Slight Pelvic Misalignment... should I talk with my mw about it?

[eastkygal]

I switched chiropractors to one who specializes more in pregnancy. She confirmed what I already new on my own... that my right leg is longer than my left by a bit and it has thrown my pelvis out of alignment slightly. We are going to be working on this intensely during this pregnancy, and I may need a heel riser if my adjustments don't stick. In my being, I feel kind of like this is something my midwife should be informed about. However, I'm going to be HBACing, and I don't want her to be more likely to transfer to the hospital if it takes me awhile to push the baby out. So, my question is should I tell her because it could effect things, or is this something minor that is more an uncomfortable nuisance than it is something that would interrupt birthing? Thanks for your help.

[AmieV]

I am not a midwife, but I would say you should tell her if only because I think you will feel like you are actively hiding something from her and that doesn't foster the kind of trust you want to feel with your caregiver.

And, I doubt it's going to be a big deal. One of my legs is longer than the other and I've never ever done anything about it and had 2 normal births. From the reading I've done it has to be a fairly major pelvic issue for it to actually cause any issues with the birth (rickets, android pelvis, etc.) I haven't come across anything that suggests a misaligned pelvis is a problem, though of course I could be wrong. good luck!

[DoulaLMT]

I worked in a chiro office for years. Pretty much everyone on the planet has a slightly unbalanced pelvis/one leg longer than the other. I have yet to see a client come into my office perfectly aligned time after time after time. Perhaps you are talking about something more serious than this. It's still a great idea to get chiro during pregnancy, and feel free to talk to your midwife. I suspect it's not that big of a deal, however.

[1stimestar]

I would certainly tell your midwife. If it DOES cause pushing to take longer then she will know there is a reason (if it is). And just to help you feel better, I was in a major car crash which totally dislocated my pelvis. Ligaments and muscle that held it in place were all torn and/or stretched. It took a long time and a lot of physical therapy and repeated adjustments (three times a week for almost a year) until it would stay in place. I went on to birth two babies with no problems. Good luck.

[MsBlack]

As a mw, I definitely want to know about such issues. NOT so I can give up sooner on the mom! But so I can best understand her body and the kind of time and assistance (as in, suggestions for positions used and such) she might need to give birth. I have been hugely helped to help moms in my work, by understanding any/all info a mom has about her body.

And no, you shouldn't feel like the Lone Ranger--LOTs of women have some kind of pelvic/skeletal issue or another, and most often it is either 'not an issue' for their births at all, or can be helped by such things as chiropractic (and other) to be removed as a possible cause of issues at their births.

[eastkygal]

Thanks for the responses. I believe I had some irrational thinking on this topic, and I'm definitely going to talk with my mw about it. It is just the thought of getting anywhere near a hospital sickens and frightens me since DD's birth, so I will do everything possible to avoid that place. So, thank you for helping me make sense of my senselessness.

[1stimestar]

Feelings are never irrational, they are real and need to be addressed, which is what you are doing here. Great. It's never a bad thing to reach out to get what you need. Good luck.