Should I consider an ECV?

Hey! So I’m just over 37 weeks with my first child. He is still in the breech. I have an appointment at the hospital tomorrow on my options of either an ECV or a c section. From what I have read about ECV, I don’t feel completely comfortable with getting it done, especially considering it only has a 50% chance of working. I certainly do hope that I won’t have to get a c section, but I would like some opinions/advice on what to do. Do I continue to wait to see if he turns naturally before considering an ECV? Should I go ahead and get it in case he doesn’t turn? Has anyone had an ECV and could give me more information on it? Any and all help is greatly appreciated! Thank you

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I don’t know what a ECV is but I had a planned csection - it was amazing. You show up, it’s 20xminutes from start to finish and boom. You have a baby.

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I’ve never had it done. But if it has a chance esp 50% and your doctor is recommending it. I’d do it.

Esp since you only have 3 weeks left at the max.

Mine turned at around 38 weeks, if not I’d go the C section

I was 37w 5d when my son was born at 8lbs 5oz and 22.2 inches long. I had an ultrasound at 11:30am, and he was head down. I had a c-section at 5:30pm that same day, and he was breech. There’s always hope!

I had it done. It hurt. But he moved. The cord did get wrapped around his neck but I was monitored every 4 days or so and I delivered at 39 weeks with no problems. Everyone is different, but I am glad I had it done. He was baby #4 and I hadn’t had a csection, and didn’t want one. It worked out for me. It does hurt though. But so worth it for me

My daughter didn’t turn until 38 1/2 weeks.

I’ve had an EVC done. It wasn’t too bad, BUT he still didn’t turn :flushed:
He ended up turning on his own a few days later

I refused it with my oldest. It was a good thing because come to find out, I have a heart shaped uterus and it would not have been successful. I did not see a point in putting her in distress. I wanted a natural birth so badly, but her safety was more important. I knew something was up because she stayed on the left side the entire pregnancy. The right side of my stomach was almost flat lol

I had a scan , breech, tuned himself naturally :blush:

My chiropractor did a technique that turned my baby at 39 weeks. Saved me a c-section. Good luck :purple_heart:

I hear its painful. I’m going to be doing my 2nd c section due to breech again.

Chloe Lynch can u help x

I would wait before scheduling a cesarean. Some babies don’t turn until 40+ weeks. A friend of mine didn’t have her daughter turn head down until she went into labor at 40 weeks and 4 days.

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I did the EVC it wasnt successfully done and I ended up have c section anyway

Are there cons to ecv? I’d try it before a c-section. They just basically massage and encourage the baby to flip. C-sections are painful, take a long time to heal, complicate caring for your newborn, and can have lasting complications. My neighbor was in and out of the hospital for close to a year after hers because of tearing and infections. My sister tore hers a couple of times too, if I remember correctly.

That was my biggest fear was getting a c-section when I was in labor both times.

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I was in labor for 9 hours in my son and then they found out he breached and I had to do an emergency C-section but the reason my son was breech was because my uterus is heart-shaped

I declined it. Not only is it painful that that they have to give you an epidural, but if it works and when you go into labor the baby could turn breech again.

My son was breech (first) from 28 weeks,no one believed me until i was sent for a scan as i measuring to big. After my scan we discussed my options, I was convinced to go for the Ecv by the consultant this was on the Wednesday where I was 38+ 5. I was book in for a Ecv the following Tuesday as I really didn’t want a csection at this point. After doing alot of my own research I decided against it on the Friday,phoned up and told them I would like to go for the csection. I was told to still go for my appointment on the Tuesday and they eill book me in for the csection. My waters broke Sunday morning so I phoned the hospital and was told to come in, got to the hospital, they checked to see if he was still breech and he was. I was then taken down for a csection. Which is a good job because he pooed in me aswell.
They will scan you before hand to see if baby is still breech, if so they will double check that you still want a csection.
I’ve now had 2 csection which was 13 months apart.

My little girl turned to breech at 37 weeks I was having scans every 2 weeks for her head so they saw that she had turned to breech i was booked in for section at 37 and 5 days got up the hospital they scanned me before section and she had turned back head down and was induced so baby could still have time to turn by themselves xx

I’ve had all 4 of my babies via c section. I was out of the hospital in 2 days with all of them except my 1st but she was a high risk pregnancy that had to be delivered early. The c section was not painful healed well all 4 times and I had no problems caring for my toddlers and new born. I needed some help for probably the 1st week or 2 with the toddlers as you can not pick them up. Thats honestly the worst part that and the spinal that is not fun but its fairly quick. I’m all for the safety of the baby and less stress on them. Do what you feel is right for you and your baby

C sections aren’t bad had two. Way more scary than they actually hurg etc. Secind one i was showering and walking 4 hours after. Dont be scared. Your awake the whole time dont feel anything. And its truly not that bad. Evc is worse.

