Are VBACs safe? Yes! Can you have a safe and successful VBAC with a previous diagnosis of a small pelvis or large baby? Yes!
We are hearing stories of more and more women being told that the reason for their primary C-section is because their pelvis is too small or, their baby is too big. But, what does this really mean, and more importantly how likely is it?
What is CPD?
Cephalopelvic Disproportion is when your provider is telling you your pelvis is too small.
A pelvis too small for baby is actually incredibly rare and very hard to diagnose. It is very discouraging for women and more often than not, leads to a woman having repeat c-sections for the rest of her babies without even being given a chance at a vaginal birth.
The pelvis is able to mold during labor and, when laboring on positions other than your back, can expand by up to 30%!
Macrosomia aka Big Baby
A ‘big baby’ is actually defined by a baby who is more than 9lbs 15 oz.
Macrosomia, literally meaning big body, is when a baby is born weighing 11lbs or more! 16% of indications and 9% of c-sections are due to suspected big babies when in reality, only 1.7% of babies are born bigger than 9lbs 15oz.
According to the 2010 National Vital Statistics, the average weight of suspected big babies was 7lbs 13 oz!
But, don’t take our word for it!! We LOVE the article Dr.M.D.Mazumdar, MD wrote defining everything in laymans terms and spelling out what the truth is about small pelvis’ and big babes!
He states:
“Diagnosis of CPD is very difficult. This is because it is difficult to estimate exactly how much the mother’s ligaments and joints will ‘give’ or relax before labor starts.
The fetal head also has a great capacity to mould – the skull bones can overlap to some extent and decrease the diameter of the head. So, a baby who appears to be too big to pass through its mother’s birth passage before labor, may do so without much problem when active uterine contractions start.
A ‘trial of labour’ should always be given to all women with average sized pelvis and an average sized fetus even if the pelvis appears apparently too small for the baby.”
If you have EVER been told your pelvis is too small to birth a baby or that you make babies too big for vaginal birth, you NEED to read the article linked above and have an educated conversation with your provider.
Check out episode 7 of our podcast for a heartwarming story of a petite moms successful VBAC!
The Ugly Side of Cesarean