36 wks pregnant but baby still at breech position, is ECV a good option?

Y

yca

Registered User
I'm 36 wks 4 days pregnant now but my baby is still at breech position. My OB suggests that I can try having an ECV (External cephalic version) done to see if they can turn the baby to vertex position. If I decided to have the procedure done, I will have to go to the hospital on Monday when I will be 37 wks pregnant by then.

As for my husband, he prefers to have a scheduled c-section done instead because he thinks it is the safest way for myself and our baby. However I also understand that natural birth is indeed the best for both the mother and the baby. This is our first baby and I have never been admitted into a hospital before. Hence the idea of having a c-section is quite scary and overwhelming to me.

I am still struggling if I should try to have an ECV done to see if they can turn my baby to the right position for a natural birth. I wonder if anyone here has the procedure done before. I'd appreciate if you can share your experience and knowledge with me. Thank you.
 
Hi Rani, thanks for the info. Indeed, I have tried many of the alternative ways to try to turn my baby since week 34 but still no luck. Since the chance for a baby to turn after week 37 is quite low so it looks like the only option is to try having a ECV done. However there are risks involved and my husband may not want me to go for it... I wonder if there is anyone out there who has done ECV before can give me some advice...

Again, thank you for the information. Appreciate that.
 
Hi YCA

My 2nd child was a breech baby as well and my gynae also suggested ECV when I was 35 wks preggie. Being a Christian, my husband and I prayed about it and felt that if the child should want to turn, she will turn on her own accord. If not, we will opt for C-section for the safety of the child. My first child was delivered naturally, so we also have our reservations with C-section.

When my 2nd child was delivered via C-section, we were glad to know that we didn't go for the ECV cos' the cord was around her neck. Perhaps that was why she didn't turn at all.

Just my 2 cents worth mong
 
Hi yca - I went through a very similar experience to you. Our baby was also stuck in the breech position, also our first, and I was really desperate to try everything to get him to turn. I went to the internet and tried all the different suggestions (ie. diving into a pool, moxa stick burning, etc.) and none of them worked. I was so fixated and determined to have a natural birth and was willing to do EVC as a last resort as I knew there were risks involved.

So, when none of the other things worked, I went to see a doctor who would do EVC here in HK and she did a scan and thought the chance of success would be 30%, so she preferred not to even try it. I was devastated since my last resort was exhausted! I had a very smooth pregnancy (no morning sickness, was wearing my regular jeans until 5th month, yoga, etc.) so the thought of c-section never crossed my mind. I felt terrible when my ob said that I had better try and accept that I will have a scheduled c-section.

well, now our son is a healthy and happy two-year old and when I think back to all the anxiety and pressure I had put on myself to evade the c-section, i feel i really made way too much out of it. It wasn't that bad after all, even though the recovery is longer than natural birth, and has become a pretty small factor in the whole scheme of things.

All i can focus on now is how to get him potty trained! Hope this helps. you can private message me if you want to know more.
 
Mong1972, thank you so much for sharing your experience with me. I guess the reason why I am struggling is because my fear of having a c-section. It is like half of me understand that what will be will be and there is a reason for my baby to stay at breech position so just go with the flow and have a c-section scheduled. Another half of me think that if I don't take the chance to have a ECV, it is like I give up my last option for having a natural birth which I may feel regret in the future.

I will also pray for God's guidance and also keep talking to my baby. After all, I will not make any decision by myself. I understand my husband worries about me and our baby. Put myself into his shoes, I definitely should respect his decision as well.

Anyhow, thank you very much for your sharing. It means a lot to me.
 
36 weeks is still early

Hi,

I mentioned in the previous thread that my son was breech and we scheduled an ECV, but he turned on his own, at 38 weeks.

Why not wait a couple more weeks. I've heard stories of women whose babies turned during labour.

Maybe you can make an appointment for an ECV at 38 weeks and have another check.

If that doesn't work - discuss the options w/ your husband and doctor.

Have you had other babies before? When I talked about options w/ my doctor, he agreed that if the baby stayed breech and the ECV didn't work, we could have a try at vaginal delivery, because I had already had my older child vaginally, so he knew I could squeeze one out ;)

Ask your doctor if he's ever delivered breech babies vaginally. At the time my doctor said "I've only delivered 17 babies breech" and when I mentioned that to my dute-date email group, many were surprised that a relatively young doctor had *any* experience with it.

Good luck.

PS - Turn, baby, turn!
 
A friend of mine delivered her baby 9 months ago with Dr. Ghosh. Her baby was breech also and she was ready to a C-section, but her Dr. advised her it would be a textbook breech delivery and if she was comfortable with it, he would prefer and advise a vaginal delivery.

I was suprised b/c in the US, all breech babies are delivered via C-section. I think its b/c insurance companies force doctors to do so for liability issues. Corporate America setting standards for our medical care! Therefore, most Drs. today are not even trained in breech vaginal deliveries.

Perhaps you want to ask your OB how many breech babies she/he delivered vaginally AND speak to her/his former vaginal breech delivery patients or perhaps you want to check with Dr. Ghosh. I've already decided if my baby stays in breech, I will try Dr. Ghosh to see if he can or will advise a vaginal breech delivery for me before deciding whether to go for a C-section.

