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The External Cephalic Version Process
An external cephalic version is a procedure used to help turn a baby in the womb before delivery. During the procedure, your healthcare provider places their hands on the outside of your belly and attempts to manually turn the baby. This procedure may be recommended if your baby is in a breech position.Apr 12, 2018
How is an external cephalic version done?
External cephalic version is performed strategically placing the hands on the gravid abdomen and applying pressure to encourage the fetus to move into the vertex position. This can be attempted for fetuses in the breech, transverse, or oblique positions and has the potential to decrease cesarean delivery rates.
Is external cephalic version ECV painful?
Does ECV Hurt? To turn your baby, your doctor will use firm pressure. Everyone reacts differently, so you might feel discomfort or pain. Many women go through an ECV without any painkillers.
How long after ECV did labor start?
ECV is usually attempted around the 37-week mark before labor begins, though sometimes a version is tried during labor before your water has broken.
When do you use external cephalic version?
Version is done most often before labor begins, typically around 37 weeks. Version is sometimes used during labor before the amniotic sac has ruptured. A scheduled cesarean is used to deliver most breech births if a version doesn’t work.
How is a version performed?
How is external cephalic version performed? The health care professional performs ECV by placing his or her hands on your abdomen. Firm pressure is applied to the abdomen so that the fetus rolls into a head-down position. Two people may be needed to perform ECV.
Is ECV safe for baby?
Is ECV safe for my baby and I? ECV is generally safe, however, like any medical procedure, rare complications can occur. A small number of women may experience bleeding behind the placenta and/or damage to the womb.
Is an ECV worth the risk?
While ECVs are considered a safe option for some, the risks may not outweigh the benefits for others. Most providers will not perform an ECV before full term for a couple reasons. One, it could cause labor to begin or delivery could become necessary. Two, many babies turn on their own before being full-term.
Should I have ECV or C-section?
It’s recommended that an external cephalic version be offered to all women who have a baby in breech position at or close to term, where there are no other complications. The procedure has been shown to be successful in around half of all cases and may lower the likelihood that a C-section will be needed.
Where do they cut for episiotomy?
An episiotomy is a cut (incision) through the area between your vaginal opening and your anus. This area is called the perineum. This procedure is done to make your vaginal opening larger for childbirth.
How successful is external version?
External cephalic version is a procedure that externally rotates the fetus from a breech presentation to a vertex presentation. External version has made a resurgence in the past 15 years because of a strong safety record and a success rate of about 65 percent.
What can I do if my baby is breech?
Turning a breech baby
If your baby is in a breech position at 36 weeks, you’ll usually be offered an external cephalic version (ECV). This is when a healthcare professional, such as an obstetrician, tries to turn the baby into a head-down position by applying pressure on your abdomen.
How do they turn baby if breech?
The most common method used to turn a breech baby is called external cephalic version (ECV). It’s performed by your healthcare provider around 37 weeks of pregnancy. This procedure is performed in the hospital just in case an emergency occurs.
Do breech babies have problems later in life?
Although most breech babies are born healthy, they do have a slightly higher risk for certain problems than babies in the normal position do. Most of these problems are detected by 20 week ultrasounds. So if nothing has been identified to this point then most likely the baby is normal.
How often does ECV lead to C-section?
Among patients with a prior cesarean, those who underwent successful ECV had a cesarean delivery rate of 11.1% compared with 16.7% in the matched control group (OR 0.59; 95% CI 0.47 to 7.43).
Are breech babies more painful to carry?
Giving birth to a breech baby vaginally is not usually any more painful than a head-down position, as you’ll have the same pain relief options available to you, although it does carry a higher risk of perinatal morbidity (2:1000 compared to 1:1000 with a cephalic baby).
Are breech babies boy or girl?
Boys are little more common than girls in head presentation in the higher weight groups, in breech presentation in the upper and lower weight groups, while girls predominate in the middle weight groups. The absolute size of the middle weight groups in breech presentation causes the small excess of girls.
Why may a doctor do a planned C-section?
Doctors will perform a cesarean when the low-lying placenta partially or completely covers the cervix (placenta previa). A cesarean is also necessary when the placenta separates from the uterine lining, causing the baby to lose oxygen (placenta abruption).
How can you tell if baby is breech without ultrasound?
Your baby may be head down if you can:
- feel their head low down in your belly.
- feel their bottom or legs above your belly button.
- feel larger movements bottom or legs higher up toward your rib cage.
- feel smaller movements hands or elbows low down in your pelvis.
