Big Baby

[Anonymous]

Anyone else find out at 36 weeks that their baby is a pretty good size already? Our baby is already 7 and half pounds and Im not due for another 3 weeks. That puts baby coming out at close to 9lbs. Did I do something wrong that this baby is so big? This is our first and we tried to do everything but now Im worried. I mean I guess bigger may mean healthier but I just dont know. Anyone in the same boat?

[Anonymous]

I completed 36 weeks today and just saw my doc. The baby is measuring ok, but she did ask me many times how big I was and how big my husband was. I was 9lbs and change, and she said, "let's hope your baby isn't as big as you were!" Implying that I'd have one heck of a time in labor if the baby were big.

You haven't done anything wrong and you're going to have a perfectly healthy baby even it means a bit of extra pushing! My baby weighed in at 2.5 lbs at 27 weeks---at the time, I read that that weight was bigger than average.

I am assuming this is your first pregnancy. Mine, too, and anxieties abound. I completely empathize with you. Hang in there. A few more weeks to go.

[Anonymous]

First, don't always reply on the predictions. Even ultrasounds can be wrong. My mom has a friend (a much younger friend, obviously) who was induced at 37 weeks because they thought her baby was already around 9 lbs (which wouldn't have been shocking b/c she had GD), and the baby wasn't even 7 lbs. The ultrasound was WAY off. The other method (MD "feeling" your belly) is also highly unreliable. My providers were off by nearly 2 lbs with each of my kids.

Both of mine were quite big--both over 9 lbs, one was closer to 10 lbs. With my first, ultrasounds were predicting him to be about that big (even though the doctors/midwives disagreed). I gained about 35 lbs in each pregnancy and was not overweight to start with...so I don't think I did anything wrong. The doctors were completely baffled by how big they were, since I'm very average size (and was a small baby). But you get what you get! I was completely freaked out going into the deliveries. But honestly, those last few pounds are mostly fat, which doesn't affect delivery (like a big head or wide shoulders might). Mine were perfectly healthy, and even DH wasn't scared he'd break the first!

[Anonymous]

Both my husband and I were very big babies (9lb, 13oz and 10lb, 12 oz respectively) and my first doctor said that if the baby seemed too big, (over 10lb) he would want to do a c-section. I just switched drs and this dr said she would want to induce a week early. I'd rather be induced than have a c-section, but I dont know if either is really necessary. Any advice? What are some better ways to tell the babies size, other than ultrasounds which are notoriously off?

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure about what the most accurate ways are to determine baby size, but I know that doctors can be wrong about this. I know of 2 instances when the doctors said the mother was carrying a "big baby," and the mother was induced early, with the babies weighing less than 8 pounds.

[Anonymous]

I was told at 36 weeks that our baby was measuring close to 8 pounds and the doctor I saw suggested a c-section. I had one at 39.5 weeks and my daughter was born 7 lbs 13 oz. Ultrasounds are notoriously inaccurate predictors, so don't make any big decisions based on them!

[Anonymous]

Ohhh, it drives me crazy when doctors try to scare women into having c-sections by telling them the baby might be "too big". I have had several friends get c-sections and then deliver 7 lb babies! In addition to ultrasounds not always being reliable predictors of size, it also depends more on the position of the baby. You can deliver a 9 lb baby easily if it is in a good position. If the baby is in a bad position you could have trouble delivering a 6 pounder.

[Anonymous]

Based on my 36 week ultrasound, my doctor was predicting an 8+pound baby. I am 5 feet tall and pretty slender pre-preg, so for me that would be a big baby. When she was born at 40w2d, she was a whopping 6 pounds, 14 ounces. Ultrasounds are notoriously inaccurate when predicting the size of the baby, and I would not induce/have a c/s based on that alone. (I did end up with an unplanned c/s, but after a long labor, it had nothing to do with her size). I would only do a c/s for "big baby" if you won't regret it if your baby ends up smaller than predicted.

[Anonymous]

It's also a misconception to assume your size necessarily means you can't birth a larger baby. Your external measurements don't necessarily correspond with your internal pelvic measurements. (I was a size 2 pre-pregnancy and had my nearly 9 lb 22 inch baby naturally).

[Anonymous]

I've read that the less experienced the OB, the closer her prediction will be. That is, a more experienced doc will go out on a limb, and thus throw off their overall prediction accuracy numbers, whereas newer docs stay closer to the norms, and are right more often. Don't know if that makes sense.

If I were you, I wouldn't let them push you into an early induction. It will make little difference size-wise, and NO difference delivery-wise. As the PP pointed out, it's your pelvic arch and baby's position that determines the ease of delivery, not the size of the baby. And, a 42-week baby is often more sturdy and alert than a 39-weeker. Extra cooking makes more mature babies, logically!

What can I say, I'm pretty happy with my 41-week, 9.5 pound babe.

[Anonymous]

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!

[Anonymous]

Just a friendly reminder that an induction prior to your body being ready will be tough and may lead to a c-section. I've heard from many women recovering from a c-sec after dealing with prolonged labor is really tough.

For an induction to go well, you should already be effacing and dialating.

And I have a friend who was told her baby was already 7 pounds at 36 weeks, and she delivered an 8 pound baby five full weeks later. I wish the docs wouldn't even try to guess.

[Anonymous]

OP here- Thanks so much everyone. We had no idea the ultrasound could be that way off so you have all calmed me down. I feel I can now face my OB at our next appt and be more confident about labor and my "big" baby. You gals are wonderful

[Anonymous]

I wanted to renew this threat b/c I'm in the same boat as the OP...

for those of you more experienced, what's your recommendation if the doc is telling you at 37 weeks that the baby is looking big and they're not going to want you to go much past your due date? And if you go ahead and try to birth the baby vaginally, and the baby is indeed "too big", does that mean you just end up with an emergency c-section?

[Anonymous]

i'm sure you didn't do anything wrong. i've gained 50 lbs and have been eating sweets like a kid set loose in wonka's chocolate factory, but the doctors said my baby doesn't seem to be unusually large. (my butt, on the other hand...)

my mom delivered three 9.5ish lb babies vaginally and she wasn't an especially large woman. I'm sure you will be fine - good luck!