Your too short for a HB?

[guestmama9920]

I'm just curious if anyone has heard of this, I'm not having a HB at the moment due to problems but it's still on my mind if baby makes it long enough.

I'm just shocked that their new reason is my height, I'm 4'10.

Am I really too short?

[SublimeBirthGirl]

That's stupid (but yeah, I've heard it before). I've met women whose docs wanted to schedule c-sections because they were short. As if short women are physically incapable of having babies. That's ridiculous.

ETA: I have a friend who's short & also a very small person overall. She has had 3 babies naturally, after short, relatively easy labors. Babies #2 and #3 were twins. Glad nobody told her she was too short!

[guestmama9920]

My DS got stuck but he also had IUGR and other probs and I was flat on my back the whole time.

The nice doc left me "wider" for next time, but it just seems an odd policy, KWIM?

I hate when they keep suggesting HB then say oh but blah blah blah, then when I say well what if I just stay home, I'm told UC is not legal either

We'll see

[LotusEater]

Originally Posted by Britishmama

I'm told UC is not legal either

Hi

if you are in England, then it is legal. Some managers have misinterpreted the law but I can definitely say it is legal - well, I'm planning one and I am a midwife in UK

[DreamsInDigital]

I'm 5 feet tall and have had 4 vaginal births, two of which were homebirths. One of my babies was 10 lbs. 2 oz. with a nearly 16 inch head circumference.

Short people can give birth too.

[guestmama9920]

Originally Posted by LotusEater

Hi

if you are in England, then it is legal. Some managers have misinterpreted the law but I can definitely say it is legal - well, I'm planning one and I am a midwife in UK

maybe it's different cause you know what your doing? Us normal folk can't know much right

Esp when we're fed crap like being too short to give birth

[srlpenny]

Sometimes I think it's helpful to think of things in an evolutionary context to see how stupid they are.
Height is a genetic trait, if birth was dangerous for short women and/or their babies...we probably wouldn't have short people any more after thousands of year of birth without such "helpful" interventions.
Just a thought ....

[the_lissa]

Never heard that. So ridiculous.

[Bayleesan]

I am 4'11 just a shade taller, my HB is planned for Oct. That being said, my grandma brithed 18 healthy babies, including 2 sets of twins, she was only 4'8.

[apelilae]

My GreatGma birthed 8 kids vaginally, at least three at home and one unassisted. She was 4' 11". Just be sure you do have good back up in case things were to go wrong, but of all the places to birth, I'll bet your safest at home.

[Rockies5]

Originally Posted by Bayleesan

I am 4'11 just a shade taller, my HB is planned for Oct. That being said, my grandma brithed 18 healthy babies, including 2 sets of twins, she was only 4'8.

my great gma was also 4'8 had 3 10lbs boys at home and a set of twins girls--unassited.

But ocassionally I hear the height or foot size thing, yeah.

I'm 5'2 and have had 3 babies at home.

[Fujiko]

I'm 4'10" and planned a homebirth with nobody mentioning anything about me being too short (I did all of my prenatal care through my midwife).

I ended up having a c/s due to malposition (pre-e induction in a hospital). I was the first generation having a c/s, as my mother (my size) and my grandmother (shorter even) had uncomplicated births.

I have an acquaintance who elected (with the doc's support, I assume) to have a c/s because she's a "small woman" and her baby seemed to be 10 lbs +. While that's a big baby, it's certainly not too big to birth vaginally. And she's not a small woman; she's average size. *Sigh*

[guestmama9920]

I guess to make it funnier they expect her to be under 6lbs

my grandmother was smaller than me and had HB's. Maybe my problems will get better and I can have a planned HB or maybe mama will just stay the heck home LOL

[elisent]

I'm only three inches taller than you and I've never heard of such a thing. My husband is 6'6" so you'd think I'd have larger babies but I've given birth to three vaginally just fine.

[cathicog]

Originally Posted by Britishmama

I'm just curious if anyone has heard of this, I'm not having a HB at the moment due to problems but it's still on my mind if baby makes it long enough.

I'm just shocked that their new reason is my height, I'm 4'10.

Am I really too short?

Keep going to them long enough and I am sure they will come up with something else! First, what is short? Ladies of Oriental descent are commonly less than 5 feet tall, and until the Second World War, I bet all of them birthed thier babies at home! There is a native tribe in Africa, the Pygmies, and they are often less than 5 feet tall(some Western diet may be changing that now) but all thier babies were born at home. I would change my caregiver if at all possible, and it's always possible! My grandmother was 5 feet tall and had a 6 foot 2 husband, and all her babies were born vaginally.
No, you are not too short, you might have the wrong caregivers, though.

[cathicog]

Originally Posted by Britishmama

I guess to make it funnier they expect her to be under 6lbs

my grandmother was smaller than me and had HB's. Maybe my problems will get better and I can have a planned HB or maybe mama will just stay the heck home LOL

*that* sounds like a plan! What about just doing a homebirth to begin with, or are the local midwives coerced into encouraging more ladies to birth in the hospitals? I thought there was supposed to be more of a choice in the UK?

[guestmama9920]

Originally Posted by cathicog

*that* sounds like a plan! What about just doing a homebirth to begin with, or are the local midwives coerced into encouraging more ladies to birth in the hospitals? I thought there was supposed to be more of a choice in the UK?

All depends on the area sadly

[bobandjess99]

Yep to what everyone has said...I'm barely 5 foot tall, and all the women in my family have been simialr..and birthed alll their babies vaginally (well, not counting my sister, who had a "patient-choice" scheduled primary C/S last year...*le sigh*)

Dd was nearly 9 pounds, with a 15 inch head circumference.
and i wear size 6 shoes, whihc i have heard sometimes they also use to scare epopel away from homebirth..supposedly if your shoes size is less than 6 (or 5 or 4 or blah, blah.. your "frame" is too small to birth. blech.)

[triscuitsmom]

Not a homebirth... but my sister was told she was too short for a vaginal birth. She came in to the hospital in active labour, was checked and found to be 8cm and her membranes ruptured at that time... doctor could feel the head and sectioned her without allowing her to get to 10 and push because she was only 4'10''

Baby was 9lbs 2oz... and she truly believes that her body is incapable of birthing vaginally and that the doctor saved her and her son.

You aren't too short for a HB... if you make it to a place you feel comfortable having one stick to your guns

[jeninejessica]

My "mentor" birthed her first and last of three at home naturally. Her last was just short of 10lbs, and he was unassissted. She said it was the easiest of all them.