To be feeling a little disappointed that I may not need a C-Section?

[ToffeeAddict]

I'm 37 weeks pregnant and have been told for the least few weeks that my baby is breech. Initially I was disappointed as I knew this would probably result in a CS if baby remained breech until nearer term. However, I gradually came round to the idea of a CS after speaking to others and listening to their experiences.

This week I have been told the baby is probably no longer breech and am being sent for a scan to confirm the presentation in a couple of days. The midwife also commented that the baby was fairly large 'for me'.

My main concern is that I am only 5 foot tall and my husband is 6 foot 4. My mum is the same height as me and could not give birth to me vaginally and ended up with an ECS at 36 weeks - I was only 6 lbs! I am really worried at the prospect of giving birth to a baby that is too big for me and the complications (instruments, extensive tearing, ECS, etc) that this could result in.

So, AIBU for considering asking for an elective CS if the scan shows the baby is large, and is the hospital likely to give any considertaion to this request?

Would be good to hear of experiences from other petite mothers with tall husbands and/or big babies.

my dad was over a foot taller than my mum and she was ok having me - it took only an hour and I was her first and weighed in at 10ilb everything was ok...

the sizing scans can be quite inaccurate though?
i would say if you can avoid the c section and there is no real need to go for it then just go back 2 original plan of vaginal birth, you would have a long time afterwards of recovering from c section. especially if you have other kids itll b more difficult if you couldnt pick them up etc? so i would b inclined just try for the normal birth if your only concern is size
ive had a 9.5lbs baby & he was easier than my previous 7.5lbs one, from my experience the position of the baby makes a lot more difference in how the birth goes than the size does (1st one position wasnt right)
talk to ur doctor about your concerns and see what they say, but small women can have large babies and many do, so dont feel its automatically going to be a problem

DP is about a foot taller than me, and DD was a pretty average baby, however I also had a few potential complications and really expected to have a C-Section and got all the way to the pushing part of labour thinking 'When are they going to whisk me off for a C-Sec?'

I had a normal birth and everything was totally fine. I'm glad I didn't opt for an elective because the recovery time is much more difficult and it wouldn't have been necessary at all! I think you are probably going through a similar thing to me, which is having expected to not have to go through labour suddenly being told you will is really scary! Try not to worry about it. You can always ask for extra monitoring in labour so they can whisk you away if necessary.

Thanks for the responses, they do go some way towards reassuring me. I do want to have a vaginal birth, but I don't want to go through a traumatic vaginal birth, if that makes sense, and given my circumstances, I had started to wonder whether a traumatic birth is likely.

I need to stop listening to horror stories I think - just last night I was told by someone who works as a physio with new mothers who have sustained severe tearing that there is no way I should give birth naturally based on the relative sizes of me and my husband and that I should insist on a CS and then was told of several worst case scenarios - not pleasant! But realistically I suppose the odds are that things will be ok.

My DH is 6ft 1 and I am 5ft3, DS was nearly 10lbs and I had him in 2.5hrs with minimal tearing

Oh it was a HB too, pool and 15mins of G&A.

I think what you have been told is a bit silly. DH is 5 foot 6 , our DS was 7.5lbs, and I got a 3rd degree tear! I wouldn't change my birth experience though, and I wouldn't have chosen a C section (with hindsight) over having the tear.

Most women manage to birth their babies, even big giant ones, complications are relatively rare, and even a big baby will not necessarily need help to get out. I don't mean to belittle your fears at all but I think you need to have more confidence in yourself!

The size of a baby is pretty much irrelevant - it's the head that's hard to push out, and most full-term babies' heads are c. 10cm, regardless of size/weight.

A c-sec takes a lot longer to recover from - at least with a vaginal birth, once you've delivered, you're in a much better position.

I am 5ft & my husband is over 6ft-nothing was ever said about a c-section being needed because of our height difference.

I was much more terrified at the thought of a c-section tbh.

Thought it might happen with 2nd(placenta praevia).

Was also scanned & told baby was big "for me".

However didn´t need a c-section & baby was small-2.5kgs!

So had both naturally,no tears or stitches, gas & air with 2nd, nothing with 1st.

I'm 5ft1, DH is 6ft4. I looked huge both times but babies were 6lb4 and 7.5lb. I decided against a sizing scan because they are very inaccurate, can be 2lb out. And if I was having a big baby I didn't want to know as it would worry me.

AFAIK the baby's position, and delivering not on your back are the main issues rather than the baby's size. And the only way to know how big the inside of your pelvis is, is to give birth and see how it goes. You will still get an EMCS if you need one on the day, after all.

