Too small to birth naturally?

[Shanti]

she was told because she is so small she would need as having the baby would tear her in half? She was told of a story sbout another firend who birthed naturally and was tiny and all her insides fell out???? Can someone tell me how that happens and why?

it's stories like these that 'small' women get told, and it scares them into wanting to have C.sections!! (sometimes).....

I believe the majority of cases, many smaller women can birth their babies naturally even if they are huge babies like 11 or 12pds or so!!! There are so many stories out there where small women have done this their body is designed to carry their particular baby.
Obviously though in saying this, there are cases where some smaller women or women in general, no matter whether you are a size 6 or a size 16, have trouble birthing their baby naturally, well should I say vaginally... due to medical reasons, exhaustion from long labour etc etc.... hence why c/sections are definitely needed in certain situations and can be very life saving!! We are so lucky c.sections are around however they are definitely over -used these days and that's a shame.

Hopefully Kelly see's this as she'll no doubt attach a link to a website that shows images and info about small women, i mean tiny women who birthed HUGE babies like 12pds or more.... it's really interesting!!!! It's on BB somewhere here....

[Evee]

I've heard that this one is generally a scare tactic used by Obs to coerce people into caesarians... not sure of the truth in *that*, BUT I do know that a woman's pelvis is designed to pull apart and stretch right out during labour. No doctor can really predict a woman's ability to stretch until she is right there doing it!

My midwife told me of a tiny woman, a size six, who looked barely pregnant. She was giving birth and the baby just kept coming, and coming, and coming - it was a whopper! 11 pounds all up. Both mother and baby were a-ok. I love hearing stories like that!

[Shanti]

I've heardBUT I do know that a woman's pelvis is designed to pull apart and stretch right out during labour. No doctor can really predict a woman's ability to stretch until she is right there doing it!

!

:yeahthat:

[nickle730]

I think it has more to do with the shape of the pelvis than the size of the woman. I've also read that nature dictates that most women will grow a baby that is of a size their pelvis is capable of birthing. Gotta love Mother Nature... the human body is such an amazing thing!

[~me~]

I thought it was all to do with Pelvis too?

I am 5ft 2 and 48kg (sz 6) and have vaginally birthed 3 children (no insides falling out).
My mother is smaller and had 6kids.

One of my boys was nearly 9lbs

I looked absolutely huge my last two pregnancy's and people would look at my like
Sounds like a scare tactic to me without knowing all the facts.

[~Raven~]

Yep I'm sub 50kg most of the time and was a size 7 with my first and had no problems. I know of much larger (framed, I don't mean weight) women that have had problems!

If a caregiver use the term "Tear her in half" then I'd be telling her to complain! That's awful!

Perhaps though she has embellished what was said because she felt she had to to justify the reasons why she elected to have a c/sect IYKWIM.

[Rainbow_Mumma]

I'm 5ft and was a size 6 when I had DS and DD1 and both of them were born vaginally with no tearing or anything as already said its all to do with the uterus and pelvis nothing to do with weight/height/size etc

[boomba]

Thanks hun! I totally agree that we need C sections I wouldnt be here if it were not for them and I believe if you make an educated and informed descion to have one its your right, just makes me sad that she may not have know she could do it naturally....thanks goodness for BB and opening my eyes to so much

I am pretty sure I have seen the link from Kelly???

ETA thanks Evee! I totally think it was a scare tatic

[fourthontheway]

My grandma was 4ft11 and her babies were all born at home with no tearing and no prolapses. 11 babies in all. And she had one that was 11lb and one that was 13lb, the rest were all at tiny 9lb

It's simply not true that women who are small can't give birth. Pelvises OPEN to allow babies out. And being small isn't a cause of a prolapse after birth, pelvic floor damage is the reason and that can be prevented with pelvic floor excercises during pregnancy in most cases.

You can't accurately predict whether or not a baby will fit through a pelvis until it's TRYING to get through it, and the pelvis is TRYING to open up.