Did your "childbearing hips" have any bearing on your ease of labour?

[Thandeka]

Just wondering as I have been "blessed" with such hips since I was 14. Am expecting my first in 9 weeks and was hoping I would finally get a reward for such wide hips- but it probably doesn't work like that does it?

I have tiny hips, they are my smallest dress measure from waist/bust/hips and gave birth to large babies easily so I'm afraid it doesn't seem to have any relevance I'm afraid.

No, sorry! I have very, er, voluptuous hips which I was hoping would make labour easier for me. But my husband has a very big head and broad shoulders (as do my two sons) and I have a narrow pelvis, so sadly my hips are only good for putting my hands on.

No it does not work like that! The size of hips has no bearing on the size or shape of the pelvic outlet which is the gap the baby passes through.

No! Its an injustice. 20 years of not fitting into nice clothes, and having "friends" refer to them as "big mama hips" (claimed it was a compliment!)And still had difficult labour.

But, not to frighten you, doesn't mean this will happen to you. my DS was akward and was facing sideways, no hips are big enough to make that easy. Just relax, and try not to think about it to much. And do the excersises the midwife reccomends for positioning the baby!

Sorry about spelling.

Was told by an obs and gynae dr it's more about pelvic size than hip size

Was told the same, as well as mucsle tone.

When I had DS, I had been two years out of high level competative swimming, butterfly at that, so had stomache muscles like i have never had since.

DS 6lb 4oz at 6 weeks early, was born after 45mins labour. no drugs , no stiches.

Two later labours just got quicker and easier

I am narrow of hip and proportionally small of foot for my height and all dh's aunts said it would be a struggle to get the baby out - and they were right! Ouch.

Dh, otoh, has marvellous childbearing hips!

No sorry, have no bum or hips to speak off and had 2 healthy DC's fairly easily.

My bf has childbearing hips and had 2 sections.

I have large hips and I am very short 5 ft with 6 ft 2 dp but I think my pelvis is big because even though I have large hips my pelvis bones stick out right at the end of my hips. I had 2 Easy pushing stage's.

Nope.

But to disagree with Shoshee - another ex-competitive swimmer (sprint butterflier) here with a lot of experience in pilates. DS1 was 24 hours and absolute hell (7lbs). My much flabbier muscles two years later had no problems giving birth to a 9lb baby in 3.5 hours. I've heard being fit can actually work against you.

I think it's all in head size - it's very depressing to measure my DH's head and both my boys were well over 90% for head size so I think that was the tough bit for me.

On the plus side - maybe you'll be one of the ones who has an easy birth - it has to happen to someone and remember that it's over much quicker than the next 18 years.

i was once told by a doctor that i had a 'mersey tunnel pelvis' and that a baby would just drop out. 5 day failed induction ending in ecs.....

I don't have much of a bottom and I don't think I can boast much muscle tone either.

I've had three, fast and painless labours.

No, not helpful at all, good hips, 6lb 6oz baby and pure agony, sorry, im sure you will be fine though

no matter how wide or narrow your hips are, the cervix still has to dilate to 10cms to get the head and shoulders out. so hip size counts for nothing.

otoh have you read any good birthing books? if not maybe you can try Ina May's Guide to Childbirth or Birthing from Within. Those are the only 2 I have read. I found them very informative and were better than any antenatal class I could have gone to, (not that I went to any.)

Wide hips are extremely handy for perching a large baby or toddler on though.

I am going to agree that it has more to do with the shape and size of your pelvis. My first db was a three push delivery and the next three have been one push for the head and a second one for the shoulders.

I am relatively physically fit but my hips are only average in size. Shortly following db#3 the midwife commented that the reason I find the pushing stage so easy is because I have a gynecoid pelvis and that you can tell when a woman does because she will have two 'dimples' in her lower back.

(I am not sure if the latter part is a wive's tale or not.) I certainly hope that you have a lovely labour and the best piece of advice I ever received was to welcome each contraction with as much relaxation as possible. It is all worth it in the end regardless of the labour itself.

Never, ever listen to people's horror stories about labour as this is counter productive. You will do brilliantly!

No, I have nice wide hips, but I didn't dilate.

My friend is built like a pencil and pushed hers out in 2 hours start to finish.

There is no justice!

Women of all different shapes and sizes do give birth naturally. I am quite skinny, but my babies were also small. Often larger women have larger babies so that any benefit of larger hips is cancelled out.

If you want to give birth easily then it helps to be active and give birth in a position that is upright. Gravity then does a lot of the work for you. If you lie on your back then your body has to push the baby uphill and your coylix bone reduces the space to push the baby through.

I'm the archetypal English pearshape and pushed out 9lbs 13.5oz DS in 2.5hrs no problems HOWEVER although DS was on 93rd centile for weight he was 'only' on the 75th for head size so that may have helped. My Mum birhed easily so the MW said that we may have the right shaped pelvis.

Not in my experience

Yes, I believe it does help. My mum is a misdwife and she says that it usually helps. I'm a very womanly shape, shall we say, and I had a good birth, apparently. Although it still hurt like nothing else on earth, there were no complications and was a text book delivery. (I hade no pain releif BTW)

I have quite narrow hips - I'm really an inverted pear. Trousers always need belts etc but I had very straightforward births and an easy homebirth second time.

I have a really petite frame and so my hips are narrow - so much so, family members and friends worried about how painful/complicated the labour may have been for me. Everybody thought it was a C-section just waiting to happen.

I surprised them. I had a twelve hour standard labour, dilated 4 cm within the first two hours and by the time I felt the pain was so bad Diamorphine just wasn't cutting it and I wanted an epidural, it was far, far too late. The midwives said I was a 'natural'. I had only a very minor tear that didn't require stitches, but then he was only 5lbs 12 as he was born a couple of days short of 37 weeks. His smaller size actually made the labour more difficult according to the midwives so potentially it could have all been done more quickly and easily if he had been full term.

I naturally have quite a toned body type so perhaps that helps? I remember seeing the midwife when I was heavily pregnant and when I leant back for her to feel my belly, she commented on how she could see my stomach muscle tensing and my muscle tone might make labour easier.

Who knows, the next could be problematic. Women often have varied birth experiences with each child.

i have big hips, had 3 easy births all natural, last one was 10lb13 and he came out a treat, i have always done my pelvic floor exercises and really really belive they helped me, good luck! x

I don't know, I have huge hips (hip/waist ration is terrifying ) and I had an easy labour.

I think my pelvis itself must be quite largish though.