by
Danielle Griffin
I wanted to write about this because I am a
bit shocked as to how many women I've met whose physicians have
told them they have cephalopelvic disproportion, OR they think
they can't push a baby through their pelvic bones and out of
their vagina because they themselves are of a small size. Let's
start by clarifying- Cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD): A baby
having a head too large to fit through the mother's pelvis-
therefore causing her to need a cesarean. CPD does exist, but it
is far more rare than people think.
Let's start with some common misconceptions.
Misconception:
If one of my babies was delivered via cesarean birth due to CPD,
all of my babies will be CPD.
Truth:
While it may be possible that CPD is due to an abnormally shaped
pelvis which can make it difficult to ever be able to push a baby
out (rare indeed-and still wont necessarily mean you have CPD),
most reasons a woman is diagnosed with CPD is 1. A very large
baby that is having a hard time coming through the pelvic bones,
and 2. stalled labor (which can be normal for SO many reasons and
still turn into a CPD c section).
Now, the truth of the matter is simply this: Every baby will have
his/her own birth. Every baby is going to be a different size and
have a different sized head. Every baby will mold differently
while coming through the birth canal. I think it's a little known
fact (I could be wrong- but I didn't know in the beginning with
my first son!), that a babies head is made up of five plates
rather than one bony structure. The plates overlap one another
while the baby is being pushed through the birth canal, and UNTIL
labor is happening, there is not really a true way to tell if
your baby will fit or not (which it most likely will- even
sometimes if you've been told otherwise).
Misconception:
If you are a small woman, you will have a harder time pushing a
baby out and are more likely going to have CPD.
Truth:
Au contraire, my good friends. I have a fantastic example of this
(and actually the inspiration for writing this article).
I had a doula client that was a very small woman. She is probably
a good 4'10". She seemed sure that she could push out her baby,
and yet others were questioning her ability. People were saying
things such as- "you're so small, don't you need a c section?"
Shame shame- not only are these people undermining this woman's
ability to give birth, but they are planting seeds of doubt
within her that could cause her to question herself. Women
generally (and when I say generally I mean really MOST of the
time) grow a baby that will be capable of being born to their
mothers. It's really a great design...
Any who, I wanted to note that this woman called me in labor one
morning. She didn't realize she was in labor and sounded like she
was calling to let me know that something weird was happening
(but she wasn't convinced). I told her to contact her midwife to
go in and have her fluids tested (I was under the impression her
water broke). She had an appointment with her m/w within a couple
of hours. (Just fyi- she said her contractions were 20 seconds
long and 10 minutes apart- she's a first time mother and I
assumed we'd have a baby late in the evening or early in the
morning. You know what they say about assuming...).
I figured I would call her around five in the evening if she
hadn't called me back needing me. I realized I had a voicemail at
around three. The baby was born after 1 (she had arrived to see
if the fluid was really fluid at noon!) This very tiny first time
mother's baby practically fell out! And people doubted her ;)
The point is your size does not matter one bit for the most part.
A small woman CAN give birth vaginally.
On an end note, I'd like to post a clip written by ICAN
(international cesarean awareness network), and published by
Midwifery Today:
"Women have commonly been denied trials of labor if their
first cesarean section was performed for failure to progress or
cephalopelvic disproportion, the most common indications for
primary cesarean. In a 1987 study published in the American
Journal of Public Health, the largest percentage of women
attempting VBAC had cephalopelvic disproportion or failure to
progress cited as the primary indication for their initial
cesarean. Of these women, 65 percent--almost two thirds--went on
to have normal births; many of the babies were much larger than
the baby for which the original cesarean section had been
performed.
-ICAN Clarion, Sept. 1997
Reprinted from Midwifery Today E-News (Vol 1 Issue 50, Dec 10,
1999)
To subscribe to the E-News write: enews@midwiferytoday.com
For all other matters contact Midwifery Today:
PO Box 2672-940, Eugene OR 97402
541-344-7438, midwifery@aol.com, Midwifery Today"
Keep those babies coming ladies!
Blessings.
Holistic
Doula Services
Danielle
Griffin- Doula
(360) 391-8230
Dani@Holistic-Doula.com
|
Breastfeeding
Help
Me!
