Have you considered going to a webster method chiropractor to help with the pelvic pain? That was amazing in the second half of my pregnancy with DS.
Don't listen to your OB about having a baby too big to deliver vaginally. I would encourage you to find a doula to help you get through it and to help advocate for you if your doctor tries to push you into a csection early.
Honestly, unless you LOVE your doctor I would switch doctors.
I will look into this. My pelvic area hurts SO MUCH. I explained in response to someone else that I don't think my OB was trying to discourage me from a vaginal birth. That is actually our plan, but she was giving me the facts of my situation. The baby's specialist is the one that was giving me grief about having a big baby. My OB still guessed that it would be a c-section, but that's all it was, an educated guess. I actually do like her a lot. Her straight-forwardness is what I like, but this situation is just scary all around for me as I've never experienced childbirth (at it's just scary to begin with).
Baby specialist?
I still don't like that your OB is guessing that you will have a csection vs a vaginal just because an ultrasound says your baby will be on the bigger side. But if you are confident and comfortable that your OB will do everything to help you have the birth you want then stick with them! Trusting your provider is a huge part in getting through a scary but totally possible situation.
I think this is a good point. I don't have any scientific proof to back this up, but I do think "easier" vaginal births happen if the baby is low and engaged prior to labor. DS was at like 0 station prior to birth, meaning fully engaged. I think if your baby is high and not engaged at labor seems a lot more difficult (because a lot of your pushing energy is expended just getting the baby to engage).
ETA: I also had a TON of pelvic pain and by 38weeks it took me like 30 minutes to walk to my car from my house lol.
+2 on the anecdotes for that one.
Physical Therapy and seeing a chiropractor helped my pelvic pain, OP. I hope you can get some relief.
I also third the rec for a doula. I had one both times and loved my experiences. My hospital has a doula program and that is how we found ours. Much less expensive than the private doulas in our area.
I hate it when OBs tell people they are going to have huge babies- I don't think it is particularly helpful.
The women in my family are all under 5'2" and vaginally delivered 8-11 pound babies without complications.
My twins were about 7.5 and 5.5 pounds- I needed a vacuum assist for both girls, but other than that I had no major issues with delivery.
What is it like delivering with a vacuum?
I delivered with vacuum assist as well, after 2.5 hours of pushing and 29 hours overall since my water broke. I won't lie, it wasn't fun...my epidural had mostly worn off by then so I felt a lot. But it was relatively quick compared to the last 2.5 hours, and I was so ready to be done. The OB got the vaccuum attached right when I started pushing and my husband started counting to 10, and when he got to 10 the OB said keep pushing because he was almost out. AJ was out by the time we would have gotten to 12 or 13. She certainly wasn't pushy about using the vacuum though-she got there when I'd been pushing for over two hours already, saw where I was at and where AJ was at, and said we could safely get him out on the next contraction if I wanted. I said I wanted to wait a little longer, but made it through one more contraction before I said F this noise, get the vacuum.
I think your OB might be a little unnecessarily pessimistic, given that you're not yet full term and growth ultrasounds are notoriously inaccurate (for another anecdote, my sister's baby was estimated at 8#12oz on a growth ultrasound when she hit 40 weeks, when my niece finally made her way out at 42 weeks exactly she was 7#15oz). But I understand wanting to make you aware of possible outcomes. Try not to worry about it too much. I know that's easier said than done, and I had some worries too, but finally I had to tell myself that worrying was going to get me nowhere except all worked up over something that I didn't have 100% control over (the control thing is something I've worked on extensively over the years, can you tell?).
yourmother my fear was also having a super long labor to try vaginally, then end up with a c/s after all. And my fear came true! I was in labor for 24 hours and my cervix just wouldn't dilate despite many medical interventions. The c/s recovery has been much better than I expected (not that it's super easy, but neither is vaginal). I'm 3 weeks out now and feeling pretty good. The 24 hours of labor had no adverse affect on me other than exhaustion!
I labored about 20 hours, pushed for 2, then had a c section. immediate recovery was very difficult for me because I ended up with a migraine (common for me) and was suffering and throwing up from that for the next day. I think that would've happened even without the c section because strenuous activity and not eating are pretty much a recipe for me getting a bad migraine. OTHERWISE, recovery was fine.
I hate it when OBs tell people they are going to have huge babies- I don't think it is particularly helpful.
The women in my family are all under 5'2" and vaginally delivered 8-11 pound babies without complications.
My twins were about 7.5 and 5.5 pounds- I needed a vacuum assist for both girls, but other than that I had no major issues with delivery.
What is it like delivering with a vacuum?
