Is it true that a woman with a small pelvis is difficult to give birth normally?

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People say, having a big pelvis for a woman is a sign that she will have many children. The myth, this is because maybe because women with small pelvis will be more difficult to give birth normally. Often, many people guess the size of the mother's body. However, actually normal childbirth is a natural process that can be done by every woman. The mother's body naturally prepares herself to be able to give birth by making various changes.

Is it true that women with small heads have more difficulty giving birth normally?

The pelvic cavity is the way out of the baby during childbirth, but the size of the pelvic cavity cannot be used as a benchmark whether problems will occur when giving birth to a baby. If the size of the small pelvis and the size of the baby are also small, this might not be a problem when the mother wants to give birth normally. The problem is when the size of the mother's pelvis does not match the size of the baby, where the size of the mother's pelvis is small or the size of the baby is larger than the mother's pelvis, so the baby does not allow it to come out in the normal way. This is where caesarean section is needed.

Sometimes emergency caesarean section needs to be done in the middle of a normal birth process because the small pelvis makes the normal delivery process slower and this is very risky. Research by Stålberg shows that small pelvic size is associated with an increased risk of emergency caesarean section due to a normal birth that lasts too long.

The situation in which the baby's head or body is larger than the size of the mother's pelvis is called Cephalopelvic Disproportion (CPD).

This CPD can be caused by various factors, such as:

The size of a large baby, which can be caused by heredity, the mother has diabetes, postmaturity (the mother has not given birth even though the date has passed), multiparity (not the first pregnancy)
Position of an abnormal baby (or breech)
Small mother's size
Abnormal shape of the pelvis

However, this case of CPD is actually rare and difficult to diagnose before the time of birth. So, do not assume in advance that you have a small pelvis so that you cannot give birth normally. The point is not necessarily women with small pelvic sizes are more difficult to give birth to a baby. This all depends on the suitability between the mother's pelvis and the baby's head.

After all, the pelvic bone is not all made up of solid bones, the pelvis is formed from several bones that are linked to the ligaments. During pregnancy, your body will release relaxin hormones that make ligaments and joints in the pelvic bones more loose to prepare your body for birth. It is this hormone that may cause you to feel discomfort and weakness in the joints before the time of birth.

Who is most at risk of having a difficult normal delivery?

Height seems to affect your ability to give birth. Mothers with very short height are most at risk for experiencing difficulties during normal childbirth. If you have a height that is less than 145 cm, you should prepare your birth well. Mothers with height less than 145 cm have a high risk of having problems during childbirth. Short mothers (<145 cm) usually have a pelvic size smaller than the size of a baby's head, making short mothers difficult to give birth normally.

Very short mothers have been shown to increase risk during childbirth, and can even lead to infant death after birth. The death of the baby after birth is mostly caused by asphyxia, where the newborn cannot breathe directly.

Short-term mothers may have to have a caesarean section to be able to give birth to their child, but this must be planned well in advance. Caesarean section that is not done on time can also have an adverse effect on the mother and baby. It's best to consult a doctor to plan your baby's birth well.

What if I feel I have a small pelvis and want to give birth normally?

The key, if you want to give birth normally, is the size of your pelvis according to the size of the baby's head and body. This makes the normal birth process run smoothly. So, if you feel you have a small pelvis and want to give birth normally, all you can do is:

Routinely check the doctor to see the development of your fetus. Also consult your doctor whether there is a possibility that you can give birth normally.
Keep your weight so that the baby's size isn't too big. The size of a baby larger than the size of your pelvis makes it less likely to have a normal delivery.
Do exercise in preparation for birth.

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