Mar 19

“…Your Pelvis Must Be Too Small…”

“Well, your pelvis must be too small then.” -Midwife to mother who would not acknowledge that her baby was too big to birth vaginally, as the VBAC mother was getting ready to start pushing.

42 people dislike these words.

There are 14 comments to this post.

Jane had this to say, Mar 19, 2010 @ 5:07 am (Quote)

“baby too big” and “pelvis too small” are on a continuum. They’re dependent on each other, and it’s not possible to measure them as if they’re static: a good fit also depends on Baby’s position, how much the baby’s head molds, and how flexible the mother’s pelvis is and whether she’s able to move around.

If mom hadn’t started pushing yet, there’s no way to know what’s going to fit, but obviously the baby had descended enough to dilate the cervix.

[Reply]

The Deranged Housewife had this to say, Mar 19, 2010 @ 5:10 am (Quote)

What a lovely, supportive thing to say as mom’s pushing. I wonder what she said, then, when the baby came out? Probably didn’t take back her words or apologize, I’m sure.

[Reply]

K had this to say, Mar 19, 2010 @ 7:38 am (Quote)

True cephalopelvic disproportion (babies literally too big for moms) are thought to happen less than 2 in 1000 births.

The remainder of issues are most likely due to malpositions. Doctors tend to poo-poo the importance of position (as they can get them out “through the window” anyway). But, a good midwife will be aware of many subtle variations in position that can make things easy or hard depending.

Check out spinningbabies.com

[Reply]

Laura Reply:
March 21st, 2010 at 2:25 pm Laura(Quote)

My sis-in-law’s awesome midwife says, “God doesn’t put babies IN that are too big to get OUT.” She encourages and assists with and communicates about all those varying positions that can make such a difference.

[Reply]

Sarah Dorrance-Minch had this to say, Mar 19, 2010 @ 12:43 pm (Quote)

One expects doctors to never have heard of the Gaskin manouvre, but midwives? Oh, come on. She should have known better. (Assuming the worst, that the baby was stuck in the pushing phase, which doesn’t appear to even have been the case, if the mother was only “getting ready” to start pushing. Medwife alert…) Anyway, as I’ve read the various literature, isn’t every mother capable of pushing her baby out if she’s in a good position, and she isn’t a midget with ricketts or otherwise a victim of bizarre circumstance?

[Reply]

Seaason Reply:
March 19th, 2010 at 4:54 pm Seaason(Quote)

actually no… my 1st baby when i was 19yo was 11Lb and i was in the pushing stage and he failed to come out.. i was rushed off for an emergency c-section to discover that we had shoulder dystocia, his shoulders wher too big, he got stuck, so the had to cut me open, and pull him back up in2 the birth canal to be born via c-section… as rare as it is.. it does happen…
now im not saying thats the case with this lady…. but in response to ur “isn’t every mother capable of pushing her baby out” comment..
that said.. i have gone onto have 3 succesful VBACs and am planning another in 10 weeks.. ((they where all smaller than 8lbs, no more humongous babies))

[Reply]

Umm Abdullah Reply:
March 22nd, 2010 at 12:56 pm Umm Abdullah(Quote)

Did you have GD with your first?

[Reply]

Seaason Reply:
March 22nd, 2010 at 2:03 pm Seaason(Quote)

no, with every baby they keep telling me im gonna have GD but every tests comes back fine…
i am 5’9″ and his dad was 6’3″.. hence he was bound to be big

[Reply]

Kelsy Reply:
March 20th, 2010 at 4:42 am Kelsy(Quote)

I think someone said that less than 2 in 100 births are legitimately impossible. You are right about the Gaskin Maneuver though, but i think it is mainly used for shoulder dystocia. And Seaason, there is a chance your OB could have assisted you in continuing to birth vaginally, had they known the Gaskin Maneuver. Im not saying it would have been 100% but it usually works. Unfortunately, because doctors are told, ‘if shoulder dystocia happens you must perform an emergency section’ they don’t know any better. Lots of women are able to deliver babies with shoulder dystocia. Congrats on the successful VBAC’s though, way to go!

[Reply]

Kelsy Reply:
March 20th, 2010 at 4:46 am Kelsy(Quote)

http://www.thefarm.org/midwives/dystocia.html

[Reply]

Jespren Reply:
March 20th, 2010 at 6:31 am Jespren(Quote)

One OB actually had the nerve (or ignorance?) to tell me that the lithotomy position is the “best position to prevent shoulder dystocia”

[Reply]

SistaC had this to say, Mar 20, 2010 @ 5:32 am (Quote)

As much as I wish it wasn’t the case, this is mine.

I was preparing to push, on my knees and leaning on the headboard of the hospital bed, while I had an unsupportive ob. on one side and a midwife on the other, yelling in unison that the baby was ‘too big’. When I insisted he wasn’t too big, the midwife came out with this little gem.

It amazes me that some medical ‘professionals’ think that women as so clueless when it comes to their own bodies, that we’d take a strangers’ word as truth without question.

It also amazes me the level that they will stoop to in order to scare us into submission. In the few short moments between preparing to push and actually pushing, I was told that baby was ‘too big’, my pelvis was ‘too small’, that he would ‘likely suffer shoulder dystocia’, that I would end up with another c-section if I didn’t comply and that I was being ‘selfish’ for insisting I birth my ‘own way’. All this so that I would birth on my back (to give me an unwanted episiotomy, as it turns out).

I often wonder how much more beautiful my son’s birth would have been if I wasn’t fighting for him all the way to the end.

[Reply]

Laura Reply:
March 21st, 2010 at 2:27 pm Laura(Quote)

Aw, SistaC… that is so terrible. I’m sorry you had to go through all that mess. Wish I (or somebody!) could have been there to give them all a big ol’ STFU.

[Reply]