NBD. I had one after 3 hours of pushing with DD1. It just felt like she was gently being pulled from me.
You will be fine. The baby has to come out someway or another. Either way is fine. Your dr is annoying me though, for the same reasons all of the pp have said. Good luck!
I was told I was going to have a huge baby because he was measuring so long and my mother had 3 babies that were 9+ lbs. After a long labor and 2 hours of pushing I had a 6.5 lb baby that was almost 22" long. With this baby they confirmed via us that I'm having another skinny baby that's just really long.
I hate that OB's try to guess weights and sizes because it does nothing but induce panic and fear.
Post by humpforfree on Apr 23, 2015 11:48:40 GMT -5
So I just want to ditto everyone else- big babies are born all the time! also I remember you posting on GotP about getting lectured about a "chubby" baby. Wtf. I don't know how much you are even actually able to control that. I would KOKO and not take that to heart, or think it's your issue. If anyone should have had a chubby baby, it was me. I ate like crap, gained 60+ lbs by 37 weeks, but my 37 weeker was only (?) 7lbs 5 oz. also, his head was always measuring 95%+ and the doctor's were all cool with it and supportive of vaginal, until the butthead decided to stay breech. My CS recovery was awesome. Now I am afraid of vaginal delivery because I know how good I had it before. I think it is so normal to be nervous either way.
Post by Queen Mamadala on Apr 23, 2015 11:50:40 GMT -5
Fat squishes, and late u/s estimates are notoriously off by 1-2 lbs in either direction. The second stage, how it progresses, has more to do with baby's and mom's position. Optimal fetal positioning (OA and LOA) is key. Check out Spinningbabies for ways to encourage OFP.
Current guidelines and data do not support inductions or c-sections for weight estimates under 11 lbs.
"The role of cesarean delivery in suspected fetal macrosomia remains controversial. While the risk of birth trauma with vaginal delivery is higher with increased birth weight, cesarean delivery reduces, but does not eliminate, this risk. In addition, randomized clinical trial results have not shown the clinical effectiveness of prophylactic cesarean delivery when any specific estimated fetal weight is unknown. Results from large cohort and case-control studies reveal that it is safe to allow a trial of labor for estimated fetal weight of more than 4,000 g. Nonetheless, the results of these reports, along with published cost-effectiveness data, do not support prophylactic cesarean delivery for suspected fetal macrosomia with estimated weights of less than 5,000 g (11 lb), although some authors agree that cesarean delivery in these situations should be considered."
Shoulder dystocia is not common, and occurs during the baby's rotation through the birth canal. The shoulder gets stuck behind the pubic bone. Not all big babies have wide shoulders. Some have larger heads or are long and plump/squishy. I know a lot of mamas within the home/birth center community that have birthed 10, 11 and 12 lb babies, and some were petite.
At a growth ultrasound at 32 weeks, they told me he was already 6 lbs 3 oz and would be over 10 at my induction at 39 weeks. Then at the 38 week growth scan, he was only 7 something. My water broke at 38 weeks and he was 8 lbs 3 oz.
Labor definitely wasn't fun for me (22 hours of back labor that the epidural really didn't touch, and I had the epidural at 1 cm because I wasn't making any progress for hours and they thought it might relax me and help me dilate--and it did, but I was also then stuck in bed for a really long time), but the pain was a distant memory the second he was on my chest. Pushing was my favorite part. I felt powerful and like I was finally happening to the situation instead of everything happening to me.
I made H swear that we wouldn't have any more kids when I was in labor, but I am already asking him when he thinks we should have a second.
hmm your ob does sound annoying. I mean, sure you may end up with a C but why even present that now? they have no way of knowing how your body will deal with labor.
I'm 5'2 and thin, each pregnancy I gained 32-35 pounds which on my body was a lot. I was enormous. My midwife never said a thing. No growth u/s at all. She said, I'd probably be fine and if I wasn't then we deal with it as it comes.
My kids were 8lbs and 8lb6 and while I pushed for a long time, I had no stitches with either. They were big for a person of my size but labor went fine.
I hope you can relax and not worry, but it's hard. As we approach the end of pregnacy we can't help but worry about labor, the pain, the uncertainty. Hugs to you, whatever happens it will be ok.
I was a size 2 before my first pregnancy and pushed out a baby with a head circumference in the 99th percentile (8 lbs 11 oz). I did have to work really hard to push her out (I was athletic and ran marathons, but had never physically worked that hard before, but it felt like an awesome accomplishment).
I didn't have a doula for my first labor, but plan to hire one for this labor. I wish I had one the first time.
