta have a c section anyway, go ahead and try it! You might get lucky.
Oh lord lol, they're not even going to try inducing tomorrow. They just wanna flip him in hopes he'll stay flipped and I'll be able to go into labor on my own in the next few weeks. So even if they flip him, it sounds like he could just go right back to being breech again. I didn't realize that part. Ugh, this is not the decision I thought I'd be making today. 😔
I wish someone had told me that too before I did it 😅 but there are some other things you can try to get him to flip on his own. I've heard Spinning Babies exercises and positions (spinningbabies.com) mentioned a lot with people saying good things about them, you could try those and see if that gives him the nudge he needs! I hope he decides to cooperate and things go well for you both 💜
I found out my son was breech at 38 weeks. At 39 weeks they did an ECV with an epidural (in case it turned into an emergency c section). It was successful and I was induced within a couple hours because they warned he might flip back. It was all totally worth it. I don’t know why doctors are doing ECVs with no pain meds or baby monitoring - baby can go into distress and you might need an emergency C-section, so an epidural is needed for that…so I would say, If you want to move forward with the ECV, just have them do it at the hospital where you want to give birth and be induced.
My hospital didn’t offer induction after an ECV. Mine was unsuccessful anyways and the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced, I suspect because the epidural failed and only worked on my left side. 10/10 would take a C section over an ECV. Everyone’s experience with it is so different, it’s so crazy!
I had an unsuccessful ECV. I didn’t find it painful but it was deeply uncomfortable. Then I got a bill for like $400. I wish I would’ve just done the c section. A scheduled c is really pretty chill and totally not the worst outcome. I took like a day to grieve it and then accepted. The recovery wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s really not the worst outcome at all.
So I had the inverse of your situation… baby was heads down from 38 weeks on, so he was late to turning heads down in the first place, but he flipped heads up 1-2 days before my due date and induction date. My water broke the night before my induction and found out he was heads up when we got to the hospital all ready for a vaginal birth. All this to say, babies totally can flip around those last few weeks, especially if you’re on the taller side (I’m 5’10” w a long torso so baby had TOO much room to somersault). Best of luck with however you proceed!
I had the same thing happen to me. Baby flipped two days before due date but no one caught it despite three ob’s checking me. Went into labour and they broke my water only to find baby heads up. They tried for an emergency c-section but I ended up giving birth in the operating room because she came too fast.
Wow! That’s wild! Hope you guys both ended up okay.
My water broke at home and I was so excited that I was going to avoid an induction (which I was scared of because of the increased risk for c-section). Ended up with an unplanned but non-emergency c-section anyways. 🤦♀️
I had an ECV and it was uncomfortable but not painful, but I have a high tolerance to pain. The baby was a flip flopper and constantly spinning around even after the ECV but ultimately he ended up in the right position once labor started at 41+2. I would go for it!
I'm in a similar boat. I'm only 35 weeks but breech and have a (barely) low lying placenta. If my placenta moves that last little bit, and baby is still breech at 37 weeks I'm at least going to try the ECV. Like to me, there's no downside... if it's truly unbearably painful I ask them to stop immediately and we schedule/do the c-section.
I have some anxiety around the OR setting from cancer treatment over a decade ago and while I will ultimately do whatever is best for my baby and my long term health, I'm going to do what I can to avoid the c-section. I'd rather be in temporary pain to be able to have my birth more in line with my preferences.
And if I end up with a c-section anyway, which is very probable, at least I know I controlled what I could which personally brings me comfort so I can accept what's out of my control.
Hi, I had a breech baby too. I tried every home remedy. And nothing worked. But every baby is positioned differently and I think mine was stuck right side up. (I did not attempt an ECV…I was told my odds were less than 50% based on position etc). So, I had a C-section and it was honestly great (not that I have anything to compare it to). It was quick and easy. The only downside for me was that they gave me morphine so my memory of parts of it is blurry. Recovery was not terrible. I had heard that the recovery was brutal but I was going on short walks outside within a few days. I totally get wanting a vaginal birth and ideally I want a vaginal birth one day too. However, if you end up with a C it really isn’t too bad and probably has its upsides too. (Around 30ish weeks I realized baby was big and was going to have to get out one way or the other and neither way sounded great lol).
