External Cephalic Version

(9 months)

Today is my due date but I read somewhere that only about 5% of women actually give birth on their due date. So to help pass the time, while I have it, here is my update. I left off with my baby being in a breech position. I tried some “home remedies” like inversions, swimming, handstands, etc. I have heard acupuncture can help flip a breech baby but for the cost I decided I would wait and if she didn’t flip on her own, I would have an external cephalic version.

                Time passed by and she didn’t flip. At 37 weeks I went in for my ECV appointment. The first thing the nurses did was put two monitors on my belly, one to monitor the baby’s heart rate and another to monitor contractions. They also checked my heart rate. The monitors had to be on my for at least 15 minutes so they could see that the baby was doing fine. The nurse asked me if I had any contractions and I told her no, just little Braxton Hick’s here and there. Then she told me I was currently contracting. Weird! I didn’t feel anything but there it was on the monitor. She told me this was (most likely) due to the fact that I hadn’t been allowed to eat or drink since midnight and being dehydrated can cause contractions. Guess it goes to show just how important staying hydrated during pregnancy is!

                The nurse then put a needle thing in my arm in case I would need an IV in the event of an emergency c-section. The first try didn’t work so the nurse called in an anesthesiologist and she got the IV in no problem. My arm was sore and bruised for over a week from the first attempt. It still slightly hurts to the touch! Then I got a shot of tocolytic (I think) that helps relax smooth muscles, i.e. the uterus. My “contractions” stopped. The Doctor did an ultrasound to confirm the baby was still breech and that I had plenty of amniotic fluid. Everything looked great on the monitors and the Doctor, with the help of a midwife, was ready to start the procedure.

                He told me to try to relax my stomach area as much as possible. So I closed my eyes, focused on my breathing and relaxed. Levi stayed at the bottom of the bed to rub my feet. Every two minutes the nurse would check the baby’s heart rate to make sure it didn’t drop. It never did. To start the Doctor picked up on the baby’s feet and moved her out of my pelvis. The midwife then held the baby in place. He then slowly began to turn the baby. I could feel his muscles tensed but it was not painful for me. Levi told me the Doctor was working hard but he wasn’t pushing hard on me. He just had to be very steady while moving the baby. I guess he closed his eyes too to get a better feel. He stopped two or three times for the heart rate monitoring and then he did an ultrasound and said it worked.

                That was awesome. The whole “flipping” procedure took about 5 minutes. This Doctor was highly recommended and I can see why. We called him the “baby whisperer.” He was very skilled at his work and made sure the baby’s health was the number one priority. He told me beforehand that he wasn’t there to “win.” If the baby didn’t want to move one way he would try another and if she still didn’t want to move then that would be it. It was very reassuring. He and the nurses all complimented me on how relaxed I looked and stayed. The procedure was a bit uncomfortable but nothing unbearable, so I am going to say that all of my races over the years have helped teach me how to be relaxed in uncomfortable situations. Let’s hope labor can be that way too! 

                I received a shot of Rhogam since my blood is RH negative as a precaution in case any of my blood and the baby’s mixed. You don’t want your body to create antibodies against a different type of blood, for instance if our baby’s blood is RH positive then my body would create antibodies against this and conceiving in the future would be difficult.

                I was then placed on the monitors for an hour. I ordered in some food and watched TV to pass the time. The baby’s heart rate was steady the whole time and never dropped. She did great. When it was time to go I definitely noticed a change when I stood up. There was a lot more pressure in my pelvis from her head! The nurse gave me this girdle looking thing to wear 24/7 to supposedly help the baby stay in her new position. I did a great job of wearing it for 3-4 days then I caved. It was itchy, hot, and uncomfortable. I asked my midwife and they said I didn’t need to wear it anymore. It was more important to wear the first couple of days. Whew!

                The whole procedure was pretty neat. It is amazing to me that the Doctor was able to move a baby from the outside! She is still cooperating in her head down position as well but who knows when she will decide to make her grand entrance into this world!