You know it's really hard to say. With my first child, I pushed hard for 2.5 hours and could barely get her to crown. I was using a birthing bar and pulling on a towel to try to get her to come out. I ended up having a vacuum assist because the Dr. felt that we would be there for another 2 hours and I was losing steam fast. My daughter was 7lbs 4oz.
The vacuum in my case hurt bad. The on-call Dr. must have been late to meet up for a round of golf because he strolled in 2 hours after I started pushing and immeditately felt like he was wasting time sitting there while I tried to push her out. He hooked up the vacuum and proceeded to pull on her when I wasn't contracting. Because of him being rough and inpatient, I tore up and down and I felt every part of that happening. I actually was screaming at him to stop and was almost moving up on the bed away from him. This upset the Dr. and told me to stop moving away....It was a nightmare and I had a painful recovery.
My second child was born after 13 minutes of pushing, he pretty much flew right out. My son was 7lbs 10oz.
Post by cricketwife on Apr 23, 2015 12:48:57 GMT -5
I started to get annoyed and stopped reading all the responses so I may be repeating. I posted similar things about being afraid before giving birth. And in the end, it all ended with healthy baby and healthy mom, which was my goal. I don't like everyone criticizing your OB , whom presumably you trust as you selected her (him?) as your doctor. I think you asked her to give her best guess with what she knows now -- in other words, you asked her directly and she answered you directly. Had she tried to avoid an answer you could well be annoyed with that instead. That said, it is all just guesses right now. She can't know anything with any definity until the time comes. Good luck! I found the anticipation to be awful!
Post by thebreakfastclub on Apr 23, 2015 12:52:40 GMT -5
My baby was extremely low. The nurse kept reaching in to feel his ears and try to move him. Due to head positioning/swelling, he never moved at all, despite 2 hours of pushing.
My advice is to learn all you can about C/S recoveries, so you will be in a good mental place no matter what happens. I wish I had learned more about C/S, because it would have improved my mental state in the few days immediately after it happened.
I wish I could go back in time and tell myself that I would be kickboxing 8 weeks later.
yourmother, I did a prenatal yoga DVD at least once a week and I think that really helped my quick labor. It was Shiva Rea, I ordered it on Amazon. I think that really helped me and I highly recommend it. It has a lot of great hip opening poses.
So I just want to ditto everyone else- big babies are born all the time! also I remember you posting on GotP about getting lectured about a "chubby" baby. Wtf. I don't know how much you are even actually able to control that. I would KOKO and not take that to heart, or think it's your issue. If anyone should have had a chubby baby, it was me. I ate like crap, gained 60+ lbs by 37 weeks, but my 37 weeker was only (?) 7lbs 5 oz. also, his head was always measuring 95%+ and the doctor's were all cool with it and supportive of vaginal, until the butthead decided to stay breech. My CS recovery was awesome. Now I am afraid of vaginal delivery because I know how good I had it before. I think it is so normal to be nervous either way.
I see that doctor (the one who lectured me about having s chubby baby) this coming Tuesday. I think that's why I'm panicking a bit. I don't want to be lectured and feel embarrassed again. Funny thing is that my OB is perfectly fine with my own weight gain so far. I'll see her on Monday.
You know it's really hard to say. With my first child, I pushed hard for 2.5 hours and could barely get her to crown. I was using a birthing bar and pulling on a towel to try to get her to come out. I ended up having a vacuum assist because the Dr. felt that we would be there for another 2 hours and I was losing steam fast. My daughter was 7lbs 4oz.
The vacuum in my case hurt bad. The on-call Dr. must have been late to meet up for a round of golf because he strolled in 2 hours after I started pushing and immeditately felt like he was wasting time sitting there while I tried to push her out. He hooked up the vacuum and proceeded to pull on her when I wasn't contracting. Because of him being rough and inpatient, I tore up and down and I felt every part of that happening. I actually was screaming at him to stop and was almost moving up on the bed away from him. This upset the Dr. and told me to stop moving away....It was a nightmare and I had a painful recovery.
My second child was born after 13 minutes of pushing, he pretty much flew right out. My son was 7lbs 10oz.
Holy crap! I'm sorry you went through that! How awful!
I started to get annoyed and stopped reading all the responses so I may be repeating. I posted similar things about being afraid before giving birth. And in the end, it all ended with healthy baby and healthy mom, which was my goal. I don't like everyone criticizing your OB , whom presumably you trust as you selected her (him?) as your doctor. I think you asked her to give her best guess with what she knows now -- in other words, you asked her directly and she answered you directly. Had she tried to avoid an answer you could well be annoyed with that instead. That said, it is all just guesses right now. She can't know anything with any definity until the time comes. Good luck! I found the anticipation to be awful!