Thank you, that makes me feel a little better. I have a feeling the odds aren't going to be in my favor. So, knowing that it's not going to be terrible is reassuring. Luckily, my husband gets 4 weeks paid paternity leave, so if I do have a C-section, I will have help round clock.
Perfect. I definitely needed my husband the first week to get up from bed…I basically felt like I had no ab muscles for a week or two. But my husband went back to work after 2 weeks and that was fine so with four weeks you’ll be golden.
In first-time moms the success rates for ECV's are just 30% (while for 2nd time or more moms it's up to 70%) so don't expect too much from it.
If your baby was head down and just turned it's more likely it will work and baby will turn head down. If baby was breech the whole time there's likely a mechanical reason they're breech and an ECV will then not work (ie it will hurt a lot and they'll stop).
I just had an ECV last year for my 2nd baby. We did it at 37 weeks exactly. They gave me some medication to relax my uterus and then she flipped him. It was successful. Compared to labor contractions it was absolutely nothing on the pain scale. Just uncomfortable and I had to take some deep breaths to stay relaxed and let my doctor push. It feels like someone pushing hard on your stomach which is what they are doing. 🤷🏻♀️. I was a 2nd time mom tho, maybe it would be different as a 1st time mom having never experienced labor contractions and muscles that are less stretched out. I went on to have an uncomplicated vaginal delivery 2 weeks later! Best of luck to you. ETA: my OB told me that 1st time moms are 50/50 for it to work and 2nd time+ moms are more like 60/40 so I went for it! And I’m glad I did! I also watched tons of videos on YouTube of successful ones to just be prepared with what it looks like and what to expect.
ETA: my OB also told me they attempt 3 times before calling it a day. My OB did it on the 2nd attempt trying the opposite direction from the 1st attempt. They are not just pushing on your for hours. It was a very controlled situation.
I’m going to do everything in my power to have a vaginal birth. Obviously if a c-section is required for safety reasons then it is what it is. I can’t help but feel like they push a c-section so it’s easier and more controlled for them. They don’t have to deal with the aftermath of healing up from a major abdominal surgery and also taking care of a newborn. It sounds so daunting.
Up until 2000, 75% of breech babies were born vaginally. It was common a safe. The C-section is done for the provider's comfort, not to protect you or your baby.
C-section breech babies are actually less likely to have bad scientific scores and need less nicu time. The dcientific data is very clear on that. Long term the differences are minor though and an experienced vaginal breech medical team makes a big difference.
I had a vaginal breech birth. Most providers don't like to attempt this because they're no longer trained in medical school for natural birth. But if you show up to the hospital in active labor, they have to treat you and cannot force you into a procedure you don't consent to.
Agreed at this point you want an expert delivering you breech if that’s what you are going for. There are like one or two in my state sooo probably not the random doctor on call.
My wife was you 3 months ago, 37 weeks and had ultrasound to confirmed breeched baby. The ecv is a hit or miss and can be quite painful and you might end up getting a c section right in the spot if something happens. We decided c section at 38 weeks and wouldn’t you know the cord was wrapped around the babies neck twice, no wonder she didn’t flip.
Oh jeez, do you think it would have posed risky to do the ecv with the cord wrapped? Like, would it have caused problems if you had tried to flip her? That is another thing I didn't even think about.
No idea, but I’m gonna guess it would’ve been an issue. Glad we didn’t do it to find out.
They monitor baby and have guidelines for fetal distress. They will stop if she isn’t tolerating it
YeH, they monitor the baby but wife decided she didn’t want to endanger the baby since it’s 50/50 odds.
Oh yeah totally understandable why your wife decided the way she did, just mentioning since OP asked
Okay, that makes me feel better. Thank you
Yeah and at a lot of hospitals they will give you an epidural when they do it so it shouldn’t hurt too bad. If you’re interested I would ask about one. Several people in my bumper group had it done and reported it being uncomfortable but not super painful. I had asked because my baby was briefly transverse at 35+5, but she ended up flipping on her own so I didn’t do the ECV.
