I got an email from a student who is having her first baby. She’s 34 weeks along and at her last appointment, her doctor did an ultrasound and said her baby is already 6 pounds 9 ounces and if she goes to 40 weeks, her baby will be 9 pounds and he doesn’t think her vagina and pelvis can birth that size baby. She also said her doctor commented that her baby is still high up.
Oh- there is so much to unpack here!
First…
It’s unfortunate that the care provider placed doubt into her mind. Heading into the unknown of birth with the seed planted that you can’t do it or your body is not able, can be detrimental and really undermine your confidence.
If her labor doesn’t progress rapidly, she may have in the back of her mind the thought-oh my doctor was right, my body probably can’t do this.
And while I don’t believe her doctor was trying to be malicious, it’s so important to be mindful of the language we use when commenting on how someone will do entering into a totally unscripted situation.
Labor can come with a lot of anxiety and fear for some people. To enter it already thinking your body is not capable of birthing your child is like carrying a boulder up a mountain of jello. It’s a really hard task to take on.
It’s incredibly important to surround yourself with people who believe in you and your capabilities. I recently had a student tell me after her birth, she felt like it was her superpower.
Second… ultrasounds are not 100% accurate- in fact, they can be off by up to 15%.
That is a huge margin.
Ultrasounds actually get more inaccurate the further along someone gets.
The only way to truly know how big your baby will be is by weighing it when it is on the outside.
So – the moral of this story- some data isn’t always definitive but self-confidence can take you a long way! Find the people who will believe in you and your body!
Photo by Fiona Henderson on Flickr “Rainbow Jelly”
