Big Babies!

[overseasbaby]

I'm only 14.5 weeks along, but my mom told me I *must* tell my OB/GYN right away that my mom had such large babies. It does seem true that the cutoff for "reasonable size" offspring these days tends to be right around 8 pounds. So today I tell the doctor and I was not very pleased with her reaction.

My mom birthed all of us vaginally and could have had us all naturally except that the nurses freaked out so badly over my brother's size, she wound up with an epidural, mainly to calm them down!

Baby 1: 8 pounds (3628 g)
Baby 2: 9 pounds (4082 g)
Baby 3: 10 pounds 6 ounces (4706 g)
Baby 4: 12 pounds 9 ounces (5698 g)

Yes, we were all healthy, some of us downright huge. I'm #3 and no, I'm not overweight as an adult - 5'3" 115 pounds before pregnancy. My mom is a TINY woman and she managed no problem. She was tested for gestational diabetes and the result was negative.

Today my doctor was shocked to say the least and was convinced when I showed her the weights in grams that I had converted from pounds incorrectly. Then she was somewhat dismissive and waved her hand and said my mom must have had diabetes. I politely told her she did not and then she shook her head and said I wouldn't have a baby that big, that with her in her practice, I couldn't! She said I'll have a 3400 to 3500 gram (7 lbs 8 oz or so) baby and not to worry. I didn't feel relieved after that!

Do any of you lovely ladies have any advice? I am judging her reaction? Should I ask more pointed questions? Should I look for another doctor? What do you think?

 

[spidey]

My daughter weighed 10 pounds 1 ounce and I had her naturally. The labor wasn't even bad. 10 hours from start to finish and I only had a minor tear. I'm small too- 5'6" and 115 pounds before pregnancy. I didn't have GD either. In my case I was expecting to have a 7lb baby since I didn't know about the family history of large babies. AFTER my daughter was born I was told about all the huge babies on my side and on my husbands side!

I think growing big babies is partly genetic and if your husbands side grows average sized babies, you might have an average sized baby too. Don't let having a big baby scare you or shake your confidence. Baby fat squishes so they'll come out just as easily, and perhaps even better since they push nicely on your cervix to dilate you.

Do you want to deliver naturally? If it were me I wouldn't tell the doctor about my mom's large babies because that might sway them to induce early or do an elective c-section. Remember- its never too late to change doctors!

 

[Bournefree]

Average women can birth a 10lb baby vaginally, so find that anything over 8lb very restrictive. I wouldn't be mentioning it - you'll be bullied into a c-section.
XxX

 

[overseasbaby]

Average women can birth a 10lb baby vaginally, so find that anything over 8lb very restrictive. I wouldn't be mentioning it - you'll be bullied into a c-section.
XxX

OH NO!!! Too late. I already told the doctor. My husband was average size, but he's adopted, so we don't know anything beyond his own birth weight.

The good thing is that in the clinic where I'll be giving birth, I'll be tended to by midwives right up until pushing. I've been to visit the clinic and the midwives are *very* pro-natural. Unless there is a legitimate problem, they won't call the doctor ahead of schedule.

If the doctor tries to push me into scheduled a c-section, I have no problem refusing! At least I feel 100% confident about that!

 

[aliss]

I gave birth naturally to a large (9lb 3oz) baby that suffered severe shoulder dystocia. Many people associate "big baby" with SD but the truth is that fetal size is only one component that causes it - around half of the babies that have SD are less than 9lbs. I would say there's a bit of scaremongering about big babies and SD. It also matters how the baby is big - a 10lb long baby with big head is not the same as a 10lb short baby with wide shoulders (mine).

The length of labour, length of pushing, baby position, and medical interventions are much more involved.

I had various IV's (GBS+), 2x failed induction with pitocin, labour 3 days, push 4 hours, morphine and epidural (briefly) with large baby/wide shoulders = that is a recipe for shoulder dystocia. Not just "big baby". A naturally occuring labour with a 10-11lb baby should normally progress just fine.

My mom's babies were all big, my sister being over 11lbs. At 5'0 and maybe 110lbs, with a congenital hip defect (no hip sockets), she delivered them naturally just fine. No pain meds.

 

[carries]

Mine were both big ish (both exactly the same at 9lb 1 oz) I had them both at home in a pool with nothing but gas and air.

Every baby is different and every labour is different. to judge how easy/difficult a labour will be based on weight alone is so silly!

Just enjoy your pregnancy and put size to the back of your mind. Your baby will be wahtever size it will be.

 

[lalalistic]

My midwife is guessing that my little one is around the 9lb mark. I have to say I was a little worried but everyone's comments have been really reassuring. thanks.

 

[PeanutBean]

I find this 8lb is big thing utterly ludicrous. I'd be interested to see a distribution of babies weights and any changes over the years. Me and my siblings were around 8lb, ALL my nephews (I have loads) were about 8lb, mostly more, from different parents of very different sizes and indeed nationalities. My son at 6lb12 was ridiculously tiny compared to all babies I've known. I realise this is anecdote but I've known of quite a lot of babies and I hasten to add not one of the mums has had GD.