Thanks for saying this. I didn't want to come across disrespectfully here, as I'm appreciative of all of the other info being provided here.
I actually do like my OB. And it did play out the way you described. I ask a million questions and she answered them truthfully (with regard to her experience and considering my situation).
I should have been clear in my initial post on how it was the Baby's doc who was harping on having a chubby baby.
I am 5'2, and I was 120 pounds before having my first son. I gained 32 pounds, and he was born at 9 pounds, 1 ounce vaginally. It can be done. IF you end up with a C-section, that is ok. And, you would be nuts not to be nervous about having a baby. ;-)
I am 4 ft 10, and about 105 lbs pre-pg. I am now about 120lbs, 5 months post-partum. I gained about 40 lbs (previously, i was slightly underweight for my frame).
I purposefully didn't do a lot of research on birth stories etc. I learned a little about the pain management options available and decided that - like my job - on the job training was best and that I'd let the nurses and doctors guide Me. That's exactly what I did. No plan, no expectations. I constantly asked their advice/experience When presented with a decision. It removed so much stress. It was good for me. I was happy with my birth experience, and other than a sucky LC and so so post partum nurses, I was so happy.
Doctor also told me to expect 7.5-8 lb baby. DS was 6 lb 12 oz.
when I arrived at hospital, everyone (nurses) thought I was having a c-section. One nurse made that assessment after asking my shoe size (ok, wtf). I kept saying - I'm not married to a birth style - let's just get this baby out Safely.
24 hrs of labor, 3 vacuum pulls later...DS was born.
I totally understand being nervous - you're not alone in this process. There will be support via nurses and DH and a doula (as suggested). The lack of heavy research made me less nervous and scared.
Eta - i was so uncomfortable the last 4 weeks, I wouled cry after labor checks when I wasn't dialating. I couldn't get in and out of bed (got a step stool...helped post partum as well.)
Post by sillygoosegirl on Apr 24, 2015 18:34:50 GMT -5
The late growth scans are notoriously inaccurate.
I gained almost 50 lbs and my baby was only 8 lbs 9 oz at birth... I was a little disappointed more of that weight wasn't baby, lol. Well, I was a little disappointed after she was out. Before, I was hoping for a 6-7 lb baby.
Post by nextbigthing on Apr 24, 2015 19:35:18 GMT -5
The big baby stuff is VERY often wrong. DH and I are both big people (I'm 6'2" size 12 and DH is 6'7" and a big guy), we totally thought we'd have a huge baby and the doctor thought so too at a 36w ultrasound that he was already over 8lbs.
He was 8lb12oz at 39weeks, pretty normal sized baby. I did have a c section bc he was breech, and it wasn't bad at all, I would do it again if I have a second.
I'm sorry your doctors are being this way. No matter how you give birth, chances are super great that everything will be fine. I hope you get the delivery you want. Small women Have big babies all the time, one of my good friends is 5ft maybe 100 lbs and had a 10lb baby vaginally so it definitely can be done.
Post by pinkpeony08 on Apr 24, 2015 21:24:13 GMT -5
If you're nervous, I also recommend reading Ina May Gaskin guide to childbirth. It's a bit much at times, but it definitely helps to realize that you can do this. :)l
grr. That is frustrating. Tiny women have birthed all sizes of babies since the beginning of time. Your height has little to do with whether or not you can push out a baby. Being nervous is normal, but for most women it goes fine! I wouldn't be too happy with a doc that is already planning a c-section for you though. The doula idea is a good one!
You're height and weight mean very little about the size of your pelvis.
The size of your pelvis means very little about how it will behave in labor. Your pelvis is actually two separate pieces held together by ligaments. At this point in your pregnancy your body is producing a hormone that relaxes those ligaments so the two pieces of your pelvis can spread apart to let your baby through. That's why you're having pelvic pain-that loosening can be uncomfortable. But it means your body is doing exactly the right thing to get ready to birth your baby.
I'm 5"3 and 120 lbs. I gained about 45lbs with both kids. All belly. I was huge. My boys were both born 7.5lbs @ 10 days overdue despite my ob predicting at 34 weeks that ds2 was already 8lbs.
Whether or not you are able to have a vaginal birth is a lot more dependant on the shape of your pelvis than your size and weight. And as the anecdotes here suggest, size predictions are often wrong.
Still, 1/5 babied are delivered via c/s and that could be your experience. Try to prepare for that outcome. It's less scary if you have a go with the flow attitude and are well educated in your hospitals policies and procedures.