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3rd Trimester
sarag0116
member
Women of short stature...
sarag0116
member
I'm short, 4'11" and I did ask my OB if this would increase my need for a c-section. She said that it was a good possibility. Anyone else of short stature been told something like this?
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Re: Women of short stature...
No. Weird. I am 5'0 and the dr said I am not high risk at all, he can't forsee any ( unusual) reason at the moment that I wouldn't have a natural delivery.
Why would it make a difference? Unless maybe you are very very tiny as well and she thinks your baby will be to big for your birth canal?
Yes.
I'm 4'10" and when I went in to have DS all the nurses were telling me to mentally prepare for a c-section. One L&D nurse of 30 years said she never saw someone under 5' deliver vaginally.
It turned out to be true for me too. DS's head was too big, got stuck, and I had to have a c/s. It took the dr. a long time to dislodge his head.
DH is 6'2", so that probably contributed to our too big baby. This LO was measuring big at 32 weeks as well, which is fine since I'm having a repeat c/s.
ETA: I will say that my doctor never said I was at increased risk for a c/s. The nurses were all telling me that they've never seen someone this short deliver vaginally. I don't know if there is any documented medical reason or study to back this up; it's just what my nurses (and I) have experienced.
I am 5' 2" and haven't been told anything about that...
HOWEVER - my one friend is 4' 10" and was told that there may be an issue with the epidural b/c of how compact her spine is (compact spine was assumed b/c of her height). Unfortunately, there was an issue with the epi and she was left with permanent nerve damage in her one foot - but she did end up delivering vaginally.
Well I was the one that brought it up to my OB. I just wanted an upfront response so I can be mentally prepared. My sister who is also short, ended up with an emergency c-section after 25 hours of labor. So, basically I was like, look, if I'm going to end up with a c-section, I just want a little heads up. She said the possibility was higher, but we'll just have to see when it gets closer.
Side note, my husband is 6'2"... you know how short women love tall men
I guess we'll see at my next ultrasound how big are baby is looking.
I'm just under 5'1. The first time I met with OB and he did a pelvic he said things looked great anatomically for a vaginal birth. We're still on track for that! I know loads of 5'2 and 5'3 people who delivered vaginally--though I know those heights are more common. If this was truly a concern, my question would be what did short women do before c-sections? Obviously some small women will have a problem (just like women of any height) but I wouldn't default to that assumption, simply given the course of history and looking even at modern at cultures that tend to be more petite in general.
More Green For Less Green
Seriously?? I know my friend's G-ma is like 4'9"- 4'10" and had 4 gigantic babies!! No c/s!
I'm 5'1" if I stand up super straight. I did have a sched c/s with DS, but it was ONLY b/c he was measuring big and I had GD. Emphasis on the AND... my Doc said if I didn't have the GD, he'd let me try vaginally. And that was even knowing DS would be over 9lb. The GD can give babies giant shoulders that get stuck though!
And DS was 9lb 11oz with a giant head... they said there was no way he would've fit! But he was not a "normal" size baby!
First, c-sections have been done since Ancient Greece and possibly earlier.
Second, any woman (short or tall) who couldn't deliver vaginally before c-sections died.
There is a woman on the natural birth board (probably on 0-3 now) who is about 4'11'' and gave birth at HOME, no problem
Your height has NOTHING to do with your hips ability to separate and birth a baby!
EDIT
also, you say your husband is tall. this also is irrelevant.
There are 2 factors in your ability to vaginally birth babies. Your hips. and your babies head.
The only time your hips would be "too small" is if they were fused/didn't separate. I had a professor in collage, she was about 6 feet tall, and average build. She could not deliver her less than 7 pound baby because her hips didn't separate. Using the big babies/small women logic, this would NEVER happen. Your husbands height should not affect the size of the babies head. Even a 9 pound baby really should be able to be birthed naturally assuming the weight isn't all in his head. Fat is squishy, if you have a big baby, his fat will squish around for you to birth him. SOMETIMES, a babies head plates are fused. Even then sometimes women birth those babies anyways.