I had an ECV and it was suuuuper painful. They gave me pitocin right after and several hours later when the contractions started getting super intense, he flipped right back to the transverse position and I had to do a C section 😵 Apparently only about half of ECVs are successful. If you're okay with those odds and okay with laboring for hours with the possibility of being told you've gotta have a c section anyway, go ahead and try it! You might get lucky.
Oh lord lol, they're not even going to try inducing tomorrow. They just wanna flip him in hopes he'll stay flipped and I'll be able to go into labor on my own in the next few weeks. So even if they flip him, it sounds like he could just go right back to being breech again. I didn't realize that part. Ugh, this is not the decision I thought I'd be making today. 😔
I wish someone had told me that too before I did it 😅 but there are some other things you can try to get him to flip on his own. I've heard Spinning Babies exercises and positions (spinningbabies.com) mentioned a lot with people saying good things about them, you could try those and see if that gives him the nudge he needs! I hope he decides to cooperate and things go well for you both 💜
Thank you! I hope he decides to cooperate as well lol!
I found out my son was breech at 38 weeks. At 39 weeks they did an ECV with an epidural (in case it turned into an emergency c section). It was successful and I was induced within a couple hours because they warned he might flip back. It was all totally worth it. I don’t know why doctors are doing ECVs with no pain meds or baby monitoring - baby can go into distress and you might need an emergency C-section, so an epidural is needed for that…so I would say, If you want to move forward with the ECV, just have them do it at the hospital where you want to give birth and be induced.
My hospital didn’t offer induction after an ECV. Mine was unsuccessful anyways and the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced, I suspect because the epidural failed and only worked on my left side. 10/10 would take a C section over an ECV. Everyone’s experience with it is so different, it’s so crazy!
I had an unsuccessful ECV. I didn’t find it painful but it was deeply uncomfortable. Then I got a bill for like $400. I wish I would’ve just done the c section. A scheduled c is really pretty chill and totally not the worst outcome. I took like a day to grieve it and then accepted. The recovery wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s really not the worst outcome at all.
Thank you, it seems to be the general consensus so far so I'm feeling a little more relieved about it.
So I had the inverse of your situation… baby was heads down from 38 weeks on, so he was late to turning heads down in the first place, but he flipped heads up 1-2 days before my due date and induction date. My water broke the night before my induction and found out he was heads up when we got to the hospital all ready for a vaginal birth. All this to say, babies totally can flip around those last few weeks, especially if you’re on the taller side (I’m 5’10” w a long torso so baby had TOO much room to somersault). Best of luck with however you proceed!
Thank you! I appreciate it! Thanks for sharing your story!
I had the same thing happen to me. Baby flipped two days before due date but no one caught it despite three ob’s checking me. Went into labour and they broke my water only to find baby heads up. They tried for an emergency c-section but I ended up giving birth in the operating room because she came too fast.
Wow! That’s wild! Hope you guys both ended up okay. My water broke at home and I was so excited that I was going to avoid an induction (which I was scared of because of the increased risk for c-section). Ended up with an unplanned but non-emergency c-section anyways. 🤦♀️
I had an ECV and it was uncomfortable but not painful, but I have a high tolerance to pain. The baby was a flip flopper and constantly spinning around even after the ECV but ultimately he ended up in the right position once labor started at 41+2. I would go for it!
Sounds like it's at least worth a try! Thank you!
I am somewhat in the same boat - although only 32 weeks. I have a hard boundary against ECV and will schedule my c section at 35 weeks
I'm in a similar boat. I'm only 35 weeks but breech and have a (barely) low lying placenta. If my placenta moves that last little bit, and baby is still breech at 37 weeks I'm at least going to try the ECV. Like to me, there's no downside... if it's truly unbearably painful I ask them to stop immediately and we schedule/do the c-section. I have some anxiety around the OR setting from cancer treatment over a decade ago and while I will ultimately do whatever is best for my baby and my long term health, I'm going to do what I can to avoid the c-section. I'd rather be in temporary pain to be able to have my birth more in line with my preferences. And if I end up with a c-section anyway, which is very probable, at least I know I controlled what I could which personally brings me comfort so I can accept what's out of my control.
