diff --git a/Objects/unicodeobject.c b/Objects/unicodeobject.c
index 85804f1..1a532c9 100644
--- a/Objects/unicodeobject.c
+++ b/Objects/unicodeobject.c
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@
     else {
 	PyMem_DEL(unicode->str);
 	Py_XDECREF(unicode->defenc);
-	unicode->ob_type->tp_free((PyObject *)unicode);
+	Py_Type(unicode)->tp_free((PyObject *)unicode);
     }
 }
 
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@
 	return -1;
     }
     v = (PyUnicodeObject *)*unicode;
-    if (v == NULL || !PyUnicode_Check(v) || v->ob_refcnt != 1 || length < 0) {
+    if (v == NULL || !PyUnicode_Check(v) || Py_Refcnt(v) != 1 || length < 0) {
 	PyErr_BadInternalCall();
 	return -1;
     }
@@ -554,7 +554,7 @@
 	PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError,
 			 "coercing to Unicode: need string or buffer, "
 			 "%.80s found",
-		     obj->ob_type->tp_name);
+		     Py_Type(obj)->tp_name);
 	goto onError;
     }
 
@@ -604,7 +604,7 @@
     if (!PyUnicode_Check(unicode)) {
         PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError,
                      "decoder did not return an unicode object (type=%.400s)",
-                     unicode->ob_type->tp_name);
+                     Py_Type(unicode)->tp_name);
         Py_DECREF(unicode);
         goto onError;
     }
@@ -714,7 +714,7 @@
     if (!PyString_Check(v)) {
         PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError,
                      "encoder did not return a string object (type=%.400s)",
-                     v->ob_type->tp_name);
+                     Py_Type(v)->tp_name);
         Py_DECREF(v);
         goto onError;
     }
@@ -3242,8 +3242,7 @@
 }
 
 static PyTypeObject EncodingMapType = {
-	PyObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL)
-        0,                      /*ob_size*/
+	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
         "EncodingMap",          /*tp_name*/
         sizeof(struct encoding_map),   /*tp_basicsize*/
         0,                      /*tp_itemsize*/
@@ -3502,7 +3501,7 @@
     char *outstart;
     Py_ssize_t outsize = PyString_GET_SIZE(*outobj);
 
-    if (mapping->ob_type == &EncodingMapType) {
+    if (Py_Type(mapping) == &EncodingMapType) {
         int res = encoding_map_lookup(c, mapping);
 	Py_ssize_t requiredsize = *outpos+1;
         if (res == -1)
@@ -3574,7 +3573,7 @@
     /* find all unencodable characters */
     while (collendpos < size) {
         PyObject *rep;
-        if (mapping->ob_type == &EncodingMapType) {
+        if (Py_Type(mapping) == &EncodingMapType) {
 	    int res = encoding_map_lookup(p[collendpos], mapping);
 	    if (res != -1)
 		break;
@@ -4632,7 +4631,7 @@
 	    PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError,
 			 "sequence item %zd: expected string or Unicode,"
 			 " %.80s found",
-			 i, item->ob_type->tp_name);
+			 i, Py_Type(item)->tp_name);
 	    goto onError;
 	}
 	item = PyUnicode_FromObject(item);
@@ -5632,7 +5631,7 @@
         PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError,
                      "encoder did not return a string/unicode object "
                      "(type=%.400s)",
-                     v->ob_type->tp_name);
+                     Py_Type(v)->tp_name);
         Py_DECREF(v);
         return NULL;
     }
@@ -5668,7 +5667,7 @@
         PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError,
                      "decoder did not return a string/unicode object "
                      "(type=%.400s)",
-                     v->ob_type->tp_name);
+                     Py_Type(v)->tp_name);
         Py_DECREF(v);
         return NULL;
     }
@@ -7499,7 +7498,7 @@
 	arglen = -1;
 	argidx = -2;
     }
-    if (args->ob_type->tp_as_mapping && !PyTuple_Check(args) &&
+    if (Py_Type(args)->tp_as_mapping && !PyTuple_Check(args) &&
         !PyObject_TypeCheck(args, &PyBaseString_Type))
 	dict = args;
 
@@ -7963,8 +7962,7 @@
 errors can be 'strict', 'replace' or 'ignore' and defaults to 'strict'.");
 
 PyTypeObject PyUnicode_Type = {
-    PyObject_HEAD_INIT(&PyType_Type)
-    0, 					/* ob_size */
+    PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(&PyType_Type, 0)
     "unicode", 				/* tp_name */
     sizeof(PyUnicodeObject), 		/* tp_size */
     0, 					/* tp_itemsize */