Anyone had a pelvic x-ray to check for space?

[Kalikaroo]

Hi mumsnetters. I'm 37 weeks pg and at my last checkup the obstetrician checked the width of the gap in my pelvis. She said that the top of the gap may be too narrow and tight either due to the bones themselves or because the relaxin hasn't done its job. Today I've had a pelvic x-ray (low-dose) to check that the gap is big enough for baby to fit through. I get the results tomorrow. If the measurement is less than 10cm I may have to have a c-section.

Has anyone else had this?

Thanks

[maxbear]

This is outdated practice and not usually considered in the Uk as it is not thought to be accurate. The only way to find out for sure if a baby will fit is to try.

As a midwife I have looked after people who were told that their pelves were too small, had a section and then subsequently had a larger baby vaginally.

Is there a particular reason to think it won't fit? Have you had a cs before, have you had a broken pelvis?

Best thing to do is to look at the whole picture. If the babys head engages and you go in to labour normally and it progresses well then shouldn't be a problem, if you get to 42 weeks of pregnancy and the head is still high, it might be trying to tell you something. That said I have also looked after people being induced at 42 weeks with an unengaged head and they have had normal deliveries, so not unheard of.

[Kalikaroo]

Hi Maxbear, thanks for your reply .

This is my first baby and I've never had any problems with my pelvis. I am currently living in Scandinavia, so I think things here are done differently than in the UK sometimes.

I had also read in a pregnancy book (from UK) that you can't really tell if a baby will fit until it actually tries to be born. As far as I can tell the thinking here is that the risks of the baby not fitting and then having an emergency c-section are greater than having a planned c-section. The obstetrician said the measurement had to be at least 10cm to safely go ahead with a vaginal delivery.

I was also told by the obstetrician that the baby is going to be big, so that would make the problem worse (though I know these estimates can be very inaccurate).

I'll be quite gutted to be honest if I have to have a c-section as I really would like a natural delivery.

Will find out soon what the situation is, so fingers crossed!

[Kalikaroo]

Just heard that everything is fine with my pelvis and I've got the green light to go ahead with natural birth.

[maxbear]

excellent stuff, hope it goes well for you