Size of Second Child Vs. First

[Anonymous]

I had a friend tell me once that typically your second child is larger than your first at birth. Is this true?

I'm just under 5' 1" and had nearly a 9 1/2 lb. baby the first time around, so I'm not really interested in having one larger than that the second time around. (Not pregnant yet but thinking about it.) I do know that genetics play a part...and I was nearly 12 lbs at birth.

[Anonymous]

My second, a girl, was 6lbs, 13oz. My son was 7lbs, 2oz. Both were born within a day of their due dates.

I do know that I gained less weight with the second (27lbs vs about 35lbs), and that I was less hungry with the 2nd than the first. And I was definitely not trying to diet with the second! Also, it seems that she eats less often and less in amount than my first. So I feel like some of it is just hereditary.

Your 2nd will probably be within a pound in weight of your first, assuming they are the same gestational age roughly.

[Anonymous]

My first son was 7 lbs. 5 oz, born 3 days before his due date.
My second son was 9 lbs. 4 oz, induced at 42 weeks.

With my first, I exercised a lot and gained about 35 lbs. With my second, I was too tired to exercise after chasing after my toddler son, so while I gained about the same amount of weight, I didn't feel as fit as I did with my first. I didn't restrict my eating with either!

[Anonymous]

My second was bigger than my first (7 lb 4 oz vs. 6 lb 14 oz) and my first was at 40 weeks whereas my second was at 37 weeks. I understand that generally speaking 2nd babies are usually bigger but that is not by any means a hard and fast rule. I understand that the reason is much the same as the reason that a second pregnancy shows faster than a first, that your uterus is already flexible and knows how to stretch so the second baby can grow faster or more easily. But that doesn't mean your second will be bigger than your first. Sounds like you have pretty much topped out already.

[Anonymous]

Does this second baby weighing more hold true even for babies of different sexes? On average don't girls weigh less than boys?

[Anonymous]

My first was one day late and weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and my second was one week early (according to the docs, 2 days early according to my charting) and weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. I gained the exact same amount of weight with both too, 42.5 lbs. Weird because I ate whatever I wanted with the first and tried to watch what I ate (lots of salads, no sugar, etc) with my second...in order to not gain that huge amount of weight. No such luck. I was 5 lbs. 9 oz at birth and my husband was 9 lbs. 15 oz, so our girls were right about in the middle of our weights.

[Anonymous]

My first (DD) was 7 lb 8 oz (1 week early); second was 9lbs (one week late).

[Anonymous]

My second one was smaller than my first one at birth, but by 3 months or so she caught up and is bigger than her older sister when older sister was the same age.

[Anonymous]

My first, a girl born 9 days late weighed 8lb 8 oz. My second, aboy, born 7 days late weighed 8ib 2oz. This still baffles me b/c I gained more weight with my second.

[Anonymous]

First: 7 lb 15 oz (a couple days early)
Second: 9 lb exactly (a couple days late)

Luckily, I think that second babies also tend to have faster (and easier?) deliveries. I didn't notice the size difference while giving birth. My first birth included three hours of pushing. My second? Baby came out on his own--the midwife had asked me stop pushing.

[Anonymous]

My First Girl: 9 lbs. 4.9 oz
My Second Girl: 7 lbs. 6.7 oz.

I think each experience is different. Genetics due play a big part in it I believe. My husband was a 10 pounder and myself
an 8 lbs. at birth. I was expecting to have a large baby the second time around, but I was pleasantly surprised.
To me the second baby was a lot easier delivery.

[Anonymous]

My first boy was 8pounds 8 ounces, and my second boy was 7 pounds 3 ounces. Labor was pretty hard (but manageable) both times. Oh, and I gained a lot more weight with my second, too.

My philosophy is that birth is usually hard no matter how big the baby -- larger babies DO NOT necessarily mean a more painful or more difficult delivery; it is only one piece of the puzzle. Second babies can be larger than first babies, but usually the second baby is easier to birth than the first because your body has already done it once. It wastes a lot of energy and stress to worry about this type of thing, especially since you really don't have a lot of control over it. Try to be at peace with the fact that second babies usually come out more easily, combined with the fact that your body will not grow a baby it cannot birth. You will be fine!

[Anonymous]

my first, a girl, weighed 7 pounds, 6 oz. She was five days late. My second, a boy, was one week early, and weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces. They were exactly the same length.

[Anonymous]

My first (born at 36.5 weeks) was 6 lbs 1 oz; my second (39 weeks) was 6 lbs 10 oz. So the second was bigger but not much considering that he came 2.5 weeks later. I was 6 lbs 1 oz, as well, and my OB says mom's birth weight is most predictive. And, ultimately, I think our bodies know what they can do; my theory is that my first was getting big and came a little early, and my second slowed down at the end and stayed in a little longer. Both deliveries were relatively easy.

[Anonymous]

1st -- boy at 38w2d at 8lbs 3oz
2nd -- boy at 39w at 7lbs 2oz

They were sure 2nd one was going to larger than the first, but he proved everyone wrong.