Webby- i see a chiro and an osteo and they are both awsome, keep me in good shape. I trust them 100% But if one of them were to tell me i couldn't birth naturally, i wouldn't be taking their word as gospel. I would certainly be looking at getting other opinions.
I didn't mean to offend with my comment of Chiro's not being experts on birth. Obviously some have more experience than others in certain areas. But i was making the point that they do not have a mediacal degree, yes they are experts on the skeletal system, but not birthing per se.
It is great to hear that your chiro was so instrumental in your last birth. Hope the next one is the same. Sorry if i offended.
I may be facing the same decision soon. My body is only small and it has always been a concern that I may not have enough room through my pelvis for a baby to pass through. We spoke to our Obs on our first visit to him and he said we will have a closer look at that later on. Last week we had out third trimester growth scan and it looks like our baby boy is going to be big. He is already measuring 2 weeks ahead of himself. We have our appointment this Thursday with the Obs to discus what he thinks. I have made it clear to him that I am not interested in going through hours of labour only to have a c/s. He is aware of that and said we will see how we go but assured me he wont let it get that far. If he says to me that there is a chance that this will not go well vaginally and could end up being a c/s. I will have to decide if I give it a go or not risk it and book in an elective c/s. Honestly I would love to give birth vaginally but If I don't I am not going to think that I am less of a woman or that my body let me down. My body most certainly didn't let me down. We conceived and grew a healthy baby, I am happy to decide on a c/s if that is what is best to bring my little man into the world!
I just have to say that being small is not really a medical reason to not be able to give birth vaginally.
I am 5 foot nothing and am a tiny frame and I had no trouble birthing my baby, my body knew exactly what it needed to do and it did it!
Women's bodies are designed to give birth this way (with some very rare exceptions).
Also, with the growth scans, I would take that with a grain of salt too, there are many threads around here about how far off the ultrasounds were.
Just my opinion and hope it helps you guys to have confidence in your bodies... you can do it!
Just remember that female pelvises are designed very differently to those of men, purely to enable the passage of a baby during the birth process. Our bodies are designed to give birth. The female pelvis is wider, shallower, lighter and rounder than that of a male. It is built to accommodate a growing baby and it is able to stretch during pregnancy and childbirth. Our body size or shape is not an accurate representation of the size and shape of our pelvis, or its ability to fulfil its function.
FWIW my ob always said the only sure way to find out if a baby was too big was to give labour a go!
Don't worry too much about fundus measurements...this time around at 28 weeks I was measuring 2 weeks ahead of dates but that came back into line as bub moved down.
I would be more worried about having that "seed" of an idea planted in your mind that you won't be able to give birth vaginally. Family history is certainly something to take into account but that combined with you having been told that you will be unable to give birth vaginally is going to take a very powerful mindset to overcome (if that is of course what you want).
I would be doing some research on caesarians vs vaginal birth and deciding what you would like "in a perfect world." If you do decide that you want a vaginal birth I would be looking into Calmbirthing/Hypnobirthing and just generally educating and physically preparing yourself as much as possible because you will need that extra mental strength if you start getting nervous. And by the same token, if you decide you want an elective C-section then push for it. It is your birth, after all. Just do your research first.
beau - i too lost a hell of alot of blood and also had to have a transfusion.... i am DEFINITELY 200% opting for hypnobirthing next time.... i am 5 foot 2, but my mum is barely 5 foot and birthed us three kids with no issues...
just my opinion but i would be very wary of anyone, ob or not, doubting your ability to birth your baby based on how petite you are and a scan... scans are notorious for being wrong, actually in my experience are completely unreliable in that sense... my doctor was the same, doubted my ability to birth what he called my 'big' baby (she ended up being 8 pounds 7, not that big at all really) and i was booked in to have a c-section, just happened to go into labour before the date.... it was HIM who planted the seed of doubt in my mind which was the catalyst in my awful traumatic experience...
just my opinion but if i had of trusted my body more, and listened to my doctor less, i am sure i would have had a much better outcome... the thing about birth is, no two births are alike, there are all sorts of variables that impact on how things go, so i fail to see how anyone can predict the future, no matter how many births they have seen.... its just not something that is black and white like that.
