The external cephalic version (VCE) or external version is the best alternative to avoid childbirth in a podic position and consists, as the name implies, in a maneuver to flip the baby from outside.
It is a practice not too widespread, although recommended by the WHO, which is recommended to be carried out from weeks 36-37 of gestation, at which time the baby is large enough not to turn again. But nevertheless, it is not always achieved that the baby turns to the cephalic position (head down), nor is it certain that if he does, he will not turn around again.
Vanessa Fisher is a pregnant woman from Texas who, determined to avoid a C-section, unsuccessfully tested several methods for your baby to turn around. His midwife then recommended that he visit Dr. Cummings to try an external cephalic version, a procedure in which the doctor is an expert and the day he attended the consultation, with 38 weeks gestation, her husband recorded the entire process with his camera.
The procedure was successful and the video was shared by the mother on her Facebook profile, where it was already seen by almost four million people.
External cephalic version
WHO exposes its position on this maneuver in a document that states that "if adequate precautions are taken, there is a solid foundation to use the external cephalic version term if the benefits of avoiding a birth in a podic presentation outweigh the risk of the procedure. "
It is risky? There is a minimal risk of vaginal bleeding, detachment of the placenta, rupture of the amniotic sac or that the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck, but if it is practiced in the right conditions and by expert hands, the risk is very low, as well as the associated costs, so many women decide to try.
The main drawback is that can cause childbirth, so it is recommended to perform in full term babies. Ideally, support the maneuver with fetal ultrasound before and after the maneuver to verify the position of the baby, a fetal monitor to perform a stress test before and after the procedure, and the immediate availability of an operating room in case of any complications .
It hurt? The pregnant feels strong pressure on the belly and the intensity of pain depends on how easy or difficult it is to turn the baby around. It is an outpatient procedure that no anesthesia is required (although spinal anesthesia is used in some centers) and lasts a few minutes, since it is not convenient to apply pressure on the uterus for more than five minutes.
As we mentioned before, the maneuver it doesn't always work. The probability that the procedure will work and the baby will not turn around again is 58%.
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