# Platypelloid Pelvis?



## konayossie (Jul 29, 2010)

I was reading the "flat pelvis?" thread over in Birthing Professionals, and from MsBlack's description of the platypelloid pelvis, I am wondering if that's what I have. Would love input from anyone else who has this or professionals who have seen it.

My birth story: prepared faithfully w/ Hypnobabies, switched to CNM practice from OB, hired doula. Diagnosed with IUGR at 35 weeks. Was scheduled for induction at 38w6d after continued loss of fundal height (tho heartbeat always looked reassuring at biweekly monitoring). MW stripped my membranes 2 days before scheduled induction, contrx started 12 hrs later, water broke at home after 12 hrs of contrx. Although still in early labor, I went to hosp. after ROM since baby was possibly more fragile than typical due to IUGR. I labored at the hospital for another 36 hours in various positions, did walking early on but later was required to stay still, although I was allowed to squat, be on all fours, sit on birthing ball, etc. at various points for long periods of time; I spent a few hours in the shower.

MW & OB started me on low dose of pit the first night I was there--it caused my uterus to hyperstim; baby's heartrate became unreassuring, pit was discontinued and amnio-infusion was started to try to calm things back down. I was dilating very slowly despite having strong, regular contrax on my own and then the pit-induced hyper-stimming. MW kept assuring me that I didn't even have to make it to 10 cm b/c the baby was so small. Around 40 hours into labor, I hit transition--nausea, weepy, shakes, etc.--I started feeling pushy. MW checked me and I was a stretchy 7 cm, baby was at 0 station. She said I was going to have the baby soon and to let her know when I felt like pushing between contrax. I had a few contrax where I felt my body pushing and then I stopped feeling the urge to push at all. When the MW checked on me about an hour after the first time, my cervix was closing back up. She said we needed to try an epidural in case tension was holding things up. Consented to the epidural, baby's heartrates were getting worse all during this period. During the hour of labor with epidural he became more and more bradychardic--baseline around 100 with dips down to 60s and 70s during contrax and slow recovery. I should also mention that during this time, I was not just lying on my back--they allowed me to labor in any position that the baby seemed to like better, though at the end, they could not find a position that improved his heartrate. MW said she didn't know what was going on, but that something wasn't right--she thought maybe a short cord. At 44 hours, I was c-sectioned. DS weighed 4 lbs, 15 oz. at 39w1d, and my placenta was in bad shape (IUGR was confirmed); he had significant head molding and also a gouge on the side of his scalp. Cord was fine, so the OB went feeling around since they couldn't see what was causing the problem. She said that the inner inlet of my pelvis wasn't formed normally--something about it not being curved properly but "dropping off" instead. They said it was something that couldn't be known from the outside at all. I have never been totally clear on what exactly the problem was, although the midwife has tried to explain a couple of times. They said that instead of having to make a 45 degree turn to get out of the pelvis, the baby would have to make a 90 degree turn. The MW said she'd heard of it before my case, but she had never felt one till the OB had her put her hand in to feel it. The MW & OB also said that my abs were the tightest they had ever encountered, which probably didn't help things either.

So, for those of you familiar with it, does this sound like a platypelloid pelvis? The MW never used that term (or any specific term). She has told me several times that she doesn't think I will ever be able to birth naturally, especially given that DS was an abnormally tiny baby and the next one will hopefully be of average size. I really believe she supports natural birth, so I think that she honestly believes that I can't, but I just haven't gotten past wondering if I could give birth normally.

Any thoughts? Has anyone else had a similar labor experience?


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## MsBlack (Apr 10, 2007)

I can't really tell, from your description. Maybe you could ask your mw again--she may have a textbook with a picture and appropriate term to show you?


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## konayossie (Jul 29, 2010)

Sigh, I wish I could get a definitive answer from her. Honestly, I've asked her about it every time I've seen her since the birth (4 times now, I believe), and she can never explain it in a way that I feel like I really understand. She has also looked around the office for a picture, but not found one she felt like would help. I will just ask her about platypelloid shape next time and see what she says. I've also never gotten around to getting my hospital records. If it was platypelloid, maybe it would be denoted in my charts?


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## kcparker (Apr 6, 2008)

Can you ask the OB who did the surgery on you also? There are some pictures that I think show the differences in pelvic shape pretty clearly on this webpage (scroll down a little ways), for what they are worth.

I have read one really inspiring birth story online about a woman who was tiny, had a really tight pelvic outlet, shook and danced and oohed and said, "Wow, this is intense!" a lot, but got her baby out. Unfortunately, I can't find it again to point you to it. So, never say never, but I think most midwives will not blithely say, "Oh, just schedule for a c-section if you get pregnant again."


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## konayossie (Jul 29, 2010)

Thanks for the link, kcparker. From the descriptions on that page, I wonder if mine is actually an android pelvis type (or at least partially so). The one thing the mw kept mentioning was the lack of proper curvature of the sacrum. She said mine just "dropped off." IDK, I guess I just need to start with my hospital records and go from there. I assume the OB who did the surgery will have made notations there.

Both the OB and the MW were very discouraging of my ever having a vaginal delivery afterward. The OB said she did everything to make me a good candidate in terms of double-suturing, etc., but she didn't think it would work.

One other weird thing that happened (at least not something I've seen others mention in birth stories) is that at two different points, a MW was checking my progress and freaked out b/c she thought she was feeling a butt instead of a head. I had to wait with her hand stuck up there for about 10-15 mins each time while they had a portable US brought in. It was a head both times. I'm assuming that if two different MWs who have both been doing this a long time were afraid they were feeling a butt, that there was something weird about the way his head was squished up. Unless that is a more common experience, and I just haven't heard it mentioned...


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