

Are people aware of the dangers of ECV?

(86 Posts)
himynameisfred Fri 17-Aug-12 15:54:21


Lora1982 Fri 17-Aug-12 18:56:09

i think it was good of you to warn... im obviously against it now

Boggler Fri 17-Aug-12 19:00:58

rubberducky if the thread helps you make a decision against ecv then I'm glad. Why take unecessary risks? If you want your baby to get head down there are natural ways to do tis, there's a website called spinning babies that shows you how to sit etc to give the baby a chance to go head down by themselves without need for ecv. Ecv is supposed to be very painful as well and I've seen threads from women who needed gas and air for the pain as well.

CakeBump Fri 17-Aug-12 19:01:05

Thank you for starting this thread OP.

I'm expecting my first and had never heard of ECV either. I would have unthinkingly gone along with it had it been offered.

So sorry to hear your story sad

C0smos Fri 17-Aug-12 19:03:05

Just seen your other friend, I am so sorry for your loss

NapaCab Fri 17-Aug-12 19:03:50

Sorry for your loss, OP. What a tragedy that ECV had such awful consequences for you.

I wasn't aware that manual version of a breech baby came with the risk of abruption but personally if a scan showed that my baby was breech in advance of labour onset, I would always go for planned C-section anyway. It has risks as well e.g. placental abruption in future pregnancies but I would still prefer it.

I wonder if this return to using ECV is part of an attempt to 'de-medicalise' birth and reduce C-section rates? I know a lot of hospitals are under pressure to keep their C-section rate down so I wonder if they're recommending this risky procedure to women in an attempt to avoid C-sections? If so, that's appalling. Healthy baby, healthy mother should be the priority, not hospital statistics and targets.

Jules125 Fri 17-Aug-12 19:26:32

I was offered an ECV for my transverse baby in 2010 but my obstetrician didn't really recommend it (and told me it would be "very reasonable" to refuse). Maybe she was concerned about such risks (I had lost a previous baby so they really wanted it to go well for me). I went straight to c section.

himynameisfred Fri 17-Aug-12 20:07:56

I wasn't really told of the risks.
I was just told that the doctor was confident we could avoid a c-section.
He seemed quite excited and confident about doing it.
He was newly trained in doing it and one of only two doctors who do it here.
I didn't hear anyone elses opinions on it.

Fricken idiot I am

When he came to apologise to me after the birth I was confused and had no idea why, I hadn't seen my daughter yet and didn't have any idea what had happened yet.

Fred so sorry to read your story.

If I am in the same position I will now know to ask for CS instead, so thank you for sharing.

cogitosum Fri 17-Aug-12 20:41:42

I'm really sad to hear your story Fred. Thank you for this thread

Margerykemp Fri 17-Aug-12 20:45:18

Op if you had an ecv because you were given misinformation that is negligent. They should have explained the risks and also given you the option of a vaginal breech birth.

To put it into perspective though ecv is safer than c-section esp if it isn't your last pregnancy. Placental abruption is one of the greatest risks to a pregnancy where there has been a previous c-section.

And to the poster who tried to make this about bashing homebirth and the the op's decision to have one- shame on you.

himynameisfred Fri 17-Aug-12 21:05:42

He's a nice man, but I think he was over enthusiastic about the turning procedure, so forgot to tell me dangers.

I was told by all the staff that if I'd been having a hospital birth, they wouldn't have evenbeen checking her heartbeat at such an early stage and would have likely toldme to go home at just 3cms dilated.
It was only because of the homebirth and having two midwives to myself that they caught the danger so early and got me to hospital within 10 minutes from hearing the heartbeat drop.
HAd I been in hospital they wouldnt have noticed until it was too late and I would have had a stillborn

booflebean Fri 17-Aug-12 21:12:01

Agreed. I would definitely refuse ecv.

Boggler Fri 17-Aug-12 22:19:28

margeryemp if your comment about knocking the op decision to have a home birth was directed at me I think it was misplaced. Im very supportive f the op's position especially the misinformation about the risks of ecv I was merely pointing out that complications at home births can lead to delays - op ths was not the case with you as you had 2 on the ball midwives. I'm sorry if anyone thinks I was knocking you - I wasn't.

CakeBump Sat 18-Aug-12 08:41:01

fred could I ask if you would consider a home birth again, or recommend it?

I have been seriously thinking about it, but as its DC1 I'm really not sure. Stories like yours initially put me off a home birth in case anything goes wrong, but from your last post it sounds like a home birth was still the better option?