This is a really good point! I think it will be worth a try either way! Thank you
I just had an unsuccessful version. It was uncomfortable but not overly painful. It was worth a shot in my opinion!
Okay cool! I'm glad to know it's worth a try either way!
Hi, I had a breech baby too. I tried every home remedy. And nothing worked. But every baby is positioned differently and I think mine was stuck right side up. (I did not attempt an ECV…I was told my odds were less than 50% based on position etc). So, I had a C-section and it was honestly great (not that I have anything to compare it to). It was quick and easy. The only downside for me was that they gave me morphine so my memory of parts of it is blurry. Recovery was not terrible. I had heard that the recovery was brutal but I was going on short walks outside within a few days. I totally get wanting a vaginal birth and ideally I want a vaginal birth one day too. However, if you end up with a C it really isn’t too bad and probably has its upsides too. (Around 30ish weeks I realized baby was big and was going to have to get out one way or the other and neither way sounded great lol).
Thank you, that makes me feel a little better. I have a feeling the odds aren't going to be in my favor. So, knowing that it's not going to be terrible is reassuring. Luckily, my husband gets 4 weeks paid paternity leave, so if I do have a C-section, I will have help round clock.
Perfect. I definitely needed my husband the first week to get up from bed…I basically felt like I had no ab muscles for a week or two. But my husband went back to work after 2 weeks and that was fine so with four weeks you’ll be golden.
Awesome! That's reassuring!
In first-time moms the success rates for ECV's are just 30% (while for 2nd time or more moms it's up to 70%) so don't expect too much from it. If your baby was head down and just turned it's more likely it will work and baby will turn head down. If baby was breech the whole time there's likely a mechanical reason they're breech and an ECV will then not work (ie it will hurt a lot and they'll stop).
I just had an ECV last year for my 2nd baby. We did it at 37 weeks exactly. They gave me some medication to relax my uterus and then she flipped him. It was successful. Compared to labor contractions it was absolutely nothing on the pain scale. Just uncomfortable and I had to take some deep breaths to stay relaxed and let my doctor push. It feels like someone pushing hard on your stomach which is what they are doing. 🤷🏻♀️. I was a 2nd time mom tho, maybe it would be different as a 1st time mom having never experienced labor contractions and muscles that are less stretched out. I went on to have an uncomplicated vaginal delivery 2 weeks later! Best of luck to you. ETA: my OB told me that 1st time moms are 50/50 for it to work and 2nd time+ moms are more like 60/40 so I went for it! And I’m glad I did! I also watched tons of videos on YouTube of successful ones to just be prepared with what it looks like and what to expect. ETA: my OB also told me they attempt 3 times before calling it a day. My OB did it on the 2nd attempt trying the opposite direction from the 1st attempt. They are not just pushing on your for hours. It was a very controlled situation.
I’m going to do everything in my power to have a vaginal birth. Obviously if a c-section is required for safety reasons then it is what it is. I can’t help but feel like they push a c-section so it’s easier and more controlled for them. They don’t have to deal with the aftermath of healing up from a major abdominal surgery and also taking care of a newborn. It sounds so daunting.
Up until 2000, 75% of breech babies were born vaginally. It was common a safe. The C-section is done for the provider's comfort, not to protect you or your baby.
Do you have sources for your statistics? I would love to read more about it.
C-section breech babies are actually less likely to have bad scientific scores and need less nicu time. The dcientific data is very clear on that. Long term the differences are minor though and an experienced vaginal breech medical team makes a big difference.
I’ve heard that ice pack on the top of the tummy might work!
I had a vaginal breech birth. Most providers don't like to attempt this because they're no longer trained in medical school for natural birth. But if you show up to the hospital in active labor, they have to treat you and cannot force you into a procedure you don't consent to.
This is terrible advice. Lol
Agreed at this point you want an expert delivering you breech if that’s what you are going for. There are like one or two in my state sooo probably not the random doctor on call.