narrow pelvis n birthing ball!!

[prats]

My gyno just told me that I have a narrow pelvis and also that my baby is not very big but i might have trouble delivering vaginally.............has anyone been suggested to use the birth ball few days before labour to widen the pelvis..........does the birth ball help both b4 and during labour? any other suggestion??

[KrisM]

I'd be really careful about that OB. Guess ahead of time that your pelvis is too small and you might have problems sounds like s/he is already thinking c-section for you. They used to, like in the 60s or 70s, x-ray women to see if their pelvis was big enough, but it's been determined that there is no way to tell if it'll work until it's time. Women's bodies were made to give birth. Honestly, I'd consider looking for another OB without such antiquated ideas.

[daisymommy]

Yes, laboring on the birthing ball, with feet spread wide apart, and making your hips go in circular motions, round and round will help open up your pelvis and move baby down. For pushing baby out, I would use any squatting position, or with a squat bar, or birthing stool, as it will open up your pelvis nice and wide. I think they say up to 30% wider than if you were laying down.

I labored on the birthing ball right up until I was getting ready to push my DD out. Labor from breaking water to her being out was 3 hours total. I pushed part of the time on my knees, leaning over the head of the bed which was inclined, and the last part laying on my side. Anything but on my back (did that with #1 and it was the worst!--like pushing a boulder up hill and over a speed bump!).

[Katigre]

I'd be really careful about that OB. Guess ahead of time that your pelvis is too small and you might have problems sounds like s/he is already thinking c-section for you. They used to, like in the 60s or 70s, x-ray women to see if their pelvis was big enough, but it's been determined that there is no way to tell if it'll work until it's time. Women's bodies were made to give birth. Honestly, I'd consider looking for another OB without such antiquated ideas.

Yes to this - I would switch OB's if they were saying this kind of thing to me.

Yes, laboring on the birthing ball, with feet spread wide apart, and making your hips go in circular motions, round and round will help open up your pelvis and move baby down. For pushing baby out, I would use any squatting position, or with a squat bar, or birthing stool, as it will open up your pelvis nice and wide. I think they say up to 30% wider than if you were laying down.

I labored on the birthing ball right up until I was getting ready to push my DD out. Labor from breaking water to her being out was 3 hours total. I pushed part of the time on my knees, leaning over the head of the bed which was inclined, and the last part laying on my side. Anything but on my back (did that with #1 and it was the worst!--like pushing a boulder up hill and over a speed bump!).

Totally agree with her suggestions - which is why the OB's comment you have too narrow a pelvis is unreliable if you can widen it by so much depending on your laboring position!

[swissair81]

ITA with everyone above me. Not only are women's bodies meant to give birth, babies are meant to be born. Their skull plates aren't fused so they can slide over each other while descending the birth canal. Women also usually make babies that are the right size & shape for them to birth. Your OB is setting you up so you won't be disappointed when she has decided your labor is too long for her.

[prats]

i go to a clinic where there is group of OBs.....out of the 4 I see only one has told me this..........so i guess i will be careful not to have her if possible during my delivery....

So will using the birthing ball help me relax or widen pelvis at this stage? or its not gonna make any difference.......I am due on 30th july!!
will it help in thinning n dilation of cervix which havent begun yet!!!

[american_mama]

>> i go to a clinic where there is group of OBs.....out of the 4 I see only one has told me this..........so i guess i will be careful not to have her if possible during my delivery....


Do you have any ability to control who is at your delivery? If you just have to take whoever is on call, then the only thing you can really do is get prepared beforehand. What matters to you about your birth.... is it avoiding a c section, being free of pain, avoiding an episiotomy, or not getting an epidural? Figure that out and say is clearly and often to those involved in your birth (your husband/labor partner, each ob you see between now and the birth, in your written birth plan, and to the delivery nurse when you arrive at the hospital). How do you relate to your ob's.... do you tend to closely adhere to their recommendations, are you comfortable doing independent researchand making your knowledge and desires known? What will you say or do if your ob starts talking c section in labor but you don't feel it's the right decision or right time? That is probably THE central question for you to answer, and you must think it through and communicate it to people beforehand because labor is no time for rational thought.

The best ways to avoid a c section are: don't go to the hospital too early, move around during labor/walk/change positions (might mean delaying an epidural until you've reached a certain point of dilation), and try not to give birth on your back (might be hard to avoid if you have an epidural). At least those are ones that seem relevant to you.

I'd strongly consider hiring a doula if you can afford it, because you are really short on time to get yourself really well-researched. I havent' read it, but "Creating Your Birth Plan" by MArsden Wagner might be good for you, http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Your-.../dp/0399532579

>> So will using the birthing ball help me relax or widen pelvis at this stage? or its not gonna make any difference.......I am due on 30th july!!
will it help in thinning n dilation of cervix which havent begun yet!!!

I don't think a birth ball before labor will help widen the pelvis, but it might help move your baby into an ideal position in case he/she is not. If your baby is big and/or pelvis is small (two big IF's), then getting baby into the ideal position matters all the more. Check out www.spinningbabies.com. I do think sitting and rotating on a birth ball during labor can help baby rotate and descend, and it helps keep you upright, gives you and your partner something to focus on and do.

As for thinning and dilation of the cervix, I don't recall the normal timing of that so everything may or may not be on target. But taking evening primrose oil should help and can't hurt. It helps soften and ripen your cervix. I took mine orally, although some think inserting it into the vagina is better, and I got mine at CVS. I don't recall the dosage, but you can google it.

[daisymommy]

What you need to realize (and what doctors fail to remember) is that the pelvis is not a fixed size that stays that way, set in stone. It opens up and expands to fit your baby through it. Think positive, and try the suggestions here. You can do it!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Blah. Sorry, but a small pelvis can not be diagnosed without a trial of labor and delivery- in a position other than flat on your back, ideally without your membranes ruptured either. Your pelvis will naturally widen during birth, especially if yuo try different labor and delivery positions. Don't let them do a c-section if all is well and pushing is taking a while. Take a break, regroup, labor down and get on your hands and knees. My midwives wanted me to birth my 9+lb baby on my hands and knees if there was any sign of him not coming down easily since that position opens your pelvis up 30% more than being on your back.

When they try and diagnose "too big baby" before labor that means you need to know your stuff and be prepared to try different things if you want to increase your chance of a vaginal delivery. No one can tell from the outside of you what the inside is capable of. I am petite, small framed and birthed 2 bigger babies. Some larger, broader women have trouble- you just never can tell!!

Birthing ball in labor is a great thing, btw!!

Beth

[AshleyAnn]

I'd also question the OB's motives. My OB noted that I am quite petite and did mention if the baby took after her father I may have a rougher labor but said to worry about it in the last trimester when we had a better picture. He thought the opening in my pelvis felt small at 9 weeks but also said he had no idea how much it would widen as the pregnancy progressed. In the end I had an induction and had an epi but did successfully deliver vaginally without any issues from my pelvis