Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
|
|
 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Difficulty Giving Birth Vaginally | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
When my son was born six years ago, I had a difficult delivery. He only weighed five pounds, ten ounces but was stuck in the birth canal for over thirty minutes. The doctor suctioned him three times. My mother says there is a genetic condition in my family (she thinks it is called Achilles Contractions) that causes the birth canal to lock around the baby's head. I told my son's doctor this and he ignored it. I am currently pregnant again; my doctor has never heard of this condition and says he has never seen a child get stuck that far down in the birth canal (my son had a ring around his forehead where he was stuck). My mother is in a panic and thinks I am going to die in childbirth. Have you ever heard of such a problem? If so, what is it called, is it genetic, and what is the likelihood that it will happen again?— Meltamar in Tecumseh, OK | | | ANSWER |
October 3, 2001 | | | Dear Meltamar,
I, too, have never heard of this condition. While there seem to be families of women with narrow pelvises who have trouble giving birth vaginally, it's normal to take up to two hours or even longer to push out a first baby--even a small one. And you did ultimately give birth vaginally. Often when a baby has trouble fitting through the birth canal, it is a subtle problem with the way the baby's head is positioned, and not something wrong with the mother's pelvis. It's also hard to understand why your baby would have a ring around his forehead. Generally the back of the head, called the vertex, is the part of the baby that is coming first, and the forehead is tucked down. So with the information I have, I don't think I can help you to understand exactly what happened last time around.
To reassure you and your mother---dying in childbirth is quite rare in the developed world, and is almost never due to obstructed labor. The worst-case scenario for you would probably be that this baby would be a bit bigger, and just would not fit through the birth canal. In that case, a cesarean would be the best way for the baby to be born. You won't really know whether the baby will fit vaginally until you're in labor and you see what happens.
I do recommend asking your doctor how you can tell if a baby absolutely isn't going to fit. Maybe once you hear how he plans to assess the situation this time around, you'll feel better about the plans to try for another vaginal birth. Good luck!— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
|
