# Apples, Pears, and childbirth



## Damon (May 16, 2007)

I've read stuff that says pear and hourglass shaped women are supposed to be healthier that apple shaped. I wonder if this also pertains to childbirth. Does anyone know if any studies have been done on this? I'm sure you've heard the term "breeding hips". Does that mean wider hipped women generally have an easier time BREEDING. Just curious, I hope I dont offend.


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## ZainTheInsane (May 16, 2007)

Well, women in my family tend to carry well, and they all are of the wider hipped variety. I think honestly it really focuses on hip/pelvic bone size. 

Women who're apple shaped tend (not always) to have a smaller pelvic bone. Where as women who are wider down bottom have a larger pelvic bone. 

In addition, this depends on the pregnancy, and hormone levels. Some women's hips widen during their pregnancy, where as others don't. It is really a person by person problem, ranging from hormone levels, to genetics, to environmental and nutrition problems.


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## Forgotten_Futures (May 16, 2007)

Wider hips = more room, pure and simple. Also, more padding around the hips/torso, especially at the middle, translates into more protection for the fetus. If something solidly impacts a pregnant woman in the hip area, like a wayward table edge that the missus forgot she had to dodge more because her pregnancy has widened her hips, more fat and bone down there will absorb more of the impact, meaning less gets to the kid. Less is more, in this case. Fetuses aren't known for taking jarring very well. SBS happens outside AND inside the womb. Good portion of miscarriages result from accidental impacts.


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## kerrypop (May 17, 2007)

Hmm.. I don't know if fat placement is relative to bone structure.... do apple shaped women really have smaller pelvises.. (lol pelvises)? It seems intuitive, but it's the first question that came to mind when reading this thread... maybe I should research.


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## Damon (May 17, 2007)

kerrypop said:


> Hmm.. I don't know if fat placement is relative to bone structure.... do apple shaped women really have smaller pelvises.. (lol pelvises)? It seems intuitive, but it's the first question that came to mind when reading this thread... maybe I should research.



Please do. Also I never thought about bone structure really having an effect on women's body shape, I always thought about fat and wondered if there were a gene that says "but most of the fat in her thighs and butt".


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## gypsy (May 20, 2007)

kerrypop said:


> do apple shaped women really have smaller pelvises.. (lol pelvises)?



Quick Hijack!

"pelvii"?

lol


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## Damon (May 20, 2007)

ZainTheInsane said:


> Well, women in my family tend to carry well, and they all are of the wider hipped variety. I think honestly it really focuses on hip/pelvic bone size.
> 
> Women who're apple shaped tend (not always) to have a smaller pelvic bone. Where as women who are wider down bottom have a larger pelvic bone.
> 
> In addition, this depends on the pregnancy, and hormone levels. Some women's hips widen during their pregnancy, where as others don't. It is really a person by person problem, ranging from hormone levels, to genetics, to environmental and nutrition problems.



So do you think pear shaped women have it easier?


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## Mechelle (May 21, 2007)

You need to clear up what you mean by breeding... I do not believe that being able to become pregnant "ovulation" is different for body shape. I do not believe that it is any easier to deliver a child based on body shape, because all women are built with a pelvis that will open to accomidate child birth, I think the size of the baby is more relavent then the mothers shape. I think that shape will tend to influence how a pregnancy shows on a woman. An apple will show to the front because of the shape of her body, where a pear will not show as much but will show across her hips not just the basket ball look an apple shaped woman has. Hourglass women become barrel looking in pregnancy, but IMO that is the only difference.. how they carry the child.


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## ChubbyBlackSista (Jun 10, 2007)

Wider hips do = More room and if you have a small vaginal opening you're going to fight like hell to deliver that baby. But yes I think if you're of a more Hourglass shape than Childbirth is going to be easier on you than without being wide hipped. The saying "childbearing hips" well you're going to deliver more so better


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 11, 2007)

Damon, what do you mean by healthier childbirth? Do you mean fewer complications during pregnancy? Ease in conception? Shorter labor? Easier pushing?

I'm confused by your terms.

And wider hips do not mean easier birthing. It's not the size of one's ass but the shape of the pelvis itself and the size of the pelvic outlet that determines -- along with size and position of the baby and a million other mitigating factors -- how easy it is to push a baby out. I've seen tiny little skinny hipped short women deliver nine and ten pound babies with ease, and I've seen gorgeous, tall, curvy, hour glass women take hours to push out a wee little six pounder. I've seen apples (most of the women I care for are apples) who deliver eNORmous babies (13 pounders) with barely breaking a sweat. 

I think the waist to hip ratio is something that is supposed to somehow measure fertility, because an apple shape generally connotes a more androgenic system, which means less estrogen which can mean less fertility. Many women, as an example, with PCOS have difficulty in achieving fertility, and I've noticed as I've gotten older and my fertility has slowed down that I have migrated from a very hour glassed figure to a more apple shaped one.

On a personal note, I remember my doc when I was pregnant with my oldest telling me two things which I now know to be total bullshit. 1) Fat women have a harder time pushing out a baby because the "vaginal fat" gets in the way. He said there was no way I could deliver my son vaginally. Guess what? I had a very short labor and pushed out my son in 11 minutes, which is very quick for a first time mom and a big (nearly nine pound) kid. 2) I was too short to deliver my son (I'm 5'2"), but I might have a chance because my feet were big (size 8).

But ya know, again, the women I care for (we have a large Alaskan native population here in Anchorage) deliver more easily than any other group of women I have ever cared for. And I've been doing this a long time. And they would definitely be apple shaped, tiny, short women with small hips.

Go figure. My rules? Never say never, and never make generalizations, because they are ALWAYS wrong.


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## HottiMegan (Jun 12, 2007)

I'm an apple and have fine birthing hips according to my ob/gyn. i am changing my apple status slowly but surely though.. but like vickie said, its the hips themselves not the fat deposits.


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## Green Eyed Fairy (Jun 12, 2007)

Thank you for that "defense" of the apple shape and childbirth. I was a bit offended by the OP's suggestion that apples aren't good "baby factories"  

I have had three beautiful healthy children- including a set of twins in my thirties. No problems with conception, no problems carrying the children (INCLUDING TWO AT ONCE), no problems with a vaginal birth.


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## William (Jun 12, 2007)

Hey GEF

My Mother was a Apple and the Woman was a Saint.

She also had me a 10+ lb bundle of joy 

William




Green Eyed Fairy said:


> Thank you for that "defense" of the apple shape and childbirth. I was a bit offended by the OP's suggestion that apples aren't good "baby factories"
> 
> I have had three beautiful healthy children- including a set of twins in my thirties. No problems with conception, no problems carrying the children (INCLUDING TWO AT ONCE), no problems with a vaginal birth.


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