Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Nov
23
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“You Can’t Have A Vaginal Birth.”
“You can’t have a vaginal birth.” – OB to mother at a 10 week prenatal after observing and commenting on her hips.
There are 26 comments to this post.
Susan Peterson had this to say,
Nov 24, 2011 @ 2:12 am (Quote)
“The best pelvimeter is the baby’s head.” (William’s Obstetrics.) Not the OB’s gestimate.
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Mama Wrench had this to say,
Nov 24, 2011 @ 5:47 am (Quote)
The pelvis STRETCHES, doc. It’s a COMPOUND bone, not a solid one.
Once again I find myself asking… why should WE have to tell “the professionals” this? Shouldn’t THEY be the ones who know it, telling US?
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Alyson Miers had this to say,
Nov 24, 2011 @ 8:34 am (Quote)
Gee, I wonder how Mama’s slim-hipped ancestors ever managed to pass on their genes to her. I guess they must have all died in childbirth before modern surgery…oh, wait.
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Jenny Islander had this to say,
Nov 24, 2011 @ 9:15 am (Quote)
Reminds me of the OB who said that just by looking at my fat belly and my fat arms, he could tell that my vagina must also be full of fat. I would not be able to give birth without some form of assistance, he said, probably forceps. He casually nixed my plans to give birth at home and said that he hoped to be the OB on rotation when I arrived at the hospital. Then he shook my hand.
News flash: I can examine my own vagina, you know. There is no fat in there. Also, vaginas, you know, stretch. Just as pelves flex. So, OBs who pass this stuff on, I can think of two possibilities: You yourselves are not aware of these basic anatomical facts, or you are but you lie so that we will submit to your procedures. I’m not sure which frightens me more.
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Jespren had this to say,
Nov 24, 2011 @ 7:20 pm (Quote)
You know, you can feel bone on 3 sides of my ‘birth canal’, and it’s not like you have to search for it either. 2 fingers to insert a diaphram and…right there, bone on 3 sides. And, wait for it…2 natural vaginal births. Booya doctor idiot!
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This isn’t mine, but this happened to me almost verbatim.
Due to insurance issues, I started my prenatal care with an OB and a huge medical group. At my first appointment, maybe 9 weeks, I met with the OB for the first time and got to see the little bean on the ultrasound. Having a prior history of hip surgeries as a child, I brought up some ideas for labor, maybe could she suggest some things to research, and were there options for laboring/delivering in various positions when the time came?
She hemmed and hawed and basically said that I could “Try” for a vaginal birth. She wasn’t mean about it, but just not overwhelmingly positive/confident/supportive. I felt very… Dismissed. She never asked me details about my surgeries, just sort of brushed me off. I went to two more appointments with two more OBs and finally my new insurance kicked in, and I transferred care to a midwife and freestanding birth center.
Oh, and went on to deliver my 11 pound, 5 ounce son in water, after a 5 hour labor. Suck it, OB.
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Umm Hmmm. I have a friend who weighs 94 pounds, is 5’1″. Skiiny body, skinny hips. Birthed two bouncing baby boys over 7 pounds each through those teeny tiny hips. She’s going for a home birth with her next one, ‘cuz she is so frustrated with all the crap her OBs give her due to her size.
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Renai Reply:
November 27th, 2011 at 11:31 am (Quote)
Yes, we are part of the hips-too-small-to-birth-vaginally club. My 1st was a section with a 6lb, 10oz-er. My second was a vbac (hbac transfer) of well over 8 lbs. I’m 4’11″ and small like your friend. Darn, these teeny hips, huh? If we have another, I’ll be going for a home birth as well. Good luck to her!
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Dorothy "Hyphen" had this to say,
Nov 25, 2011 @ 2:39 pm (Quote)
I had something similar said to me by an on base gyn 6 months after my primary c-section. She said it was a good thing I wound up with a c-section because my pelvis was far too narrow to birth vaginally.
After a planned HBAC turned to a VBAC when my son got stuck, I had x-rays done and found I really do have a very small pelvis. My niece went through something similar (only she was able to birth vaginally because her first baby was very small and her midwives the second time around really knew their stuff), so it does seem to be an inherited size issue for us.
That being said, you can never tell how the pelvis will change during pregnancy.
I went on to have a HBA2C and that baby was the largest of all of mine.
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Laura--The Sushi Snob had this to say,
Nov 25, 2011 @ 3:11 pm (Quote)
A woman at my church said that her doctor and a L&D nurse told her that she couldn’t have a baby larger than 6 pounds, since her baby weighed that at birth. I think they were full of it.
On that note, a lot of people (NOT my midwives!) think I must be too skinny to give birth. I have to tell them I come from a long line of thin women with awesome birthing hips. My mom delivered a 10 pound baby vaginally, and her doctor said that she could have delivered a 12 pounder with no problem.
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Holly Reply:
November 27th, 2011 at 9:42 pm (Quote)
After my first had shoulder dystocia (Gee.. I was 15, was not allowed ANY birth education, was induced, was on Demerol and hallucinating from it, purple pushing, dead cockroach pushing, had a nurse on my bed pushing on my stomach..) _ I was told I could NEVER deliver a child over 7.5 pounds again. It would be dangerous to my child. I stressed my entire second pregnancy and BEGGED for ultrasounds and was denied so I was terrified to go into labor.. “luckily” he was only 5lbs 4 oz at 36 weeks. The next two were similarly sized. Then came the GD.. the next baby was 8lbs 4 oz. I was TERRIFIED AGAIN!! 
I was so worried about labor with the GD. The dr kept pushing me to have a c/s because he expected him to be big I refused. As I was pushing the dr walked in and told me “don’t stop pushing, remember the SD”. I pushed hard and long and got him out in three pushes. For the last baby same thing.. (new) dr pushing for a c/s even though I did well with the 8lbs4oz baby… I persisted with natural and got it. I do remember him stalling/sticking for a few seconds which shocked me as no one since the first has paused. It was 2-3 pushes and out they slid. I got SCARED and I remember growling, “Someone get this kid O-U-T of me, NOW”. I took another deep breath and pushed two more times and he came out finally but OMG!!
The drs were/are convinced that since I had difficulties with the FIRST child that I would ALWAYS have troubles. It’s depressing and dumb
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Umm..what?
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