O65.4: Obstructed labour due to fetopelvic disproportion, unspecified

In the pelvis there are various pelvic bones. At the back of the body the pelvic bones are connected to the sacrum of the spinal column. There is a joint on either side of the sacrum for this purpose. The pelvic bones plus the sacrum form the bony pelvic ring or girdle. In front, the pelvic bones are tightly joined to one another by ligaments and cartilage fiber.

There are different levels within the pelvis. During the birth the child must pass through the different levels. In a normal birth the child passes through the pelvis head first. If the child’s head is to be able to pass through the different levels, it has to turn in different places.

It may be that the size of the mother’s pelvis and the child’s body are not a good match. In particular, the child’s head or abdomen might be too large to pass easily through the mother’s pelvis. The child may not pass through one part of the pelvis at all. This can occur with particularly large children. It may also be the case that the mother’s pelvis is too narrow in one or more places. Then the child cannot pass through the pelvis as easily even though the child is a normal size.

There were problems during the birth because your child, or part of your child, is too large for your pelvis. Problems like these can make a birth take longer than usual. It may also be the case that the child cannot then be born in the usual way, but that a Caesarean is required.