The Version
What a day.
My External Cephalic Version was today. Early in the morning they did an ultrasound, and Meadow was indeed still breech. They also measured the size of the baby and the amount of amniotic fluid and determined I was a good candidate for a version. Then they monitored the baby's heart rate for about an hour to make sure she was also a good candidate. In the meantime, the midwife had had a conversation with the obstetrician on duty, and found out that this particular OB hadn't done very many successful versions and wasn't really comfortable with the whole process. So they asked me to wait until 3:00 for the next doctor to be on call - an OB who was "the best" at external versions. Well, of course I would wait! It was a long day of watching horrific daytime TV, eating hospital food, and lots of waiting, but it was worth it knowing that I would be getting "the best."
The version itself was practically a party - the awesome OB convinced the OB from that morning that she needed to get more experience with the craft and invited her to help. The midwife came, along with an intern midwife, and then there was an ultrasound tech to keep checking on Meadow's position. So, five people for one version (seven, if you count the baby and I).
ECV was the most painful thing I have ever experienced! I can't even begin to describe how painful it was to have fingers jabbing deep into your stomach trying to manipulate a baby through layers of fat, muscle, uterus, and amniotic fluid. No description I can think of can do it justice. They told me before we started that I could call it quits at any time, but I had determined at the beginning that it would be far worse living with "what ifs" for the rest of my life if I told them to stop because I was in pain. The pain was temporary, no matter how bad, and I wanted to walk out of there knowing that I had done my best to get that baby to turn. The labor books I read really helped with this - relaxing your body when it is under such duress is not an easy task! The midwife told me that I had one of the highest pain thresholds she had every seen. I take great comfort in knowing that I did my part to the best of my ability, and didn't wimp out.
The OBs were successful in turning Meadow half way three times. All three times one of them pushed her butt up and out of my pelvis, while the other tried to rotate her head around. Usually once the baby is half way turned they will get the message and go with the flow and let the OBs do their thing. Not Meadow! All three times, as soon as her head slipped out of their grasp, I felt a big "POP!" in my stomach as she pushed herself back into the position she liked best! She fought with them the whole time, hiding her head underneath the placenta, pushing back when they tried to push her head down - all the while keeping a cool steady heart beat. Gotta admire that tenacity. After three tries the OBs conceded defeat. It was good to know that I had "the best" working on me, and that if she couldn't turn Meadow, it just wasn't meant to be.
Now I sit here with a very tender tummy, a little scared at the stubborn child I am soon to hold in my arms! I can't say that I really hold out much hope that she will "turn on her own" in the next few weeks - if she didn't turn with the help of two obstetricians, I don't think she's planning on going anywhere! So tomorrow they will schedule a c-section for somewhere around 39-39.5 weeks, and if she doesn't turn by then, I will be having a scheduled birth. (I am being careful not to look at the contest entries from the previous post, and we have decided we will go with whatever day the midwife decides would be best, just to make it as fair as possible to everyone!)
It sounds strange, but at this point in time I am more grateful than ever that I chose to switch to a midwifery clinic for my prenatal care! Since they keep their c-section rate at a low 7.7%, I know for sure that my c-section is a needed one, and not the cause of the unnecessary medical interventions. I know I have done everything I could to have the healthiest birth possible - which in my case happens to be a c-section. Though unfortunately it comes with more risks to the baby and the mother than a vaginal birth, I get to be one of those lucky few where the risks are unavoidable. C'est la vie.
Yeah, it's a little bit of a disappointment. No, I don't take back any of the stuff I said about how awesome natural birth is (and I plan on doing a VBAC with the midwives next time around, for sure!!). Also no, I don't think it was Karma from my Halloween costume that caused this - though wouldn't it be funny if I were scheduled for my section on Halloween??
My External Cephalic Version was today. Early in the morning they did an ultrasound, and Meadow was indeed still breech. They also measured the size of the baby and the amount of amniotic fluid and determined I was a good candidate for a version. Then they monitored the baby's heart rate for about an hour to make sure she was also a good candidate. In the meantime, the midwife had had a conversation with the obstetrician on duty, and found out that this particular OB hadn't done very many successful versions and wasn't really comfortable with the whole process. So they asked me to wait until 3:00 for the next doctor to be on call - an OB who was "the best" at external versions. Well, of course I would wait! It was a long day of watching horrific daytime TV, eating hospital food, and lots of waiting, but it was worth it knowing that I would be getting "the best."