I feel exactly the same way you do about C-sections and will try to avoid them if possible. But I know that at some point, it may be out of my control and I'm willing to accept that if it means a safe delivery for by baby and me.

Good luck!
 
Hi Prego1 and loupou,

Thank you for your advice. I know that in some countries like New Zealand, they allow pregnant women to wait till the last moment before they decide whether to have a c-section or not. However I am a first time mother and in HK most of the OBs don't recommend a natural vaginal birth for a breeched baby that it seems too risky to wait for too long. Besides, I think my husband and I would prefer a safest way to bring our baby to this world. We are both quite nervous given that this is our first one.

I have been seeing a few OBs already. All the private OBs I saw told me to schedule a c-section to be done around week 38. I also took my friends' advice to see OBs from public hospital and they are the only one telling me that I should wait till week 37 and suggest that maybe ECV is a feasible option to turn my baby. They are more supportive and they encourage me to have a natural birth if the baby can be turned to vertex position. Instead of pushing me to have a scheduled c-section, I think they have given us a lot more flexibilities. So now we have to wait and see how my condition will be on next Monday, then decide what we want to do...

So far I enjoy my pregnancy and I thought I can have a natural vaginal birth without any problem. The idea of having a c-section hence becomes so devastating. Honestly, I am scared of having a c-section but now I have to persuade myself to accept the fact that if it is the safest way to give birth to my baby, I shouldn't feel so bad about it. After all, we just want out baby to be safe...
 
VCA I know how you feel. I had the same experience. My first baby was in breech position and having set my mind on drug free natural birth I was devastated to learn I will need a c-section. So I went for acupuncture and also tried ECV. Nothing worked and I had my first baby by c-section. With my 2nd baby I had a natural drug free delivery. With the benefit of hindsight I would not have stressed and upset myself so much with the fact that I had to have a c-section. Ultimately it is the baby (and your) health which should be top priority. Anyway if you are keen on natural birth you can still have one with subsequent babies.
 
Hi momo, thank you for your encouragment. I think as long as my baby can be brought into this world safely, I shouldn't feel so bad about having a c-section. It is good to know that you gave birth to your second baby naturally. For now, I'm trying to stay relaxed and not to think so much. I guess what will be will be...

Hi Bzee, please check your private message. Thanks.
 
Dear VCA

My first child was breech, I tried acupunture then an ECV. The ECV was done at around 36 weeks and was sucessful. The procedure was very simple and was very quick, the doctor massaged my stomach and twisted the baby around in seconds, after a bit of monitoring I left the hospital and was told to walk around for a bit to try to keep the baby head down. The baby stayed head down until birth. I feel ECVs are worth a try if you really want to try for a natural delivery.

However that said, unfortunately after going from thinking I might need a c-section, to then thinking I wouldn't, I then landed up with an emergency c-section. The lesson I think it great to have wishes about your childs birth however don't get fixed on them - read up and learn about c-sections even if you don't plan one, that way what ever happens you are somewhat prepared.

Good Luck.
 
i know a chinese medical doctor, an english lady, who has had success getting breech babies turned right using non-invasive traditional method. if you;d lke the contact info, pm me.
 
I had a c-section too because my baby was breech. My doctor taught me some exercise to help the baby to turn but it didn't work. After I had the c-section, I realised that it was not as scary as I thought. We got to choose a date that was convenient to us. We planned and got everything ready before we went to hospital on that morning. I was quite relaxed and was awared of what was happening in the operation hall. In fact, I was quite happy chatting with the doctor and my husband during the c-section (my husband was more nervous than me) I didn't feel any pain at all during the operation and was managed to hold my baby immediately. After about half an hour or so, I was allowed to breastfeed my baby. I only suffered from the pain a few hours later. Now, I still feel the pain if I pressed the scar. My husband said it is the most beautiful scar in the world :) Besides, I can show the scar to my baby one day.

At the beginning, I felt very bad for not having the natural delivery. I felt like I am not a good mother. However, my husband said, our baby has chosen not to turn. It will be very dangerous to turn her. Besides, I managed to breastfeed her and looked after her right after the c-section. He said that I am a good mother because I am looking after her so well which is more important. Now, my baby is 7 months old. She is happy and started to crawl by the end of 5 month!

Don't worry about the c-section. You are a good mother!
 
Hi Wee Kean, thank you so much for your encouragement and sharing of your experience. I'm sure you are a wonderful mother.

I went to the hospital yesterday. They did an ultrasound scan for me and the doctor also discuss the options with me. Since my baby is already quite big (over 4kg while I'm 37 wks pregnan), my husband and I have decided to go for a scheduled c-section instead. It is not an easy decision but we want to bring our baby to this world safely. We didn't expect our baby will come so soon but we are all excited about it. I think there is no right or wrong way to give birth but we can only try our best to choose the safest way to do so. I wish that the c-section will go well and I can recover from it soon.

Again, thank you for your support. I will try my best to be a good mother like you.
 
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