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I was in the same position and I opted out of the ECV. I was soooo sad that I would never be able to experience childbirth, but to me, it wasn’t worth the risks that come along with the procedure.
Everyone’s c-section experiences are different, but I actually had an amazing surgery and overall, it wasn’t bad at all for me.
There’s also always a chance that baby can naturally turn before your c-section.

everyone handles pain very differently so you need to think about how you personally handle pain while reading some of these comments… I’ve had both vaginal and c section… vaginal delivery was after 34+ hours of labor and luckily I was able to push my first right out in 15-20 mins. Recovery wasn’t bad except I had a terrible spinal headache that I didn’t catch until I was home (and had for 2 weeks). C-section with my second due to breech… yes wasn’t in labor for hours beforehand, but recovery was harder and longer, I bled longer and I was on stronger pain meds right after delivery. I was going in for a consult for ECV and would have absolutely done it, but my fluids were very low and I had high blood pressure, so I was sent to deliver that day. You can’t drive right after delivery, can’t lift anything heavier than your newborn, among other instructions from your OB. Honestly, if I could choose which way to deliver, I’d choose vaginal. While c-section is considered routine and thousands are done daily, it is still a major surgery and can be risky.

At 37 weeks we went for a position scan and he was frank breech.Spoke to the doctor and decided to just do the csection which she agreed was the best choice.We will be 38 weeks tomorrow and the csection is scheduled for Monday (19th).The doctor was upfront with me about the fact that an ECV may not work.The easiest,safest and healthiest option for my boy was always the outcome of this situation and I am okay with going through extra healing time if it means him not being put through stress.I also want to add that this whole time Ive felt his skull in my rib cage and still do.

I had a version done on July 25 and the doctors could only get her to turn 25%. The baby did not want to go more although they tried everything. Turns out her umbilical chord was too short and the baby couldn’t physically turn. This was my 5th baby and only csection. It didn’t work for my baby so I had a cesarean 3 days later. Contrary to what I read it doesn’t hurt at all. And, prior to the ecv I tried all the positions, cold water, ice packs, exercises, chiropractor…it didn’t work for me. Good luck

I did an ecv and it’s worth a shot. It didn’t work for me but it doesn’t hurt to try

I was offered a EVC because my daughter was breached. But I had high blood pressure. My OBGYN wanted to give me the best experience. She told me all the risk of each. That yes it would be super painful and baby could flip back down. That even though we finally got my blood pressure back down, I was a high risk. So c section it was.

I have a bicorante uterus so I’m already going to have a c section for any other babies, but a c section is not the end of world. If it gets your baby out safer and lessens the risk for you and for baby then I’d say c section

I had 8 babies naturally all between 1_2 weeks overdue and then my last terror had gd so I was to be induced with him at 37+5…went into hospital at 9am we had our scan (as we was only ment to have waters broken and make sure he was ready to go then found he turned breech)then we spent half hour trying to turn him but he didnt want a bar of it…no sooner he flipped around he went straight back to breech sadly…so we got offered to wait a few more days to see if he would turn alone or we could go for a planned c section the same afternoon we went in this day so as scared as I was (never having had a c section and hearing all the scary stories I was in tears and freaked out)I spoke to the drs and the guys who came and talked me through how they were performing it and I told them how I felt scared shitless and they were so awsome with me when I went up stairs to have it done…talked me through the whole process as they were doing the surgery and explaining any noises I may hear etc and next min I had my 7lb son beside me and I was over and done with…the next day I was up,showering,off strong pain meds only having the odd panadol for the 2 days post surgery and then to be honest i said recovery for me was so much better than any of my natural births where I’d had stitches in my hoohaa…id take the c section with all previous babies before my last now…:sweat_smile: i was scared but im so glad I spoke to the medical team that was about to do my surgery about the fears they were so terrific…

i turned down an ecv it looked way too painful with such little success rate. i had a planned csection and it went well! do what you’re comfortable with

My kiddos flipped at 38 weeks so you may get lucky. I ended up having c sections for other reasons, they aren’t as bad as you think.

My son decided to turn over at birth. They made me get on my knees an hands an rock back an forth while in labor. I did this for 30:00 min he was born star gazing. Weighed 10lbs4oz that wasn’t the hard part his shoulders were 16&1/2 ins around larger than his head 15&3/4 so they broke his collarbone that was the hardest thing I ever had to do. You do what’s best in your mind to do.