The version itself was practically a party - the awesome OB convinced the OB from that morning that she needed to get more experience with the craft and invited her to help. The midwife came, along with an intern midwife, and then there was an ultrasound tech to keep checking on Meadow's position. So, five people for one version (seven, if you count the baby and I).
ECV was the most painful thing I have ever experienced! I can't even begin to describe how painful it was to have fingers jabbing deep into your stomach trying to manipulate a baby through layers of fat, muscle, uterus, and amniotic fluid. No description I can think of can do it justice. They told me before we started that I could call it quits at any time, but I had determined at the beginning that it would be far worse living with "what ifs" for the rest of my life if I told them to stop because I was in pain. The pain was temporary, no matter how bad, and I wanted to walk out of there knowing that I had done my best to get that baby to turn. The labor books I read really helped with this - relaxing your body when it is under such duress is not an easy task! The midwife told me that I had one of the highest pain thresholds she had every seen. I take great comfort in knowing that I did my part to the best of my ability, and didn't wimp out.
The OBs were successful in turning Meadow half way three times. All three times one of them pushed her butt up and out of my pelvis, while the other tried to rotate her head around. Usually once the baby is half way turned they will get the message and go with the flow and let the OBs do their thing. Not Meadow! All three times, as soon as her head slipped out of their grasp, I felt a big "POP!" in my stomach as she pushed herself back into the position she liked best! She fought with them the whole time, hiding her head underneath the placenta, pushing back when they tried to push her head down - all the while keeping a cool steady heart beat. Gotta admire that tenacity. After three tries the OBs conceded defeat. It was good to know that I had "the best" working on me, and that if she couldn't turn Meadow, it just wasn't meant to be.
Now I sit here with a very tender tummy, a little scared at the stubborn child I am soon to hold in my arms! I can't say that I really hold out much hope that she will "turn on her own" in the next few weeks - if she didn't turn with the help of two obstetricians, I don't think she's planning on going anywhere! So tomorrow they will schedule a c-section for somewhere around 39-39.5 weeks, and if she doesn't turn by then, I will be having a scheduled birth. (I am being careful not to look at the contest entries from the previous post, and we have decided we will go with whatever day the midwife decides would be best, just to make it as fair as possible to everyone!)
It sounds strange, but at this point in time I am more grateful than ever that I chose to switch to a midwifery clinic for my prenatal care! Since they keep their c-section rate at a low 7.7%, I know for sure that my c-section is a needed one, and not the cause of the unnecessary medical interventions. I know I have done everything I could to have the healthiest birth possible - which in my case happens to be a c-section. Though unfortunately it comes with more risks to the baby and the mother than a vaginal birth, I get to be one of those lucky few where the risks are unavoidable. C'est la vie.
Yeah, it's a little bit of a disappointment. No, I don't take back any of the stuff I said about how awesome natural birth is (and I plan on doing a VBAC with the midwives next time around, for sure!!). Also no, I don't think it was Karma from my Halloween costume that caused this - though wouldn't it be funny if I were scheduled for my section on Halloween??
Comments
christina wrote:
2009-10-23 07:34:44
One of my dear mission companions who wanted a natural birth just had to have a c-section after laboring (with a doula and a midwife) and feeling the need to push for several hours. Her body just wouldn't progress, and the baby's heartrate was dropping. She endured so much pain and did everything she could. Man, I admire her. I think you're falling on my admiration list too!
Kali Hoenes wrote:
2009-10-23 11:39:01
Wow. What an experience! I saw people on TLC's "a baby story" trying to turn their baby and was mortified at how painful it looked! You are so tough! You might as well plan on a natural birth next time because it sounds like it will be no problem for you! I hope all goes well for you.
Kaylee Baldwin wrote:
2009-10-23 13:12:56
You're amazing, Lauren. When I had my membranes scraped (which was no where near as painful as that sounds) I only let him do half of it before I started crying and made them stop! I could never do a version.