QuestionHi, I am pregnant with my second child. My son now wil be a little over 2 years old when the new baby gets here. When I had my first child he was so big that it broke my tailbone having him. My question is, how difficult is it going to be to have my second child vaginally, and should I ask my doctor about having a c-section?
AnswerA broken tailbone during childbirth can often occur because of the position you gave birth in. If you were in bed, lying back or semi-reclined, the pressure of this position causes your tailbone to curve inward, creating a bony obstruction to the baby's passage through your pelvis. As happened in your case, the baby can break your tailbone trying to squeeze past it.
In your next delivery, you should pay attention to your positioning. Your best position for delivery will be hands-and-knees. This position allows your tailbone to curve away from your pelvis and out of the baby's path, and should allow you to birth your baby without any further damage to your tailbone.
To answer your question about a possible c-section, this is not an indication for a c-section. A c-section should be reserved for life-threatening conditions. If you schedule a c-section without going into labor first, your baby has three times the risk of death as if you go ahead with a vaginal birth. By changing your birthing position, you should be able to get a very different outcome this time regardless of your baby's size.
