Vaginal Birth vs Caesarian

[Camille00]

Hello, I am really hoping to get some advice from women of a similar build to me on their child birth experiences.
I am 5ft and slim built (49kg before pregnancy) and 29 weeks pregnant with my first child.
I am really nervous about vaginal delivery as I am so small and was wondering if any mothers of a similar build had a good vaginal delivery experience or if they needed assisted delivery or emergency caesarians?
I initially wanted a c-section, but the obs has told me she sees no reason why I couldn't have a vaginal birth.
So nervous! Any advice is welcome.

Hi OP - sorry I can't help on experience of vaginal vs. C-section. I would say, that my midwife told me that babies are like fish i.e. a fish won't grow bigger than the pond that it's in. What she means is that women don't grow babies that they can't birth. Think of it this way, if smaller women were less likely to be able to birth babies naturally simply because of their size then small women would not have evolved! Hope that makes sense...I do think you'll struggle to get a C-section based on that reason alone with no medical indication, however it is our right to choose how and where we birth our babies.

I’m 5ft and a size 8 usually. Had a vaginal delivery for my first who weighed 8lb 6oz, no issues at all. Due number 2 in a few weeks and will absolutely be going for a vaginal birth again, I wouldn’t opt for a c section unless medically necessary and your size alone shouldn’t affect your birth! Good luck.

I haven't had a C-section but I'm very petite (5ft 5 around 47kg) as is my mum I've given birth twice and my mum 4 times. My first birth was a premature one as my son came two months early. That birth was hard but only because I had been in slow labour for about 4 days in hospital before it became active labour so I was soooo exhausted. I got a graze as he came out quite quickly and that was quite sore for a while but otherwise it all went well even having about 10 doctors and nurses in with me!
My second son was full term and the labour was amazing! I honestly would have done it all again straight away! This time I was well rested and I think that really helped. I ended up needed two stitches but I honestly didn't realise I had torn a bit! I had gas and air whilst I was stitched and it was fine and actually they healed quicker than the graze I got from my first birth.

Your size won't effect your ability to give birth. Your height and weight won't matter in labour. I'm 5ft. Not what you would call slim and I can say with certainty that the extra fat on my thighs didn't help me in labour. Opt for a c section if you feel like it's the best choice for you but be aware it's no walk in the park recovery wise. In my experience it's longer and tougher compared to a vaginal birth. Manageable but not something I would choose if medically I didn't have to.

OP, I am exactly the same height and weight as you. I've had 3 kids - one c-section and two vaginal births. My c-section was an emergency (not due to my size, due to my misbehaving placenta) so maybe my recollection of it is more negative, but it was by far and away the most difficult of the deliveries. Your body is built to birth your baby, and you won't grow a baby that's too big to birth. I can understand your concern, but really there should be no additional difficulties as a result of being slightly smaller. It's obviously your body and your choice, but personally I wouldn't choose a c-section over a vaginal delivery for so many reasons.

Hi OP. Im 5ft4 and around 50kgs with narrow hips. I had the same worries as you and my midwife said similar to what others here have said - that baby won’t outgrow mum. However for me this doesn’t tally up with the fact that many mums do really struggle to get baby out and end up with interventions. However I don’t think that size of mum makes that more likely - some bigger women with wide hips struggle to get baby out and some smaller women baby comes easily! I believe it’s more to do with internal pelvic structure, size of baby, position of baby etc! Anyway I was so worried about it I said to my midwife that i would be happy to give birth vaginally if baby arrived early or on time but if overdue and baby therefore was getting big I wanted a c section so she referred me to a consultant. However I never made it to that appointment as baby came at 34+5, my midwife had said at my last appointment she thought baby would come early as she was running out of room!! Baby came quickly and I didn’t need any interventions, and although baby was smaller than a full term baby, she was 5 pounds 10 so not that much smaller than many full term babies! You can have a c section if you want one, my sister had one just because she wanted one and felt it was best for her. If the first consultant says no they have to refer you to one who will say yes. Although like others have said, the recovery can be harder, that’s not always the case especially for a planned c section - my sister was out the next day and all she had was a sore tummy! So do whatever you feel is best for you x

I'm about 5'5 and prior to my first pregnancy I was about 55kg but I initially lost about 6kg in my first trimester due to HG.

I did have a ventouse delivery but my baby was less than 7lb, in distress, they were concerned she was going to be small for gestational age as I had been awaiting a growth scan as her growth on my fundal height measurements had stopped, and I had been pushing for 2hrs and in labour for about 29hrs. What I mean by all that info is that I don't think my stature had anything at all to do with the fact that I had an assisted delivery. They are a lot more common in first time mothers particularly.

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences with me, it is so helpful and has really helped put my mind at ease.

I can't comment on your query about size as I'm 5"4 and a 14-16 bit with my DD I had an EMCS after failing to progress. It wasn't a red button EMCS and was calm and I recovered really well with no complications. DS was a VBAC and I had a tear which was stitched.
Having experienced both if we were to have a third I would without doubt opt for a vaginal delivery. With DD despite good recovery I felt like I'd been run over by a bus with DS I was a bit sore for a few days but felt more or less normal and it's just been so much easier this time around. I even commented that if I'd have had DS birth first DD birth could have made me quite mentally unwell but as she was my first I didn't know any difference so just thought how rough I felt was how everyone felt.
People do elect for c section for good reason but I certainly wouldn't now having experienced both.