another disappointing doc visit

[marie3246]

So I went in yesterday and saw my reg doc who confirmed I have a very narrow pelvis which really ups my chances/need for a c section. She got called out for a delivery so another doc came in and also checked and confirmed the same thing. I'm scheduled for a ultrasound next week to see babies size and discuss my options then.

I didn't know I would feel this way but I am so upset. They both told me that while my pelvis can open more during delivery its not going to double in size and there are a lot of risk/complications that could happen. I was up all night reading and while it seems like there are some people that successfully delivered vaginally most ended in a emergency c section anyways.

I know we aren't making any decisions yet and the end goal is to get her here the safest way and I should be grateful I am even able to have kids but I feel like my body is failing me. How am I able to carry this baby but not to deliver her safely? Dh always told me when I was concerned about the pain of delivery that it would be fine since I was designed to do this and I'm not. I'm so sad that its likely I won't be able to call dh and tell him I'm in labor and it feels weird to pick her body. This is just not how I pictured it at all. No one in my or my husbands family has had csections and I just don't understand why this has to happen to me.

Thanks for letting me vent...

[narockshard]

Aw, I'm sorry to hear all that As someone that also really wants a vaginal delivery, I can understand how frustrating this would be to hear. Hang in there, and focus on the positives that you'll have a healthy baby delivered regardless.

[theatre4life]

**hugs** I've got nothing to say, other than HUGE hugs to you! Everything will work out! **hugs**

[picksthemusic]

Can I ask how they measured you? I have done a lot of reading (Ina May Gaskin, Penny Simkin, etc), and they all say that the actual event of 'small pelvis' is actually quite rare, and how your pelvis looks now is no indication as to how far/well it will stretch to accomodate your baby's exit during actual labor.

Are they willing to let you go into labor on your own and trial labor/delivery/pushing? Because getting a c/s solely based on a predicted 'small pelvis' is bad medicine IMO. Let me see if I can find some information for you.

I wish you all the best!!

[Yankees21]

I'm so sorry you are struggling with this. Please don't feel like you're failing though, you've done a great job having her grow and develop.

[marie3246]

Feb 20, 2014 9:54:46 GMT -5 picksthemusic said:

Can I ask how they measured you? I have done a lot of reading (Ina May Gaskin, Penny Simkin, etc), and they all say that the actual event of 'small pelvis' is actually quite rare, and how your pelvis looks now is no indication as to how far/well it will stretch to accomodate your baby's exit during actual labor.

Are they willing to let you go into labor on your own and trial labor/delivery/pushing? Because getting a c/s solely based on a predicted 'small pelvis' is bad medicine IMO. Let me see if I can find some information for you.

I wish you all the best!!

They both did an internal check and I have had x rays with my main doc before getting pregnant. They are doing a sonogram on Tuesday as well. They aren't jumping to schedule me for a c section right now but are just letting me know that my chances for one are higher due to the way my pelvis is shaped. Its not only that its narrow but that the front part is low so she would basically have to go significantly under it to be delivered. As of now if I go into labor on my own they are encouraging me to try and deliver vaginally but again my chances for a c section in the end are higher. They also may induce me next week depending on the babies size. The main problem is that if I go much past my due date and the baby is big in addition to my pelvis it would be very hard.

All the research I have done doesn't look all that promising. Most still end in a c section anyways and if not they have very difficult long and painful births. I feel like I'm screwed either way.

[picksthemusic]

Okay... so here's something I found. If you are lying on your back during a pelvic exam (which you are), that is the smallest your pelvis will be since gravity is basically pulling it 'closed'. So that measurement is not correct (not to mention that your labor hormones that open the pelvis haven't really kicked in yet). Here's some info:

"When lying on your back, your pelvis compacts into it’s narrowest shape. OP means that a larger shape of the baby’s head is presenting, so if the pelvis shape is also at it’s smallest, you may have more difficulty getting the head to pass through. This could lead to assisted delivery or Cesarean on the pretext that your pelvis is ‘too small’ to have your baby (also known as cephalo-pelvic disproportion, or CPD).

You actually want the exact opposite to happen! Rather than constricting your pelvis, you should aim to help yoru pelvis have its most open shape. More space is created in the pelvis by leaning forward, or being on your hands and knees. This also has the benefit of lessening the pressure of the head on your tailbone (lying down means gravity adds more pressure in that area). If you go into labor and the baby is still posterior, I would advise you to ask for a natural birthing room if there is one in your hospital, or let the staff know your goal is to labor in a way that comes natural to you. Then they are more likely to be generous with allowing you to adopt the position you desire. You could even request for your initial 20 minutes of monitor time to be done while you are still on your hands and knees. A mother I assisted whose baby was OP did just that instinctively, and simply refused to lie down or even sit. The midwife managed to apply the monitor and get the required inital 20 minute printout while the mother was in this position just fine."

Anyway - you don't have to give up a vaginal birth. I would highly recommend getting a doula who knows what they're doing with pelvic techniques to give you your best shot.

Good luck!

[formerlyak]

Two stories to share:

1. My mom was told she had a narrow pelvis and the doc didn't think she'd be able to deliver vaginally. She wanted to try, so the doc said ok. She delivered both me and my brother (who was a big fat baby) vaginally and labor start to finish with both of us was less than like 5 hours.

