Is there any validity to this?

[MsElle07]

I saw a doctor on TV today say that, in his experience, women who are over 5'8" have shorter, easier active labors and tend to push their babies out quickly. Never heard that before!

I wonder if this anecdotal tendency has any truth? Comments? I'll put up a poll too...

ETA: for the sake of the poll, let's define "quickly" as 30 mn of pushing or less. Multiple option poll.

[koru]

hmmmm....i'm 5'9" and had two fairly easy labors & deliveries. never heard of that fact but that's my personal experience.

[JanB]

I'm 5'7" and pushed for about 20 minutes with my VBAC baby.

[luckymamato2]

I am 5'6" and pushed for 47 minutes - no epidural or other pain meds/IVs

My labor was only 12 hours and 2 minutes from start to baby.

[andreac]

I'm 5'3" and with my first I had about a 12 hour labor and pushed for 25 minutes. I had an epidural but it had almost completely worn off by the time I was pushing. With my 2nd, I had about a 3 hour labor and never "actively" pushed. I thought I had to poop (should've known better ) and got out of the tub...she was born on the bathroom floor about 2 contractions later!

[savithny]

I'm 5'10". I consider I had quick labors, though I didn't quite meet your "quickly" definition with my first - 40 minutes, but he was posterior. His non-posterior little sister pretty much popped out on her own, however.

I'm not just tall, though, I'm *very* wide hipped. Midwife joked afterwards that she bets I could have an 11-pounder with no trouble. I don't really want to find out

[cfiddlinmama]

I'm 5'9 and I've never had an epi, never pushed more than 14 min. (1st one). I don't know if there is any validity to that statement though! I know plenty of "shorter" people who had fast second stages too.....

[mamatoElias]

I'm 5'3" and pushed for 2+ hours.

[Isaac'sMa]

I'm 5'9", medium frame. I pushed for 4 hours. DS was 10 pounds and positioned funny. Average sized head.

[SashaBear]

I'm 5'0 and pushed for two hours. I had an 8-4 lb baby with vacuum extraction. I blame my epidural and the full bladder. They waited too long to insert the catheter and the baby was pushing on my urethra and they couldn't get the catheter it. It was probably a 4hour full bladder plus they had been pumping saline into me like crazy!

I have heard this. Basically that our whole bodies are in proportion so small height equals small pelvis. I've have also heard that if you are taller that baby is stretched out a little more and doesn't have to unfold itself to come out. Which doesn't make much sense to me because they suggest opening your pelvis wide and that shortens the torso.

[stacey2061]

i'm 5'6" and laboured 5 hours, 2.5 of which were spent pushing (flat on my back ~ the one position i swore i'd never do was the only one i could stand) with no epidural

MIL is barely 5 feet tall and had 4 REALLY short labours and almost no pushing! i hate her...lol

[Viola]

I'm 5'5" with a longish torso. I voted the second and third option.

labor 1, epidural, on my back more or less, baby posterior, took an hour and 45 minutes of pushing. She didn't seem to be making much progress, but I got my epi turned down, changed positions somewhat and she turned and all of a sudden was coming out. She had a big head, although I'm not sure what size it was.

labor 2, homebirth, on my side pushing, pushed about 20 minutes, pushed the head out on hands and knees, and then flipped onto my back as she came out. She had a 15" head (although I thought her head looked tiny for some reason).

[artgoddess]

5'9" had 30 hours of labor, 14 hours active before getting epidural, 4 hours later he was born after about 40 minutes of pushing. So the pushing part wasn't long, but the labor was long and hard.

[Tulafina]

I had an 8 hour labor. I'm 5'5" had no epi and pushed him out in 25 mins.
I hope the next one is faster!

[coobabysmom]

The Stats:
5'7
24 hr labor
2.15 hr pushing
unmedicated

[AugustLia23]

I voted "I am 5'8" (or taller) and pushed my baby out quickly. I had NO epidural."
It did take quite a while to get to complete and feeling like pushing, but once pushing, it didn't take too long, about 30 minutes total.

[MsElle07]

I am 5'10" and pushed all three of my big babies out quickly. With the first I had an epidural, the last two I did not.

My sister is also 5'10" and took a long time to push out her first (3+ hours). I would attribute part of that to inhibition (she had a room full of people watching her) and a heavy epidural. Her second and third births were much faster when no family was watching (babies born in less than 10 pushes).

[amj'smommy]

I'm 5'10 had an epi with all 3dc .... 1st dc 20min of pushing (8lbs 9oz), 2nd dc 10min of pushing (8lbs 1oz), 3rd dc didn't have to push at all he just slid out on his own(8lbs 1oz). No ripping, tearing or episiotomy with any either.

[Treece]

Well, I choose other b/c I honestly don't remember how long I pushed. I do know he got stuck on my pelvis bone. ANd that was impossible. Induced with no epidural, and a 3rd degree episiotomy. Learned my lesson, next births will be at home, maybe "accidentally".

[Romana]

I put both 5'8" or taller no epi and quickly, BUT also put other. I had pushing contractions for almost 8 hours. I kept waiting for the "urge to push" (which never came). Once I was checked and encouraged to push, dd was born in 25 min.

I had to work really, really hard - my body didn't do any pushing on its own, and I never had an urge to push. But it was pretty darn quick once I started pushing. So . . . is that 8 hrs or 25 min? And did the prior 7 or so hours of ctx make the active pushing time shorter?

HTH.

Julia
dd 1 year old