Can a baby be too big for your cervix?

[sunshine_sieben]

Hun, your body is amazing! You have succesfully given birth to 2 "large" babies vaginally. Your body has done it's thing twice before. You should trust that it can do it again. I think deep down you know that, but it's always good to get some encouragement.
Yes, it is possible for a baby to be too large. But it is extremely uncommon and often the result of other health problems (ie. GD, rickets) or malposition. If you are worried, it might help looking into OFP (Optimal fetal positioning) to give you and your bub the best chance.
I personally haven't had very large babies. (DD was 3.9kg, DS was 3.34kg) With both I was told they're gonna be small. They weren't. But they weren't whoppers either.
My babies have gotten smaller. Although I gained more weight the second time around. But my grandmother gave birth to 6 babies, all over 5kg, all at home with a midwife).

Try and focus on how well your body has served you the last couple of times. You will be fine.

All the best!
Sasa
xx

[~me~]

Hope this helps

I am only 5ft 2 and weigh 48kg..DS1 was 3.8kk my DS2 was over 4kg and a natural delivery :dance They aren't huge but big for me I think?? Like Kelly said, weight will be distributed..my kids get it all in their cheeks
I did use and epidural but I am a wuss when it comes to birth. My DD who is now 8wks old was nealy 4kg and natural..no suction, no forceps, just great help from my DH and OB and only a tiny little tear with no damage anywhere else.
Womens bodies are amazing and can do amazing things, I can see where you would second guess yourself when you read something like that.

Take care

x Heather

[Trillian]

For sure if you've already had a larger baby then you aren't as worried about having another one. My 3rd was 4.32kg and my 4th was 4.56 and #3 was harder to get out than #4 by a long shot. #4 was still a lot of hard work but I would gladly have another one that size or bigger than give birth to #3 all over again.

[Snacks]

Also don't forget that a baby's skull isn't a solid piece of bone, it will mould and shape as much as it needs to so it can be born.

Great point, Trill.

it would have been medically necessary because the cervix will only dilate to 10cms and the baby probably would have torn the cervix and caused internal bleeding

Hey Curly. I'm no MW, but to me this looks as though someone has taken this little gem right out of the PROMA study. (Pulled Right Out of My A...)
Forgive me if I am mistaken, but isn't the whole number of cm thing a bit of an estimate? No one has taken a ruler to me during labour. The reality is, the cervix dilates and effaces so that it is flush with the os. When you are fully dilated, I believe it is generally not possible to feel the cervix, so who knows how much 'give' is left in it?
Did you tear in your last births? Internal tearing is possible, but there are lots of things you can do to minimise that risk for yourself. Kelly has already spoken about positioning during labour and you can prep yourself to try not to 'push' as much as just let your body propel the baby out, KWIM?
If I were you, I would read loads of fabulous birthing articles to increase your confidence in yourself once again.

[BellyBelly]

I have loads of links to inspirational you tube clips and images - there is one I think in the labour section, stickied, something like, think you're small? then check this out.... images of women who have typically small statured cultures birthing these sized babies and bigger

[Curly]

I'm no MW, but to me this looks as though someone has taken this little gem right out of the PROMA study. (Pulled Right Out of My A...)

ROFL!

you can prep yourself to try not to 'push' as much as just let your body propel the baby out, KWIM?

Ah yes, that aspect I have trouble with. I tore both times, first time DS was epidural and forceps so I couldn't feel a thing.

Second time with DD, they told me to get up on the bed and start pushing and it felt completely unnatural, I did not have the urge to push. The midwife told me I sounded like I needed to push and I told her I felt constipated but had no real feeling that I wanted to start pushing...but they told me it was time. The OB then told me I wasn't pushing hard enough and so DD's head wound up half-crowning and I had to wait for the next contraction with her head half poking out and the OB telling me that if I'd pushed harder she would already be in my arms. Helpful...not. He told me afterwards that his wife never felt the urge to push either and she'd had 5 kids.

It was only 3 little stitches after DD though.

I actually asked my OB (new OB this time) about whether it was true some women just don't get the urge to push and she looked very dubious and said it was very rare and that they'd probably made me push before I was ready.

The idea of the contractions helping push the baby out is still something I simply don't "get" because I don't know what the urge to push feels like.

[Trillian]

See 'purple pushing' really isnt' good at all. It is the most important time during birth where I think you really need to listen to your body kwim? A lot of women don't get that strong urge to push and birth their babies just fine. I think it is our bodies way of doing what needs to be done.

[sunshine_sieben]

IMHO, if you need to push, you will know it. with both my babies I have never needed someone to tell me. I think I would have ripped their heads off. I honestly had NO Control over whether I pushed or not. My body just did it. I pushed like an Ox with DD as I felt that that's what I needed to do. Especially once she was crowning, I just wanted to get it over and done with. Her head kept going back and forth a few times and it hurt so much that I instinctively held bakc with the pushing a little. At some point I couldn't handle the burning sennsation any longer so I birthed the head with one almighty push. I tore my labia. Not badly, but I needed stitches. With DS I had planned to breath him out slowly to avoid tearing again as I found the stitches worse than labour pain. But I had no say in it the second time around either. My body told me to push, so I did I tore "along the dotted line". But it didn't bother me.

The concept of "breathing the head out" still appeals to me. But I found it impossible. DS came out like a freight train (didn't even make it to the car, let alone to the birth centre).

I do believe your baby will come out even if you never get the urge to push and never consciously push. The contractions are pushing for you.

Sasa

[Snacks]

Yep, I liked the idea of breathing the baby out too for my 2nd but my MW wasn't aware or particularly supportive of my desire to stand to birth the baby. By that stage I was too tired (in transition when I arrived) to argue, plus I was already pushing because it felt so good. I feel like if I had've prepped DH better or had a doula that I would've been able to give it a go.
Curly, it sounds like your new OB is pretty cool and hopefully she will allow you to follow your body's lead and push when you are ready. Might be worth chatting to her and your support person/people beforehand and letting them know if you want to try certain positions or whatever. I found New Active Birth had some helpful suggestions for positions to try during 2nd stage. Either way, the only time I have heard of people damaging their cervices was when they were made to push before they were ready. And yours has made it through that unscathed, so take heart

[~me~]

The urge to push is feeling like you need to poo. I could still feel it even with an epidural. The pressure is in your behind and the MW can check. It does sound like in the past you have been told to push without being ready
Everyone is different...