2. I was told with ds that I had a narrow pelvis, but my doctor believed that if I wanted to try for a vaginal delivery I should try because you never know what will happen once you go into labor. I wanted to try and she was very supportive of that. After 28 hours of labor, we realized that the kid would never get past my pelvis, I wasn't dilating because my cervix was hitting my pelvis and swelling and then ds started to go into distress. So they stopped the contractions with meds and I went in for a c-section.

So if you really want a vaginal delivery, push for it, because you really don't know until you are there in labor as illustrated by the difference between my experience and my mom's experience. But go in with an open mind knowing that you may end up with a c-section if during labor it becomes apparent that your pelvis just isn't going to let that baby out.

[FastHands]

Try to give yourself and your body a break. I know it can be frustrating when a natural process starts to feel unnatural, but as someone who needed drugs just to GET pregnant, I've found that sometimes you need to accept that everyone's body is different. And just because you might have some extra complications, try to just be thankful that you have doctors who are looking out for any risks and the medical techniques to intercede should that become necessary. I know it's difficult and all of this is emotional, but cut yourself a little slack, too!

[Deleted]

Vent away! I am in the same position. I have a narrow pelvis and had an emergency c/s. I WAS able to have the experience of being excited and telling DH I was in labor. My water broke on it's own in the middle of the night and then we went to the hospital.

I switched docs to try to VBAC and this one said she would try but also warned that I will prob have another c/s. If that is what you have to do then that is what you have to do. A c/s is not that bad at all. My recovery was super easy.

[mrsnole]

Feb 20, 2014 9:54:46 GMT -5 picksthemusic said:

Can I ask how they measured you? I have done a lot of reading (Ina May Gaskin, Penny Simkin, etc), and they all say that the actual event of 'small pelvis' is actually quite rare, and how your pelvis looks now is no indication as to how far/well it will stretch to accomodate your baby's exit during actual labor.

Are they willing to let you go into labor on your own and trial labor/delivery/pushing? Because getting a c/s solely based on a predicted 'small pelvis' is bad medicine IMO. Let me see if I can find some information for you.

I wish you all the best!!

Ditto all of this.  But you should ultimately do what you are more comfortable with.

[blushing]

I am sorry. Please remember though that neither you nor your body is failing though. It created your baby and has kept is safe for a full term pregnancy. I hope you can try for a vaginal labour, but even if you end up with a c-section, you will still have a sweet baby at the end.

[changedname]

Sorry, pp are right, at the end of the day, the main thing is that you have carried your baby to term and as long as he or she is healthy, that is the main thing. You and your body have not failed at all.

[marie3246]

Thanks everyone. This all has made me feel a lot better. I will wait and see what happens at my next appt on Tuesday and go from there.

[katinthehat]

Feb 21, 2014 20:11:05 GMT -5 marie3246 said:

Thanks everyone. This all has made me feel a lot better. I will wait and see what happens at my next appt on Tuesday and go from there.

I also have a narrow pelvis confirmed by x-rays, doctors and a chiropractor.  We just didn't know it before I was induced with my first and she ended in an emergency c-s.

Here's what I wish I would have done.  Had a plan for a vaginal birth (which is what I did) and proceed as normal.   Go into labor, experience that and hopefully it will all end as planed.  But also, go back for another hospital tour and this time, look at it from a c/s point of view.   Ask your doctor what the hospital policies and practices are.  Come up with a c/s birth plan and be comfortable with that as well.  I wish I had done that because I was so hellbent on a vaginal birth that I was afraid if I planned for a c/s that it meant I would end up needing one.  But comparing the birth of my first with the planned c/s of my second, I had such a much, much, much better experience with my second.

[bina]

I don't normally post here and I FULLY support your trying for a vaginal birth. I fought like hell for one and while it didn't work out I don't regret at all trying. I just wanted to share that the c section I ended up needing went very smoothly and wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I didn't have an epidural for labor so they did a spinal block instead and the procedure took about 30 minutes. My husband accompanied our son to the nursery and my doula stayed with me while they finished up. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Best wishes.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using proboards

[thatgirl2478]

I was induced around 41w 5 days (give or take). I was hooked up early in the am and made it to 3 cm before all that good stuff stopped. DD's head wasn't sitting correctly & was causing cervical swelling vs dilation. I ended up with a c/s about 12 hrs after I started pitocin. I was disappointed at first because I never anticipated needing a c/s. Honestly, after it was all said and done, I'm glad that I had it (and not just because it was what was best for DD). At that point I was exhausted (because it's hard to sleep in the middle of the day when you're hooked up to monitors & IV's and have nurses coming in to check on you all the time. Plus I was starving (hadn't eaten since the night before).

With this baby I'll walk into the OR, pop myself up on the table and be done by lunch hopefully! Yes, recovery is rough, but for ME it wasn't worse than a rough vaginal birth.

I know it's not what you're expecting, and the thought of going through surgery is scary.  But it's not ALL bad.  Maybe you can try laboring on your own and see if the situation opens up, if not, you move on to option 2.