The human body is an amazing thing, and as previous posters have said, we are designed to give birth, and with the right positioning, the pelvis opens right up to let the baby out. Have you considered a doula or your own midwife? They can give you ongoing support and help you with positioning during the birth.
Keep in mind that any amount of spontaneous labour is good for the baby. It assists with their breathing, helps with breastfeeding etc etc.
It's great to hear that your OB is encouraging a vaginal birth, but he still needs to hear you out on your concerns. Change if you're not comfortable with how he listens.
You've already had some great responses here, but i'll toss my 2c in anyway
1) The female pelvis is NOT fully formed at 16, it often isn't fully formed until 20 or 21! Even once it is fully formed, unless a woman is in labour and in the best possible birthing position (deep squat or hands and knees) it's impossible to see how much room she has for a baby to pass through. If the x-ray had been taken while you were IN labour and the baby's head was as descended as it could get, i can imagine that one x-ray might be able to reveal if/why you couldn't birth that specific baby in the positions you were both in. But that's it. It can't tell you anything unless you're in labour, and if you are in labour it can only tell you something about THAT labour, not any potential future ones.
2) there ARE pelvises which make birth more drawn-out and posterior presentation of the babe more likely (grab a pink kit for more info on that, it's related to the angle of the front pubic arch) BUT and it's a huge BUT, those women can ABSOLUTELY give birth vaginally. Their labours might not look "textbook" but they are perfectly normal, healthy effective labours and they get the baby out just fine in the end.
3) looking at family history can be helpful, but fear is contagious, more contagious than anything else that will affect your ability to birth. If the women of your family couldn't give birth to their babies you'd have died out about 150 years ago when sections weren't available/safe. It is VERY possible that your family have the shape of pelvis mentioned in the pink kit which can slightly more often mean a longer labour and posterior presentation (and as someone above said, it's not something you can see by looking at your bodyshape), but it is the Ob panicking and prescribing a section which prevented vaginal birth, NOT the pelvis. On the whole 13 hours isn't at all long for a first labour. Up to 24 hours is totally normal.
Obviously i'm not a birth psychic, and some women DO need a section, but less than half of the women who are currently having them ACTUALLY need them. Without knowing about your mum's first and your sis's only labours it's hard to say for sure, but i'd be willing to bet intervention made some difference in those situations. Were they moving freely and upright during labour, or were they made to lie on the bed most of the time? Did they manage to avoid epidural anaesthesia and stay as drug free as possible? Were either of them given induction drugs or was their labour un-augmented and totally natural? There are SO many factors in birthing a baby, and the shape of the bones is realy, truly, very rarely a major one. Look at it rationally - your guts would easily fit through your pelvis, but they don't fall out because your pelvic floor holds them in place, that same pelvic floor holds the weight of your baby as it grows, bounces, wriggles and squirms and then one fine day it doesn't anymore, instead it completely reverses its normal function in order to let your baby out, and right away afterwards it reverts to its normal form and even though a giant baby fit through there, your guts STILL don't fall out! - the female anatomy is a many-wondrous thing hun, the more i learn about it the more astounded i am by it.
If i were you i'd perhaps seek a different opinion from a MIDWIFE. They see every size and shape of woman and they are very in touch with what is normal and possible, and will be able to offer you a realistic viewpoint and give you more confidence in making your decision. You might also want to consider a different Ob if you feel yours doesn't listen to your concerns - however you birth you need to be able to trust your care-givers and putting yourself and your baby into the hands of someone you already find to be ignorant of your concerns and needs.
But if one of them were to tell me i couldn't birth naturally, i wouldn't be taking their word as gospel. I would certainly be looking at getting other opinions.
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