I worried to death about tearing and incontinence from as soon as I got the blue lines though, it's not just you

Thank you, thank you, thank you - feeling so much more positive again now. Yes I do need to have more confidence in my body's ability to deal with this Kat2907!

I had a traumatic delivery with an average sized baby. It was her position that was the problem. I couldn't have known until the pushing stage that there was a problem.

DB and SIL were told they were having a massive baby twice and that SIL would struggle (SIL is little, DB is v tall). She had a 6lb baby first and 6lb 5oz baby second. All very easily too.

Weight wise, it's often reported to be easier to birth a 'big' baby as gravity is on your side.

ToffeeAddict- just out of curiosity; how does your Mum know that she couldn't give birth to you? Did she have a trial of labour at 36 weeks? If so, how far did she get - first stage (contractions) or second stage (contractions & pushing)? It seems to me that a possible inherited inability to give birth is worrying you? I would want to find out some specifics of my own birth scenario if that's the case. Don't forget - 20-30 years ago C sections were taken much more lightly, and more often done 'just in case'. Something that is strongly disapproved of nowadays.

I'm 5'1" and DH is 6'.

Scans for our 2nd baby apparently showed that her abdominal circumference was off the chart (over 100th percentile) and I was told I was having a baby which would definitely be way over 9lbs!! I was a bit shocked as DS had only been 7lbs 9oz at 6 days late!

When she was born (10 days early), she was 7lbs 1oz!

Sizing scans are notoriously inaccurate. I wouldn't trust them.

I'm also much smaller than DH, but found pushing out 9lb2 DS easier than 7lb13 DD. I think position is more important than weight.

Good luck, toffeeaddict.

Didn't someone on here once say that sizing scans are like trying guess the size of a grown man in a bath in the room next door!

You can have a traumatic birth with any size baby. When I was carrying my DS I had GD and was told he was huge.He was only 7lbs 15!

You need to get this worry out of your head because it could make your labour more difficult if you are scared. Remember that you are designed to squeeze out a baby and if your baby was to take after your husband it would be long rather than fat. The length of the baby makes no difference - its only the size of its head and shoulders that matter.

An elective CS might seem more attractive before the birth but it is definitely the least attractive option afterwards when it means the difference between getting up and walking out the door in a few hours or staying in for days and fretting about CS scars getting infected and not being able to lift things...

Hi missimac, my mum went into premature labour at 36 weeks and got as far as pushing. I made it some way down the birth canal as my head was apparently cone shaped for some time after the birth! An emergency section under general anasthetic was the end result.

However, my mum has a rare-ish condition whereby she has 2 wombs, so that could be the reason for her complications rather than her size or anything else - and I haven't inherited that condition from her so realistically I am probably being a bit unreasonable thinking that my mum's experience is likely to have much bearing on mine.

My Mum's birthing experiences were bugger all like mine and boy does she like to remind me of it!

I think you can probably be reassured that the fears you are feeling are common to most women approaching delivery. Encouraging the baby into a good position and having an active, upright labour are the best and only things you can do to try and influence your baby's descent.

And sometimes, despite all best laid plans, it doesn't quite go to plan but there's no reason at the moment to believe that you can't achieve a normal delivery.

a c.section also carries risks of complications, to you, the baby and future pregnancies.. so it would be good to look at pros and cons for both modes of delivery, but bear in mind that asking for a section based on the possibility the baby might be larger than average and no other indications will probably be met with a 'no'

i would do some positive and empowering reading and research about vaginal brith, starting with Ina May gaskin and Sheila Kitzinger, learn about ways to labour and give birth to larger babies.. for isntance, simply standing or being on all fours will allow your pelvis to open more than if you are lying or semi- recumbent, and that can be a huge help to delivery

I've had both a CS and vag, and believe me the vag was way more rewarding and special.

All births are so different, so don't be too worried about what other family members experienced, and good luck

Sizing scans have been totally wrong for me. Told DC1 was going to be around 8 and a half pounds. Was 10 lbs 10 oz! Told DD was going to be another whopper. She was 7 lbs

ELCS's can be rewarding and special too satc2bringiton. Mine definitely was!

Thanks again to all who have responded. Lulmaam I am going to take your advice and get my hands on a couple of books to better prepare myself. I like the look of the Ina May Gaskin one (Guide to Childbirth) and would like to puchase one other but can't decide between the Sheila Kitzinger one you suggested (The New Experience of Childbirth) and a couple of others so I think I'll post a new thread asking for recommendations to help me decide.