Ah, the oldies-but-goodies! Funny how the same thing keeps coming up like this.
Here's yet another "Fat Vagina Theory" example from My OB Said What?!! (And people think I make this stuff up!)
"...The Fat Vaginal Walls Won't Let The Baby Pass."
Here's my debunking of the Fat Vagina Meme:
http://www.wellroundedmama.blogspot.com/2010/12/fat-vagina-theory-soft-tissue-dystocia.html
What would you like to say to this OB? To this mama?
Here's yet another "Fat Vagina Theory" example from My OB Said What?!! (And people think I make this stuff up!)
"...The Fat Vaginal Walls Won't Let The Baby Pass."
"Between the Gestational Diabetes, which you obviously aren't doing the work to control, and being overweight, you'll probably get a cesarean section because the fat vaginal walls won't let the baby pass." - OB to mother prenatally
Here's my debunking of the Fat Vagina Meme:
http://www.wellroundedmama.blogspot.com/2010/12/fat-vagina-theory-soft-tissue-dystocia.html
What would you like to say to this OB? To this mama?
11 comments:
To the tune of NSYNC, "Bye, bye, BYE!"
I would tell the mama to find a new doctor, even a new hospital if she has to. Last thing she needs is an OB who is that biased and that sure of her inability to have a vaginal birth.
Whatever she does, it's important that she (and you, WRM!) are calling doctors out on this flawed thinking. Not only because it will save some of our fellow fat moms from non-indicated c-sections, but because of the way the medical system seems to respond to birth activism: A birth activist remarks that today, as compared with N years ago, OBs are doing too much X, and then the medical/scientific community explains the necessity for X by citing the increased rate of obesity among pregnant women, complete with untested assumption about health and activity levels. Here's today's example: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/03/28/cesarean-sections-in-the-u-s-the-trouble-with-assembling-evidence-from-data/
It never ceases to amaze me the way doctors try to get away with their own laziness (and/or desire to make more money) by pinning the issue on the patient.
This is a very crude statement and I appologize in advance if I offend anyone, but it just completely infuriates me. Its along the lines of saying that I can't co-sleep with my baby because I won't be able to feel it if one of my fat rolls smothers her. HELLO!! I do have nerve endings in thos fat rolls, Doc. And I DO feel it when my baby is in contact with my skin.
Ahem...on to my crude statement...
If being overweight actually resulted in a tighter vagina, then fat women would be idolized because men would want to have sex with them.
Leah, that's awesome.
Well since you started it Leah,
Don't you know that fat women have a unique set of bad vaginal circumstances? Ours are so incredibly loose because of the complete lack of muscle tone that no man would ever enjoy being inside one, but because of this they won't stretch big enough to accommodate a baby.
It's amazing how completely stupid things sound when you put two assumptions together into one sentence.
Oh Bazile, you totally beat me to it, and snaps for your logic! I was just thinking the EXACT same thing. Bizarrely stupidly outrageously moronically undeniably lousy ass doctoring.
That is all.
Kirsten P.
Did you see this WRM?
It was reported all over the news this morning?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-04-09/Autism-obesity-pregnancy/54126558/1
Just wanted to pass this along and get your reaction. A new study shows a link between gestational obesity, diabetes and autism.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/04/09/study-finds-autism-could-be-linked-to-obesity-during-pregnancy/
I'd love to hear your opinion. Thanks
Bethany B.
I just read this and immediately started sobbing. 12 years ago after 24 hours of labor and no progresssion, i reluctantly had a c-section. I remember at my first OB appointment- the OB i had at a the time (an almost retired male) was doing my exam and mentioned that he didn't think my hips/bones would be wide enough for a baby to pass. I never thought much- but 4 pregnancies later (and 4 sections- 1 was going to be a vbac) I am beginning to wonder if his comment really was a 'nice' way os saying that he thought I was too "big" to have a vaginal delivery.
It never came up with my other OB- and anytime I mentioned what he said the OB and nurse would just give me a funny like like "ive never heard that before".
Anonymous, I'm so sorry you didn't get the birth you wanted and deserved. That's a very real and legit grief and deserving of mourning, even as you take joy in your healthy children.
It's very rare that a pelvis is truly too "small" or "narrow" to birth a baby. What's more likely is that the babies were in a poor position for birth (occiput posterior or something similar) and didn't fit through well IN THAT POSITION.
This is what happened with my first two babies, and I had c/s with them after long hard labors. But I went on to have two VBACs afterwards (one with a bigger baby) by getting those babies into an easier position for birth.
That may or may not be the case in your situation...there can be other factors too....but I wanted to let you know that that "narrow hips" thing can be a comment on its own or a corollary for the "fat vagina" concept. They are not always codespeak for the same thing. Often what it REALLY boils down to is a baby in less than optimal positioning.
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