My kiddo flipped during the last week

My baby was breech and I really did not want a csection. My Dr and I decided to try the ECV. I already had an epidural and it was done in the OR. So when it did not work, I just had a csection right there. (I’m not certain if that is the norm, I had some other issues too and if he was able to flip her I would be induced right after) I’m happy with our decision to try and flip her even though it didn’t work.

Try getting a massage with a midwife

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My sister went in and had a c section with her first because she was breach. Turned out my niece was breach because she needed more time. She came out with a few issues because of the doctor not wanting to wait for her to come on their own. Not every pregnancy is 40 weeks that’s an average. Unless you or the baby are in harm’s way it’s safest just to wait

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When my son was breech and dr said we were looking at csection it was a nurse that told me to go home get on all fours and rock back and forth. She said you’ll feel silly but it works —- and it did. Doesn’t hurt to try.

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I had 3 breech pregnancies 2 different doctors neither even mentioned ecv. I had c sections with all 3 everything was successful. Given the option I probably would have tried this procedure as long as it wouldn’t hurt the baby.

I spent the evening before being induced practically upside down and trying all the midwifery techniques (warm pad, angled down, etc.) and was able to turn him 25%. The next day, we decided to do the ecv and was able to have him vaginally. Everybody is different but it was entirely worth it to me to be uncomfortable for a while (the whole 36 hours were uncomfortable anyway!) :slightly_smiling_face: Wishing you luck and a healthy baby!

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My baby was breech at 34 weeks. I went to a chiropractor and had a specific hip and back adjustment that encourages a baby to turn. My obgyn was a bit skeptical, but my baby turned within 48 hours and I did not have to have a csection. The chiropractor does not touch your belly at all. My obgyn was amazed!

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Had this done with my daughter at 38 weeks, she was sideways
Took like 10-15 minutes to get her head down. Was a little uncomfortable but not bad at all. Would totally do that again over csection anyday.

The dr. Decided that ecv was not a good option for me as there was not much room for my baby to actually move and because it was my first pregnancy we did a c-section at 39 weeks. Which was a blessing because we found that due to a prior surgery I had scar tissue that was prevent the uterus from contracting or something like that anyways a c-section is not bad.

I chose to have the c-section and it went bad. That was 20 years ago I now have numerous health problems. Try the ecv first. At least you will know you tried.

You can try to turn baby. I would opt to try before having a c section. I think they also have videos out there called spinning babies, different positions you can do to get baby to naturally turn.

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I want to be a fresh set of eyes. A lot of people seem to have had a bad experience with csection but mine was very well done. I had my son via csection because he was breech. He was 2 days after his due date (we pointed out he was the wrong way because for some reason drs didn’t realize it). They told me I would be having my son that day and I was very scared. I had contractions beforehand (false labor) and they were the worst pain I’d felt in my pregnancy. I was sore sometimes afterwards but I healed quickly and safely and my medicine managed the majority of any pain. I am planning my csection with this pregnancy. Its up to you but you dont have to be afraid of the csection.

I had an EVC with my son years ago. He turned back so I needed a c section. I would go for the C section. Less trauma for the baby and I didn’t think the section was awful. He turned out to be a wonderful, smart successful human being😍

I was in the same boat and he turned on his own. I was planning on doing the ECV just because of the potential complications of a c section but I flipped back and forth on what to do. Here’s to hoping he will flip on his own

I tried ecv first but it didn’t work because the placenta was in the way. It was a little uncomfortable but not terrible. I ended up having my baby by c section two days later. The ecv put me into labor. I would do it again if needed. The c section went great with no issues.

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I have had 2. Different doctors, both males the second kept telling me to relax. Not possible. Both were successful and were painful. I would make the same choices again. I wanted to avoid C-sections if possible.

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My grand daughter had the same thing and the Dr said put a bag of frozen vegetables and the baby will turn. Believe it or not , it worked. She had her and everything went great. He is an older Dr.

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Tried to flip mine. It was my other son’s birthday so i decided to stop bc I didnt want to go into labor. Had a c-section. Almost prefer the cesarean over vaginal birth. Just do what needs to be done to have healthy baby and healthy mom.

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I really don’t know what Evc is but my grand daughter had to have a c section. Her baby was stuck in the birth canal. Pans she actually pushed for four hours

Congratulations!
Do what will be best for you and baby.
I had a c-section first time and than 2 natural and my last was a c section.
The recovery process with natural is much faster. Wish you the very best in your delivery!

I had an ECV, and it worked. It was uncomfortable for a few minutes until they had him turned.