I'm assuming you're in the US given that you're seeing an Ob and I'm not in the US but if I was I think I'd be looking for a doctor that would be supportive of my natural birthing wishes and who wouldn't be tied down by figures. As Aliss has said I think the data is 48% of SD cases are in smaller sized babies so it really is scaremongering.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[MrsK]

My brother was almost 11 lbs, and my mom had a very easy labor with him. I wasn't small either, at 9 lbs.

I told my midwife about the weight of my siblings (she asked for it at the initial consultation).. and she wasn't worried at all. She said that women who are genetically predisposed to having large babies usually are able to give birth to them without any problems.

According to her, problems crop up when the mother eats too much sugar and fat during the pregnancy and ends up having to birth a "sugar baby"... a baby which just got too big because of bad nutrition.

Since your mom gave birth to all of you vaginally, I'm sure you'll be fine too.

 

[madasa]

then she shook her head and said I wouldn't have a baby that big, that with her in her practice, I couldn't! She said I'll have a 3400 to 3500 gram (7 lbs 8 oz or so) baby and not to worry. ?

This worries me. Definitely ask for clarification on this. What does she mean??? That the size of the baby will be monitored and you will be induced and/or sectioned early to avoid a baby being born that big? Because that is what I am getting from this... I would ask her what her induction rate is, and what get CS rate is. And I would probably start LOOKING for another dr... I may or may not switch, but id want to have an idea of where else I could go for care if I did have to drop this dr. I dislike that she was dismissive of your input/concerns. It doesn't make me think she will listen to you or honour and support your wishes....

What does your intuition tell you about this dr?

 

[RaspberryK]

Me, my siblngs, DH and his brother we all between 8 1/2 and 9 1/2 pounds, all born naturally with no problems.

x

 

[Jenniflower]

I tried to birth a tiny 7lb 8oz girl and she wouldn't come out!! It's not all about weight, lol.

 

[madasa]

I tried to birth a tiny 7lb 8oz girl and she wouldn't come out!! It's not all about weight, lol.

Size and mobility of the pelvis, birthing environment, activity during labour, maternal posotion.... yep it's about WAY MORE than "weight"

 

[babesx3]

I,ve had 3 big babies..my first being 10lb11oz.. gave birth vaginally my second was only 8lb11oz but born at 36 weeks, my 3rd born at 39 weeks was 9lb 3oz..
being pregnant again i totally expect to have a big baby.. my care plan is to have growth scans at 28 and 34 weeks..they will induce approx 38/39 weeks if i don't go into labour before...
my first labour was long , but managed it..the other 2 were easy i also was tested for GD and was negative...i just have big babies!!

 

[aliss]

I tried to birth a tiny 7lb 8oz girl and she wouldn't come out!! It's not all about weight, lol.

Size and mobility of the pelvis, birthing environment, activity during labour, maternal posotion.... yep it's about WAY MORE than "weight"

Yes off the top of my head it's something like 45% of all shoulder dystocia babies are under 9lbs, fetal size is a factor but there's def. way more too it which is why people need to be cautious to scream "Big baby! Induce!" ~ I don't understand it actually. I was induced, had a big baby, and yes he got stuck. If I didn't have pitocin and my body was allowed to attempt the delivery of a probably 10lb baby (he was 9lb 3oz at 41 weeks) then I doubt he would have gotten stuck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NaturalMomma]

I wouldn't mention your moms babies. You may not have a baby past 8 lbs, and this might just add to their concern over you. There may have been things with your mom's pregnancies that she never knew, and likely the Doctors didn't either. There wasn't much known about pregnancy back then. My BILs family all have babies 10 lbs or over, even women who have twins. Most of them birth vaginally and many NCB.

 

[lynnikins]

my boys were 9lb10oz and 10lb 12 oz and they were both vaginal births, my first (9lb10oz ) was assisted caus he was in the wrong posistion but i was only using gas and air for pain relief for both of them, im a bit worried about how big this one will be caus my mums babies just got bigger and bigger ( she started with a more respectable 6lb 8oz though and got up to 10lb 6oz )

 

[overseasbaby]

I thought I should reply and let you all know how it went...

I gave birth vaginally to our daughter who was 3340 grams (7 lbs 6 oz).

If you would like to read our birth story, you can on my blog which is called Swiss Lark. www.swisslark.com

 

[spidey]

yay, congrats!!! She was a tiny thing too

I can't believe I was still subscribed to this thread back from 2011, lol! Since then I had another baby, a boy who also weighed 10 pounds 1 ounce like his sister. His was a water birth in a birth center and the contractions were never really bad. I was laughing and joking with my husband and prepared for an all nighter and suddenly I felt the need to push! He was born in just 1 push, all 10 pounds of him

 

[aliss]

I had another baby since this thread and he was 1lb smaller than my first, lol, at 42 weeks