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Please allow doctor the chance. It is uncomfortable, but less so than v____al or c-section. They will take all precautions with the monitor of baby's heartbeat and will have an operating room ready. They do not try for long periods, just long enough to know whether baby will turn or not. I think if you can have over a 9 pound baby you are a good candidate for this. ECV has saved many women from large abdominal cutting. If not, you will have a c-section and that is it's own episode itself. Good Luck!

Thanks for your reply. I understand what you are saying but my doctor is doing this procedure in her office on my next visit, not at hospital so there will be no fetal heartrate monitor or operationg room ready. I don't think she is being patient enough for the baby to move. I will only be 34 weeks at my next visit. Why not wait till i'm closer to my duedate to give the baby a chance to change positions is my point. Ya know??

Hmmm...I don't know that her office is the proper place, but I am not a doctor. I think i would get another opinion if possible for there are some babies who don't like the change. Perhaps your baby is ALMOST head down and not completely transverse? I am trying to understand why she would do it in an office. I think it is only safe for full malpresentation to be changed in a hospital. Please let me know, I am thinking of you! I am in Europe and ECVs always done in hospital.

This procedure is called an "external version" and I had one at 40 weeks with my first pregnancy. They did not realize my daughter was breech until the 40 week appointment when a cervical check revealed that they were feeling my daughter's b___t instead of her head. My daughter ended up being born that day via c-section at 9 lbs 15 oz, after an unsuccessful attempt at external version. For the version, I was given IV medication to relax my uterus, but no pain killers. It was incredibly painful, maybe because I was 40 weeks or maybe because my daughter was so large. Christine, I think that if you have a chance to rotate the baby now at 32 weeks while he/she is not at full birth weight, I would say give it a shot. I had to have a c-section, and then because of the size of my first baby, I just had to have another c-section to have my son. If you have a change for the v____al birth, go for it. But, there is no failure in having the c-section. It's just a lot worse recovery that a v____al.

Oh yeah. They did my external version in labor and delivery, not the doctors office.

Thanks for the advice. I think I'm most concerned because I have read that this procedure should not be done until the 37th week because it can cause preterm labour and it always should be done in a hospital setting but she's insisting on her office. I just don't have a good feeling about it ya know? I'm trying things at home that people have reccommended to get the baby to turn. Hopefully that works - I go back to the docs on march 15..I'll keep you girls posted on what happens..Thanks again

Yeah, I would not let your doc do this in the office. There is a chance for an emergency c-section should the baby become tangled in the cord. You want to be in an environment where they can act quickly should the baby go into distress. Good luck!

I am 37 weeks today and just had the version done this past Friday. I denied the epidural and they gave me medication for the relaxation of the uterous. I was in the hospital in the operating room incase an emergency c-section needed to be performed. The baby is frank Breech and this is my 3rd child. My others being natural deliveries. They unsuccessfully turned the baby. They tried 3 times, total time 20 min. This was extremely painfull while they were pushing and the minute they stop there is no more pain. I squeezed my husbands hands so hard. Even though I compared this (while they are pushing) to the same as your worst labor contraction, I was so glad I didn't have an epidural b/c of it being unsucc. I waited an hour for them to monitor the baby and I did have contraction for about 1/2 hr afterwords but they stopped. The baby the whole time was fine and didn't mind at all what we were doing. Her HR didn't change at all. Just to let you know, they also told me if the baby had turned they would have to bind my stomach up so the baby wouldn't move and I could be like that for 2wks. You may want to ask about that. I would say it's worth a shot but I personally don't think I would do it again, not b/c of the pain, but b/c of the 50% succuss rate of turning, and then 50% chance after that of the baby turning back.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me! I really think that I will be declining the ECV. I've done research on it and found alot of disturbing stories from women. I think waiting it out until at least 37 weeks will most likely give her time to turn & if she doesn't well I guess I will have to trust my decision and go along with the C section although I would rather deliver v____ally like my first pregnancy. Thank you again for your post & congrats on your pregnancy :)

I was not offered an epidural for my version, but I have a friend who was part of a study to prove that external versions have a higher success rate with an epidural. Kristen, I felt the same was as you about the pain. It hurt SO DAMN BAD while they were pushing on me, but then immediately subsided once they stopped. I was sort of embarra__sed because I was practically hyperventilating from pain, but then I was totally fine just a few seconds later.

That's how I felt too. As much as never wanting to do it again, it's kind of nice to have had it done and being able to tell the story. Before this, I heard so many stories, but never talked to anyone who actually experienced it first hand. I even asked the Dr if the baby didn't turn because I was so tense. He said it wouldn't of made a difference if I had the epidural or not, he wouldn't of pushed any harder. But that did cross my mind.