Unless your husband has a head in the 90th percentile, and you have a family history of hips that do not separate. Don't worry about it.
And IMO, I'd start looking for a new doctor if I were you. I'm about 5 feet tall and planning on having a med-free birth. My doctor is VERY supportive and actually said to me last week -
"You're going to have the best vaginal birth in the history of our hospital!"
He was just trying to get me excited/relieve nerves, obviously births aren't compared on a 1-10 scale or something, but you get my point. A good doctor should be honest, but not scare you.
Yes, that's seriously what she told me.
My hips separated just fine, but not enough for my baby who has a 98th percentile head. My 4 year old now shares hats with my husband because my son has a HUGE head and my husband doesn't have a huge head.
If very small women procreate with very large men there is definitely a possibility that they could produce babies that are too big for them to deliver vaginally. Will they always? No, but it can definitely be a factor.
Are there other reasons why women wouldn't be able to give birth vaginally? Absolutely, as you demonstrated in your example.
Does being under 5' guarantee a c/s? No.
Does it increase the possibility? Quite possibly.
To the OP - I hope you deliver vaginally, but I'm glad you are aware enough to realize you could need a c/s. There is obviously no definite answer until you attempt labor.
I am 4 feet 11.5 inches, and I actually asked my doctor when I was pregnant with my first, a son, if me being so small would up my chances for a C-Section, and she said absolutely not.
I had an 8lb 5.5 oz baby boy vaginally, no issues. I will say, however, the shorter you are, the harder your pregnancy is on your body. I am pregnant now with a little girl, and my belly/uterus is measuring 4-5 weeks ahead of my actual week I am in, I am 36 weeks, my belly is measuring at 41 weeks, so my body is carrying around a bit of a harder load than a tall woman. Baby is also a good size already, and I have extra fluid, which is making me measure so much larger than I am. My midwives have all said it wouldn't be so hard if I was taller! But I am not, and they do not forsee a C-section, they actually said my pelvis and birth canal should be able to accomodate a 9 1/2 pounder vaginally after having an over 8 pounder!
Good luck, and I would plan on delivering vaginally
No, and I think that's crazy. Your height does not determine the size of your pelvic opening and the only way to figure out how big your pelvic opening is, is to get an x-ray or try to push a baby through it. I would give a MAJOR
if my tried to steer me towards a C/S for that reason (not saying yours is.)
Also, one OP said that being short can make pregnancy harder on you, and I have to politely disagree. That may be true for some, but not for all. While I would love a little more room for breathing, I'm abot 5'1 and a smidge, with a short torso and thought my belly would be huge by now. It's not, even though I've gained over 25 lbs already. Belly measures a week or two behind every week, and appears small compared to other women.
I have the usual pregnancy discomforts but nothing special. My baby has a big head but I'm not worried. My 5'0 mom birthed my big headed brother drug free and quickly.
I absolutely love my OB. She's great, and upfront. I am not scared at all of a c-section and am completely fine with having one if needed. Sorry if that got misinterpreted.
I agree! I am 5'1" and very petite. I had a normal vag birth no complications.
My recovery was a little rough. I had a bad tear and DD was only 6 pounds 10 oz. She also bruised (almost fractured) my tailbone but that is a result of how she came out... sunny side up!
My mother had 4 kids naturally and she is 5'1"with very petite body shape. I think your OB is full of sh*t and I would get another opinion or do some research.
Yes, you are right, I should have wrote that it could make pregnancy harder, everyone is different.
I think in both of my pregnancies, it is the fact that I grow good sized babies in a short torso that causes my extreme pain, and the fact that my belly is measuring 4-5 weeks ahead of my due date, even though my due date is definitely correct.
I am glad you are having a good pregnancy! I honestly believe in my situation if baby wasn't already measuring large, it would be easier:)