"ECV at the hospital"

Short of it is we attended Bunbury Hospital for an ECV in an attempt to spin our near full-term breech baby.

After a pre-procedure ultrasound and wait in maternity reception, a person in scrubs labeled "doctor" who didn't announce themselves, nor make eye contact, wandered in our direction and I recall asked are you here for the ECV, can I have your folder?. We said "yes", offered our folder and off they went.

Some time later a midwife took us to a room where my partner introduced ourselves before the midwife made their introduction. They seemed chatty but in a rush. My partner was hooked up to a CTG for 20 mins of monitoring. 

The doctor reappeared, returned our folder and then proceeded to drop news that the scans we'd had that morning revealed some differences to previous scans; one being an abnormality. Although the abnormality was quite significant, it had no relevance to the ECV. Everyone's focus had now shifted away from the ECV to the abnormality, where the conversation turned into a carousel of obligatory sorry's.

We were shocked. Barely comfortable in the environment and some total stranger whose name we did not know had swanned into the room and dropped that on us (it turns out) without consulting our trusted GPO in Busselton first - news that we would have preferred to hear from them (our GPO) considering there was no direct impact on the ECV. 

We were blown away and my partner was in tears before we'd even begun discussing the procedure that we had come in for. You can imagine how the rest of our day went.

After some 'time out', the un-named doctor (around now I did notice a very small hard to read name badge on their scrub top, but couldn't make out the name) returned to discuss the risks - and only the risks - of the ECV. We signed the consent as we had done our own research prior to booking. Our research also included watching an online video of the procedure provided by Hypnobirthing Australia. Considering Bunbury is the 'home of Hypnobirthing' for WACHS, we visualised and prepared for a similar experience. Our experience turned out to be nothing like we had prepared for. 

The midwife reappeared and had a uterus relaxant needle and seemed in a rush to jab my partner. We had to ask twice that they wait a moment before administering the needle. My partner wanted to change into a gown and get comfortable before diving in - she was still visibly upset. It felt very rushed even though we were trying to slow it down to reclaim some control over our experience.

5ish minutes after the jab, the scrub doctor and a “specialist" arrived, who also said an obligatory sorry about the abnormality which resurfaced the emotions we were trying hard to put aside. Scrub doctor announced the specialist but we didn't quite catch the name as it was all happening very quickly. 

My partner had insufficient time to get comfortable and find a relaxing state. She quickly put a towel over her eyes and headphones in listening to calming music to try and expedite the hypnobirthing mindset and put herself in the best possible state for a successful ECV.

With both doctors present, ultrasound was used to determine position of baby. Just before scrub doctor started the procedure, they had to ask the specialist what way the baby was lying. Specialist almost drew "head here", "spine this way", "bum here" on my partner with their hand. This concerned me as both doctors were looking at the same screen just a moment before - I should have questioned them. It appeared rushed and without proper planning. 

It had been circa 15 mins since the jab and they started. It kind of looked like a wrestling match as they tried to turn baby. It was very confronting and I had to choke down the desire to stop them - I should have followed my instinct. It was a far cry from the relaxed, controlled procedure and environment we were seeking.

My partner began to get hot, feel nauseous, distressed and demanded they stop, which they did. After a moment of silence the specialist asked "are we continuing?". My partner tried to get an understanding on how the procedure was progressing and was informed that the procedure "hadn't really started yet". Through tears and following her instinct, my partner decided to stop the procedure. The doctor and specialist wasted no time in departing. The midwife hooked my partner back up to the CTG then also left. We felt numb and horrible and were left asking ourselves 'what just happened?'.

Scrub doctor returned to ask us if we wanted to book the caesarean for Bunbury Hospital, again without considering consultation with our trusted GPO in Busselton. We declined. 

Later, a different midwife (who had a large legible name badge) disconnected the CTG. After my partner was dressed, the original midwife came back in and re-connected my partner up to the CTG for an extra couple of minutes before releasing us. 

Suggestions as a professional from the non-medical world:

- Introduce yourself (name, qualifications, experience, and role in todays interaction)

- Explain the next steps (when our folder was taken, we had no idea where or why it had gone and for how long it would be gone. We were in the dark)

- Explain the procedure about to be performed - educate me which I believe will lead to better outcomes. Not just the risks so I give you consent.

- Consult with a patients known & trusted care provider first if there's 'news to break'.

- Educate the broader medical staff on Hypnobirthing. I feel it's a fantastic WACHS initiative however it appears it's significantly watered down when the care provider seemingly has no time for it nor understanding of it.

- Solve the evident, in my opinion, shortage of staff and resources leading to the rush culture.