My OB/GYN says I have a pelvis smaller than a baseball and I shouldn't expect to be able to deliver my baby vaginally. My midwife disagrees. How can you measure that? Who should I listen to? I'm 36 weeks along and my OB waited until now to tell me.
Screw your OB/GYN for saying anything like that. Whether or not it is true that you will be able to have a vaginal birth, it is COMPLETELY unacceptable to say something like that to a 36wk pregnant person.
The way you “measure” pelvic size is entirely subjective - it’s a guess on the part of the provider by inserting their fingers into your vagina & measuring the bones (that they may or may not feel) with their fingers.
Now, I’ll say that there are definitely times that I get a bad feeling about someone’s ability to birth vaginally by my exam of their pelvis, but I would never suggest a cesarean section based on that.
The thing is, you JUST DON’T KNOW before someone tries. There are an infinite number of reasons why someone might not be able to birth vaginally, some of which are:
Other health complications limiting the time it is safe to attempt vaginal birth
Position of the laboring person
Unless it would definitely be unhealthy to attempt vaginal birth, there is never a reason to preemptively decide on a cesarean just because birth might not work.
Trust in your body, trust in your healthcare providers to help you birth the way you want the safest possible way, and good luck! Congrats on your baby!
Post about specifics of babies fitting through birth canals