And couldn’t move her. The c section went great and all is well no problems at all. Healthy happy baby girl now nine
Months old :blush::blush:

My daughter was breech and they tried ECV but it was not successful. I ended up having a C-section. Turns out my uterus was heart shaped and every time they tried to turn her she would move just a little and then move right back. It was extremely painful and if I had known I would not have tried this. This was just my experience and many years ago. Please keep in mind that babies have been known to turn at the last minute on their own. Good luck to you.

C- sections are a cake walk. I had two vaginal and two sections much prefer the sections as feel they are a lot safer for mom and baby…good luck!!!

my baby turned the week of…be patient and good luck:)

My baby was breech I heard bad tells about trying to turn so we decided to go with c sections

I had two csetions due to high risk. It was a walk in the park

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Do not have a ECV, so painful!! C-sections are a breeze, easier than my vaginal delivery.

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best advice is to listen to the doctors.

If you are in the U.S. consult your insurance. They may have requirements

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Do what you feel us best, you still have a couple of weeks. Stay strong, prayers are with you.

5 c sections. They weren’t bad at all

Hang in there-they turn themselves all the time!

C section much safer. Ecv can cause brain damage or other issues.

C section :: safer / quicker / less pain ::: Help the baby is number ONE .

I had 5 c-sections. No problems

I’ve had four c- sections. I ageee.

Put the vegetable s on your belly

if ure liberal u can decide after birth if u want to have a baby or not…

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I would wait because u can go tell 42 weeks to have the baby. My c section in its self went ok but i had quite a few complications so i would wait like 3 weeks maybe especially because the first one is almost always over due. Give it a little time. You cam also go to an urgent care gynecologist and get a second opinion.

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I had twins and the first was head down and ready. The second was transverse (sideways) from rib cage to rib cage. I was told that they could do an ecv if the second didnt turn head down after the first one was delivered. I was also warned that it could break my ribs, and possibly break bones in my baby. I was also told that if she didnt turn, I would have to have a c-section anyway. I opted for c-section and both my twins and I were fine after. It was about a 2 week recovery process for me, but I am glad I went the route that I did.

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I had an ecv done with my son and it worked. It only took about 5 minutes for them to turn him. Uncomfortable feeling but not awful. I had him naturally a week later. I would 100 percent recommend this before just scheduling a c section because in my opinion I would rather have 100 vaginal births over a c section ever again.

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I tried ecv first but it didn’t work because the placenta was in the way. It was a little uncomfortable but not terrible. I ended up having my baby by c section two days later. The ecv put me into labor. I would do it again if needed. The c section went great with no issues.

I was scheduled for one on a Wednesday at 37 1/2 weeks. He decided he wanted to come at exactly 37 weeks and I had to have a c section. I don’t recommend c sections if it can be avoided. It was awful recovering from it.

I had one successful ECV, painless and worked. The second time- the ultra sound revealed placenta previa that the regular doc missed- so no turning. Get a specialist to watch you. You will be fine either way!

I had twins… first was born vag, head down. 2nd was stuck up in my ribs so dr reached up in there and pulled her out feet first. We were lucky, no issues at all.

I had one turn on his own at 34 weeks and i was really sore. Next one turned on her own at 38 weeks and never felt a thing. She was over 9#. He was 7 1/2 #.

My first baby was breech. Had her naturally they did give me gas and had to use forceps with her head.

Go to a chiropractor

Aw congratulations on yur pregnancy! I wish u the best n all ways

I had an RCC. Very painful but successful! Until a week later when she turned again. Had to have a c-section anyway. Go straight to the c-section and save yourself the trauma.

My daughter was breech at 38 weeks. I had ECV done. While a bit uncomfortable it worked and no harm to my daughter. My doctor induced me at 39 weeks so she wouldn’t turn breech again. They did a lot of ultrasounds before they attempted to turn her to make sure there was enough space, make sure they knew what position she was in/facing. You may not even be able to have it done. If they don’t feel there is enough room to safely turn your baby they won’t. I would do it again if I had to. I didn’t want a c section, so I tried this and it worked.

I was breech at 40 weeks and he turned the next day on his own, anything is possible. Don’t worry

I had 3 breach babies. Born breach. I was like 3 weeks late with them. All 3 born and very beautiful. BUT that was back in the day. I never heard of ECV. Had my 4th baby born normally. Not breach. Wishing you luck and pray everything goes well for you. Hugs

I have the doctors move my daughter on the outside and it hurt like a son of gun 5 seconds later she was breech again and had to get a c section.

Why are they concerned at 37 weeks

I would wait. Mine flip flopped in the last week’s and ended up head down

Has no one suggested turning your son to a more proper position?