Okay, I went to my midwife for the first time today, she is with an HMO(I know my first mistake), I am planning on a homebirth, but felt the need to see someone, probably because I had a miscarriage three months ago. Anyway, I went through the entire appointment(I was there for 2&1/2 hours-mostly waiting), and at the end she tells me she will have to turn me over to an ob because of my weight(I am a lot overweight). I have had two healthy pregnancies and births, and this is the weird part...when I asked what problems they were worried about she said I would have extra fat in my birth canal and could have trouble pushing the baby out. okay I pushed out 2 babies as a very big gal, with no problems. So I guess I am wondering if anyone else has heard of this? And please tell me the birth canal thing is a joke...I mean fat is squishy, right?



I honestly can say that I know of many midwives who have worked with obese ladies and have never made any mention of a "fatty" birth canal... I would find another midwife to interview, one who does not have this bias. I also know several midwives who are "heavy set", and I shudder to think what would happen to anyone who dared imply that they were not able to birth well and safely...
A good midwife looks at overall health of a lady, and not just accummulated fat. It is possible to be fit and healthy and still have fat. She will look at your blood pressure, and your eating preferences, your attitude, and energy level, and your confidence level. Based on those things- and probably a few others within her particular protocols- she will then come to a conclusion as to the safety levels. She will also be able to give you less lame reasons for concern...
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