[Birth Stories] Getting Baby To Flip From Breech With An ECV For A Flowing Vaginal Birth

What happens when a baby suddenly turns breech at 36 weeks? For Kaitlin Moore, this meant a hard pivot and lots of research to weigh her options between trying to get her baby to flip back or having a surgical birth. She shares the difficulties of finding the right provider to do an External Cephalic Version (ECV), and how elated she was when the ECV was successful and she could wait until her (now head-down) baby was ready to be born, to ultimately have the mostly unmedicated vaginal birth she had hoped for (despite it starting with an induction for early rupture of her waters)!

Related resources*:

• POTS and Pregnancy: A Review of Literature and Recommendations for Evaluation and Treatment, International Journal of Women’s Health
• Business of Being Born website
• Evidence Based Birth website
• Spinning Babies website
• The Evidence on: Breech Version, Evidence Based Birth
• Bradley Method birth classes
• The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth, Dr. Rachel Reed
• Lila laborwear, where Kaitlin got her labor gown
• Silverettes nipple protectors
• Elvie Catch milk collection cups

Related Birthful episodes:

• Why A Midwife Might Be Just What You Need
• What You Need To Know About Obstetricians (OBs)
• How Prenatal Yoga Can Help Protect Your Energy (And Why This Is Important!)
• Are You Meditating Yet?
• The Induction Process
• Baby’s Position And Labor Flow
• Rethinking The Pushing Stage
• What Does Your Poop Have To Do With Your Baby’s Microbiome?

Image description: Kaitlin Moore, a white-presenting person with brown hair, is sitting up in a hospital bed, wearing a floral delivery gown, with a monitor on her pregnant belly peeking out

About Kaitlin Moore

Dr. Kaitlin Moore is an educator and mother, living in Maryland. She began her career as an early childhood educator, working in assets-based bilingual programs specially designed for native Spanish-speaking students. After teaching for several years, Kaitlin took on new roles as a leader in public education settings, including a brief appointment in the United States Department of Education. She currently supervises the Multilingual Education program in a large Maryland school district. She earned her Doctor of Education in 2020 from Johns Hopkins University and is a lifelong learner. Kaitlin enjoys spending time at home with her family and pets and works with her husband to restore their 1700s-era stone farmhouse. Her hobbies include baby snuggles, gardening, and cooking great Italian food.