Short maternal height & birth

[Cjo99]

Ok so basically I'm due Jan 16th and I've only just started to panic after a family member mentioned my height and having to get a caesarean... I'm 4 foot 10 inches tall, I'm not skinny but not too overweight either, I'd say my hips and thighs are big but I have a small waist (or I did at least lol) She said because of my height I might have to get a section? My midwives have mentioned my height to me once but didn't say they were worried about it... my parter is 6 foot 2 and my shoe size is 4 (I don't know why that's relevant but some people go by it😂) anyone know if my height will cause me to have a difficult vaginal delivery?? I wasn't worried about the birth until 10 minutes ago...Any comments or advice welcome!!

I am 4 " 11 and had 2 natural births. I think shoe size and height used to mean s c section was offered automatically but not anymore

shorter women have a higher risk of cephalo pelvic disporportion (cpd).

I'm 5"1'. Also pear shaped (larger hips etc.) Two mercifully quick natural deliveries. No tearing, no serious complications. Never once was cesarean mentioned as a possibility due to my height (or anything else). So you can heap it on the old-fashioned advice scrapheap - which will be a mountain by the time your baby is a few weeks old!

My niece is of a similar height as you are with a 6ft plus husband too & she has had 4 children, all reasonably straight forward labours & births with the last 2 being born at home.
Listen to your midwife though, I'm sure they know more than random others - including me. Good luck

I've never heard of height meaning needing a csection.. If this was the case you would of been told/offered one a while ago. It must be an old wives thing or something

My tiny Grandmothers 5'2 and 4'11 (ish) both gave birth naturally at home to a bunch of 10 to 12 pounders. I'm 5'8 and managed to get a six pound nine ouncer stuck in my pelvis much to everyone's surprise.

In theatre with dc1 they did comment on my relatively small feet and my very small wrists but I'm fairly sure that's just an old wives tale.

Yeah I was told this too I think it is outdated advice. I'm 5ft 1 petite build (or at least I was BEFORE kids) and size 3 feet. At full term I looked ridiculous. Birth progressed fine.

18 years ago when I had my DS they measured my height and asked shoe size. I was meant to have a scan at 36 weeks to check his size compared to mine. DS has other ideas though and arrived at 33 weeks by emcs due to placental abruption.
5 years later not one mention of my height with my second. He also ended up being an emcs too because he was facing upwards and got stuck.

My sister is tinnnnnny- 4'7 and a size 4 and gave birth to two healthy babies (7lbs+). I'm 5'2 and a size 12 and had two EMCS with very small babies! I'd ignore what anyone else says and go by the advice of the professionals involved in your care.

I heard the same things but not from any health professionals. I think it is all an old wives tale. Had my four natural. Tore the first two, second two fine. That was only complication. All babies were 8lbs and up.

One thing my midwives did tell me was that lying on your back when pushing reduces the pelvic opening. Which makes sense because I was on my hands and knees, or in a standing squat type position when I pushed mine out. It just felt right. So do not be afraid to take whatever position physically that feels right to you for the pushing stage.

I'm 5'3", DH was 6'. I didn't know that this was a thing, my mum is shorter than me with size 3 feet and was never offered a CS either.

I thinking the days before scans etc they would use your shoe size as an indication of your skeletal frame to gauge your pelvic frame.
People dont tend to carry much weight on their feet.

Probably dont need the guesswork any more they have better monitoring methods.

I'm 5 foot 1, one vb, one cs, FWIW.

4’10 here with a 6’ husband
Consultant took one look at me and pretty much said I would need to have a c section
Both my children ended up being born by emergency sections 4/5 weeks early
They were pretty big too both over 7lbs

I'm 4'11, size 1 feet. 7lb DS was EMCS after failed induction at 37w, 3lb DD was ELCS (well, 2hrs notice!) at 32w. By contrast, my mum was the same size (though admittedly she has size 3feet) and had a VD with my 10lb brother.

That said, DH is a 6ft bean but with a massive head. DS was 50th centile for weight, 97th for head circumferance. My consultant remarked in my post natal summary that this was 'true cephalopelvic disproportion'.

All I can say is that there is literally nothing you can do to change things. What you can do is prepare for both eventualities. DS was a CAT 1 section (i.e. get him out NOW) after failed forceps and it really wasn't that bad even though i had serious complications (the reason for the induction, nothing to do with the CS). Go in hoping for a VB but understanding what the process is if they have to intervene.

I'm 5 foot and had two births without any intervention. My BF, who is nearly 6 foot and has always been told she had "good childbearing hips" had 2 ECS.

Ignore the person who was so insensitive to say this to you.

5' in a tall day and have teeny tiny hips (well in my 20s!!) DD1 was 7lb6oz, then had DD2 with 6'3" DH she was 10lb6oz and it was fine, Dc3&4 we're near 10lbers too.

5'2 here, with size 4 feet, and size 8. However, relatively hourglass figure, so hips not tiny.

DH is 6'2. I've had two very straightforward labours with two 8lbish babies (neither needed any pain relief, which is in no way a boast but rather to reassure you!). No one ever mentioned my height/size as a potential issue.

Ignore your silly family member - such an unhelpful comment!

Same height be as you and had 3 natural births. Ranged from 5lb to 9lb and longest labour was 8 hrs. Had 2nd degree tearing with all of them but healed fine.

A family friend who's a nurse commented at fifteen weeks and said that I'd have problems giving birth because of my small frame and tiny feet, size 2.5 - 3, I'm 5ft 1, no issues giving birth At all, very straightforward and DD was 7lbs 10 Oz

It’s way too hard to predict. My grandma (4’8) and my mum (barely 5’ -very short family!) had 5 babies between them, no issues and not even a tear between them

Thanks everyone for the advice & their stories! My mind has been put at ease knowing there are so many women around my height that have had no problems.. my midwife did mention to me at the start of the pregnancy that my height COULD be an issue, but it was never talked about any further. I have an appointment on Wednesday (38+6) so I think I will ask again then!

Older women with all their old wives tales scare me...😂

it's not an OWT, there is a link between maternal height and cpd and difficulty getting into established labor.
it doesn't mean it will affect you but the research and data backs this up.

My mother is 5 foot and had 4 children naturally, has never said the births were particularly difficult and never had a section. Later babies were 8 pounds plus.

^link between maternal height and cpd and difficulty getting into established labor.
it doesn't mean it will affect you but the research and data backs this up.^

But scholarly criticism of these studies indicate that they are prospective studies, so done after the fact with no control groups. This means that bias against short mothers could cause OBs to be more likely to order a CS for a short mother than a taller mother even though the labour itself is not progressing differently.

Sorry, wrong English word “retrospective studies” not “prospective”