Big Baby

[Anonymous]

I just had my 30 week checkup and told the dr. that I thought this baby (our second) was going to be bigger than our first who was 7.9 lbs. She told me that no matter how they measure, it's not really possible to predict the size of the baby. I really wouldn't worry about it all that much. Plus, having a bigger baby doesn't even mean you will have a difficult labor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just want to echo several of the PP's:
-- Ultrasound IS NOT an accurate predictor of babies size; it can be off by as much as two pounds
-- Worry about a large baby is a HORRIBLE reason to induce or do a c/section
-- DO NOT let your doctor scare you about this
-- Your body will not grow a baby that it cannot push out
-- The less medication you have in your body, the easier it will be for you to push out a big baby (or any baby!)
-- Usually it is the position of the baby which makes it difficult to come out, rather than just size
-- The more upright and mobile you remain during labor, the easier it will be for baby to get in just the right position to come out

-- If your baby turns out to be big, you can be proud that you have grown a large healthy baby! There is nothing at all wrong with a 9lb baby!

Great post, especially the last point. OP, you should be proud!

[Anonymous]

I'm very proud of the three 9+ pound babies I have birthed naturally...and I am 5'2 and small framed!

[Anonymous]

My doula suggested I avoid sugar (but not fruit) in my last month to avoid "growing" the baby any larger than necessary, but this was only a suggestion, NOT a statement that anyone with large babies ate too much sugar. As all of these examples show, large babies often are a product of genetics more than anything else. On a positive note, my friends with large babies have said they are easier because they can eat more!

[Anonymous]

I had a big baby -- 9 pounds 13 oz. My doctor predicted a big baby. The ultrasound predicted 8 pounds, she predicted 9 pounds, and in the end, we got a nearly 10 pound baby. You did nothing wrong. It's just what we end up with. I exercised, ate really healthy, and avoided all sweets & got a 10 pounder.

I was trying my best for a natural birth. I labored at home for a very long time, walked, had a doula, used a birth ball, meditated, etc. I still ended up with a C section. Not because of the size but because her head went transverse at the very end. Doc was very supportive & said that induction wasn't really a good idea because they only gain fat at the end & the bone structure doesn't change (head, shoulder size). And she said induction before your body/baby is not a good idea (generally results in C section).

If you happen to end up with a C section, DO NOT FEEL BADLY about it. The important thing is to end up with a healthy baby. And I found that my big baby was a very healthy infant, much easier than a lot of infants. The theory is the more body fat they are born with, the more they can control their body temperature, so that's one less thing to fuss about.

Good luck to you!!!

[Anonymous]

To the 9:59 poster, if the baby is indeed too big for your body to deliver, then your labor will stall -- i.e., either the baby will not descend or you will push and push and it will not come out. In that case you will have an unscheduled C-section, not an emergency C-section.

[Anonymous]

My expereince: Dr told me for quite some time that he thought it was a big baby by feeling my belly. He sent me for an u/s at the high-risk spec at VHC (wasn't high risk but I guess he's good at reading u/s). At 36wks, spec said baby was about 7.5lbs and I would probably deliver a 10lb-der if I go to due date. One of my dr's kept talking to me about a c-sec and the other would just say you should try v-delivery and we'll see how it goes.

I was sked for induction a few days after my due date, but my water broke the day before. I labored for 30 hours and v-delivery (9lb 14oz). I am about 5'4" and was 130lb before pg and gained only 24lbs (really sick throughout pg).

The dr on call was not one of my regular dr's and the nurses told me that if I really wanted to try natural that the dr on call would be the one to be with. The next day my dr's saw me and the one that kept talking c-sec said to me that she wouldn't have let me go that long and would have given me a c-sec.

However, the dr on call had delivered 7 other babies during her night shift and 6 were c-secs, so I'm guessing she was really tired and let me keep laboring b/c things were going well. She also knew I really wanted to try natural first.

[Anonymous]

For those whose doctors are telling them they don't want you going past your due date, I would try to remember that they can't make you be induced or have a CS. If you do pass your due date, then just deal with it then. Women's bodies are meant to be able to birth a baby - even one over 8 pounds. And many first babies are late. My doctor was worried when I went past my due date since I am pretty small - their US at 36 weeks had said I was measuring average so they didn't want me to have a too-big baby. At 10 days late, the baby was just over 6 lbs.

[Anonymous]

my baby was over 9 and a half pounds and i knew that ds was going to be big, even though the dr did not. go with your gut. you have been living with a baby growing inside of you for 9 months and know it like no one else. ultimately, i had a c-section.

if you are comfortable with a c-section then it is definately an option. the most important thing during labor is stress. and i believe that if you have mentally prepared yourself for everything then your delivery will be much easier. if you are worried about an aspect, like a c-section, the stress will make everything harder.

i don't know what the statistics are, but i suspect from reading these posts and talking to friends, that a vast majority of inductions lead to c-sections, because of the reasons stated by other posters such as failure to decend, too hard contractions, etc.

i asked my ped about the size of the baby and why so many of my friends were having large babies. she said it was because we are eating so well during pregnancy. lesson for next time- lot's of chocolate cake

[Anonymous]

I was measuring 2 weeks larger than my actual due date and doctor's thought that I was going to have a pretty big baby.

At the high risk unit at IAH, I had an u/s because of this. The doctor (not the u/s) predicted about an 8 lb baby. He was close - 8 lbs, 6 oz. But, that was the doctor, not what the machine reading was. And, as a PP said, machines can be off by as much as 2 lbs.

I was also with a provider that doesn't induce for large baby size. If you are past your due date, they can do other things than put you on pitocin - like sweep your membranes and see if that works first.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was measuring 2 weeks larger than my actual due date and doctor's thought that I was going to have a pretty big baby.

At the high risk unit at IAH, I had an u/s because of this. The doctor (not the u/s) predicted about an 8 lb baby. He was close - 8 lbs, 6 oz. But, that was the doctor, not what the machine reading was. And, as a PP said, machines can be off by as much as 2 lbs.

I was also with a provider that doesn't induce for large baby size. If you are past your due date, they can do other things than put you on pitocin - like sweep your membranes and see if that works first.

Good luck!

Umm, yeah. I'd say she is past due if she was at 36 weeks in January.

[Anonymous]

Coming in late here but I just had my baby - he was 9 lbs and 5 oz. I think even the doctor was a bit surprised - nobody seemed to think he would be that large, although we didn't have an ultrasound or anything like that and my OB didn't make any predictions. My first child was 7 lbs 12 oz so I figured this one would be a bit bigger (maybe 8 lbs or so) but I never thought 9.....

Everyone has given you good advice and keep in mind also that you may deliver early and baby won't get to be so huge.....both of mine have come a week or more early.

[Anonymous]

PP, did you have him vaginally and was it a lot worse than your DC#1 who was smaller?

[Anonymous]

My doctor told me that I was having a 7 lb girl, and I had a 9 lb boy. Don't put too much stock in what they tell you.

[Anonymous]

There is no point in inducing for a large baby, because what makes a large baby difficult to deliver is the large head that often goes with it (sometimes also large shoulders). The head doesn't get any bigger after 36 weeks, however; your baby is just putting on fat, which as a previous poster noted, is easy to deliver.

Well, easy as far as these things go. I did not find delivery all that easy