So difficult to know what to do for the best.

Thank you again for sharing, it's given me a lot of food for thought.

mrswee Sat 18-Aug-12 13:05:17

himynameisfred Thank you for sharing your story, I am sorry it is a sad one.
My dd was breach, I was offered EVC, presauded it was safer than a section and I should at least try it. I would have refused but the consultant was so convincing. We very very lucky that my DD turned herself just before the procedure was due to happen so I didnt need to go ahead, we only found out at the scan immedietly before the procedure was going to happen.

If you had not shared your story, and I was to end up with another breach baby, I probably would have gone ahead and agreed again, but after reading this I won't. Because it makes a mockery of the supposed safe statistics that my consultant was using to convince me.

I hope you can find some peace over time.

Thumbwitch Sat 18-Aug-12 13:17:27

Another one who is grateful to you for posting and heartbroken for you for the loss of your beautiful Angel.
I didn't know about this either but as I also have a baby who is persistently transverse lie, I will make sure that if ECV is offered to me, I will refuse it. Mind you, at 32w currently, I'm still hoping baby will go head down.

I read your other thread OP and I am so so sorry for your loss. I was in tears reading it.

After reading your story myself and DP have decided if this baby is breech and we are given the option we will go for a section. So I hope you can take comfort from the fact that people are learning from yours and Angels story.

Thank you for posting about this xx

ItsMyLastOne Sat 18-Aug-12 13:27:29

I'm glad I read this. I have no idea of the position of my baby yet as I'm only 25 weeks but it's something I've been thinking about. I was in a state of ignorant bliss with DD and never considered anything could go wrong. Luckily it went pretty smoothly.

It is something I've heard of, and I had actually been thinking that if my baby was breech I'd rather opt for a vaginal birth with baby being turned than a cs. I can't believe I didn't know the risks! A friend of mine had an unsuccessful ECV with her DD but ended up having an ELCS. I doubt she knew the risks either. Very scary stuff!

ItsMyLastOne Sat 18-Aug-12 13:37:30

I just mentioned this to my sister and she said another of our friends had this done about 6 months ago when she was 33 weeks. Does anyone know if it's something that's safer earlier in pregnancy or not necessarily?

PicklesThePottyMouthedParrot Sat 18-Aug-12 13:42:41

I'm so sorry for your loss. It's really good of you to come and tell others of your experience, I would rather know of these dangers

Dillydollydaydream Sat 18-Aug-12 14:34:47

So sorry to read about your loss sad
Thank you or sharing your experience though to help others make an informed decision in the future.

CaptainHetty Wed 22-Aug-12 16:46:23

I'm sorry for your loss, and it's incredibly brave of you to share your story to let other people make informed decisions. I was linked here from another thread and the posts here have reinforced my decision not to take up an ECV if baby is still breech in a couple of weeks time.

ToffeeWhirl Thu 30-Aug-12 09:37:18

himynameisfred - I'm so very, very sorry that you lost your beautiful baby.

I had an ECV for my second baby, who was breech. I didn't like the idea, so I had a long discussion about it with a doctor at the hospital and was told that a caesarean was far more risky than ECV. She wouldn't endorse the idea that a breech baby could be born naturally either and said that if I didn't have the ECV I would have to have a caesarean.

I had the ECV and it felt very odd, although it didn't hurt. Nobody gave me a scan before, during or after it.

I went on to have a very odd birth - I was later told it was called a 'silent labour', as I never went into proper labour . When I finally went into hospital, because of bleeding, the midwives were surprised that I was already 10cm dilated. My baby's heartbeat was dipping every time I had a contraction and they were very concerned. He was born soon after and needed to be resuscitated, but, thank god, he breathed.

The midwives told me that he had the cord wrapped three times round his body and twice round his neck. I have always worried that it was the ECV that did this to him and that I had a lucky escape.

I'm so very, very sorry it ended badly for you, op.

AC786 Thu 30-Aug-12 14:42:33

This is very sad and I am very sorry for your loss. Heartbreaking. Thank you for having the courage to share.

Northernlurkerisonholiday Thu 30-Aug-12 14:52:16

I think that is very difficult to be absolutely sure why some pregnancies hit trouble because of course you can only see the results of one course of action. I don't think ECV is unsafe but like any intervention it has risks which should be outlined. That said I was always uncomfortable with the idea of ECV. Primarily because if there's room for the baby to be turned, there's room for them to turn back and then you end up facing a c-section anyway.
I'm very sorry for your loss OP.

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