Birthing hips

[allduffedup]

Are so-called "birthing hips" an advantage during childbirth? I'm hoping so as I have pretty big hips, and it would be nice if they did something useful for a change rather than just making it difficult to buy jeans.

I'm sure you'll be fine

Hmm, probably not cos lots of petite women (for example in Japan) birth proportionally large babies with ease! But agree: am sure you'll be fine!

My mum was told when pregnant with me at the grand old age of 26 that she was "quite elderly for a first time mother". Which was then followed by "but with those hips, we don't envisage any problems". She was gutted to be told she was old and wide in the same sentence

She didn't have any problems. Whether it was due to her hips though, who knows?!

I think this is an old wives tale unfortunately but on the plus side, humans aren't supposed to be able to grow a baby that won't fit through their own pelvis. Positioning when giving birth is everything!

Utter tosh, I'm afraid.

Both me and my best mate grew up bemoaning our 'childbearing hips' but gloated that we'd have an easy time in childbirth.

Both me and my best mate ended up with EMCSs because the bit you can't see - the pelvic ring - was too bloody small on both of us to admit passage of a head. I'm booked for my second CS on Monday because, despite having an arse like a truck, DS2 cannot physically come out the normal way.

Odds are, you'll be fine, but external anatomical appearances indicate nothing.

It's more the stretchiness of the ligaments which allow the bones to separate.

X-post with JellyBeans - I've blown that theory out of the water twice now I'm afraid. Two babies with heads that can't engage because they've outgrown my weeny pelvis.

the shape of the outside of your hips isn't an advantage.

the shape of the inside of your hips - the space that the baby moves through - is the part that can be an advantage.

you can have what look like, from the outside, very wide hips, but the cavity/space inside those hips can be strangely shaped or quite narrow, which can impede birth. Alternatively you can have narrow little snake hips from the outside, but the space inside those hips can have a good shape.

agree with Elphaba, although it's nice to think you won't grow a baby that won't fit through your pelvis, sadly it does happen. evolution isn't perfect, it's a crap shoot with most being lucky and a small percentage being quite unlucky.

thankfully we have options these days, though.

I worked with a girl with the tiniest, narrowest boy hips you've ever seen. Practically coughed out her three kids in labours lasting less than an hour each

Ah, shame. I'm 36 weeks and although the baby is measuring 50th percentile on weight, it's head is measuring 40 weeks :-( It's 97th percentile or something. I was expecting this as my husband has a big head. I hope my pelvic cavity is big enough!

My second sons head was above the 99.6th centile. He popped out in three pushes and I had one stitch put in (after much debate from the midwives whether I actually needed one). And I'm fairly sure I have a non-bucket like fanjo. So it might not be as bad as youre expecting!!