QuestionI was told that the baby's head might be too big for my pelvis. Is that possible? I have read two different things. I am 39 weeks and 3 days and he hasn't dropped so my dr assumes his head is too big...
AnswerThere is no way to tell if a baby will fit through your pelvis without a physiological trial of labor, with no induction or augmentation, no artificial breaking of the water, no epidural, and a mobile mother. The pelvis stretches and bends during labor to accommodate the baby, and at the same time the baby's head will squish and mold to fit through the pelvis. This combination can mean even small women can birth very large babies easily...as long as they are allowed to go into labor naturally and are left alone. Any interference in the birth process can cause the birth to fail and end in c/s.
Inducing labor, forcing the body to release a baby that is not ready to be born, has up to a 50% chance of failure even if the baby is small. Breaking the water artificially removes the fluid cushion protecting the baby from the stress of labor, and also can cause the baby to drop into a poor position without enough water to allow him to turn. An epidural forces the mother to remain in bed, on her back, which reduces the size of the pelvis by up to 30% and causes the baby to rotate into a posterior position where his head cannot easily mold. Induction or augmentation with pitocin can lead to unnaturally strong contractions that can cause fetal distress and make the mother more likely to request an epidural. If the mother is not allowed to move around and walk and stay upright, the baby will not be able to easily work with gravity to make the necessary adjustments for moving through the pelvis.
As for the baby dropping...yes, the average first-time mother will experience "dropping" or "lightening" approximately two weeks before the birth. However, that is the average...not a hard and fast rule. You could still go into labor tomorrow, and whether or not the baby drops prior to labor has nothing to do with whether or not he will fit through the pelvis. Many women have floating babies and closed cervixes, and still go into labor and deliver within hours.
You didn't mention it, but this may be the next step: an ultrasound to determine the baby's size. You should know before your doctor suggests it that these size estimates at term can be as much as 2 pounds off in either direction, and are rarely more accurate than the mother's intuition or a skilled practitioner feeling the baby from the outside.
My suggestion is to just relax and be patient. You still have 2.5 weeks for your baby to be born, and stress and worry will only cause your body to postpone labor. So take a bath, get a foot rub, and curl up with a good book...and forget about size issues! You might be surprised!
