Blessed Event Birth Services Inc

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Services
  • The Midwife Blogs
  • FAQ
  • Contact Me

Is Baby Too Big?

4/15/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
During pregnancy, a big concern can be that baby may be too big to be born vaginally.  Approximately 1/3 of births nationwide are cesearean sections, of these it is estimated that 1/3 are performed for the reason of CPD or cephalopelvic disproportion, meaning the head of the baby is too large to pass through the pelvis during birth.  

Is this really a thing?  What is the likliehood you will grow a baby that is too big to fit through your pelvis?  CPD used to be an issue when nutritional defiencies lead to issues like rickets which could affect bone growth. Polio could also cause pelvic issues.  Those things are pretty rare in developed countries now.  There can still be pelvic issues due to accidents that may cause damage to the pelvis or pelvic anomolies.  Babies of mothers with unmanaged gestational diabetes can also be big, and some congenital anomolies can also cause larger than normal head size.

I believe that with a mobile mother, a flexible pelvis, a newborn head that can mold to fit, and a provider who is willing to be patient, CPD should be extremely rare.  The effects of the hormone relaxin let the pelvis open up as baby descends.  A mother who is mobile can move her body in different ways to help keep the pelvis open, and help baby move down.  For example, a deep squat opens the pelvic outlet by up to 30%.  Having a provider who does not expect a certain amount of cervical dilation within a given time, who is willing to wait if labor slows will eliminate "failure to progress", the most common reason for a diagnosis of CPD.

During labor, I encourage mothers to listen to how thier body is telling them to move.  If my intuition makes me think a particular position or combination of positions may help baby with descent, I will share that with the mother.  Somtimes Mom just needs to rest, and wait for her baby and her body to adjust to be ready for the next phase of work needing to be done.  So long as Mom and baby are doing well, there is no reason to rush the process.  I trust the birth process and I trust women's bodies and thier babies to navigate birth well.  While I can't say that CPD does not exist, I do feel that it is rare in women who are able to move how thier body and baby tell them to move. 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Gail Webster, CPM

    Gail is a Certified Professional Midwife serving Manhattan, Junction City, Fort Riley and other areas in Kansas.  


    When Gail is not occupied with birth work, she enjoys reading, quilting, baking, riding her motorcycle and spending time with family.
    ​

    RSS Feed

    Sign up for my blog

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020

    Categories

    All
    Breastfeeding
    Dads
    Due Dates
    Home Birth
    Kansas
    Labor
    Midwife
    Newborn
    Nutrtion
    Postpartum
    Postpartum-mood-disorders
    Prenatal
    Prenatal Care
    Sleep
    Ultrasound
    Water-birth

Proudly powered by Weebly