5’1″ mother with 6’3″ husband gives birth to 22-inch baby, breaking her TAILBONE during delivery

A petite Los Angeles woman says she broke her tailbone delivering a 22-inch baby she conceived with her much taller husband.

Sharmin Brunell, 21, is just 5’1″, but her husband Graham is over a foot taller at 6’3″.

Graham’s genes appear to be pretty strong, and when Sharmin gave birth to their son, Amaré, over two years ago, he was in the 99th percentile for height — and too big for mom to push out without complications.

Amaré has remained ‘massive,’ in mom’s words, and at two years old now wears clothes meant for five-year-olds.

She says she broke her tailbone delivering their 22-inch baby over two years ago

He was in the 99th percentile for height – and too big for his mother to deliver without complications

Sharmin has gone viral with a TikTok video revealing her birth injury, earning 5.6 million views. 

‘My 5’1″ self getting married to a 6’3″ man thinking our height difference is so cute…’ she wrote in the video as she happily danced. 

‘Breaks my tailbone giving birth to our 99th percentile baby,’ she adds, looking less pleased.

While tailbone pain is not uncommon during and after childbirth, tailbone fractures are rare, according to Deena Blumenfeld, a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) and Fellow of American College of Childbirth Educators (FACCE).

She told Romper that it is more likely to happen if a woman has previously broken her tailbone, or if the baby is very large.

Sharmin says she was in ‘terrible pain’ for two years after childbirth because of the injury

While Amaré’s size was a main factor in her injury, Sharmin also blames the position she was in – on her back – during delivery

In a follow-up video, Sharmin said Amaré was born measuring 22 inches tall — over a third of her height.

While Amaré’s size was a main factor in her injury, Sharmin also blames the position she was in during delivery. 

‘I also gave birth laying on my back & I now know it’s the worst position to labor in, but most doctors basically force you to birth in this position since it’s most convenient for them,’ she said.

‘I was in such terrible pain for 2 years [postpartum] that I’d rather give birth ALL natural than break my tailbone again.’ 

While tailbone pain is not uncommon during and after childbirth, tailbone fractures are rare

‘I gave birth laying on my back; I now know it’s the worst position to labor in, but most doctors basically force you to birth in this position since it’s most convenient for them,’ she said

Amaré has remained ‘massive,’ in mom’s words, and at two years old now wears clothes meant for five-year-olds

Blumenfeld, the childbirth educator, agrees that women at risk for a tailbone fracture should not be on their backs while pushing. 

‘Even semi-seated, reclined positions, where the mother is putting pressure on her tailbone and sacrum, can decrease the natural mobility of the joint and increase the pressure on it,’ she said.

Instead, she recommends upright, forward-leaning positions like standing, lunging, or squatting. 

‘A baby who is not ideally positioned during birth can cause trauma to the tailbone, but this is often avoided by a mother who is mobile during labor,’ she said.