Big Baby & C-Section? *long!*

[missZOEEx]

Firstly - I apologise in advance if my question ends up turning into a 10 page essay! & I should also apologise in advance for how seriously muddled it may come out. BUT I'll try my hardest to make some sense....

Just a little background information.... I'm 36+5 weeks pregnant with my first baby & before I even fell pregnant I was semi-diagnosed with hypertension.. it was never properly investigated & at 20 something weeks pregnant my midwife finally decided to do something about my consistently high blood pressure & sent me to a specialist at the same clinic. The specialist was disgusted that I'd been left to go so far into my pregnancy without something being done about my blood pressure & was worried that my baby was in some way at risk - apparently having untreated high blood pressure can cause problems with the placenta which ultimately leads to baby not being able to develop & grow at the normal rate. SO I was whisked off at 31 weeks to have an emergency growth scan. All was found to be perfectly fine with my little man - infact at just 31 weeks he was weighing in at a hefty 4lbs10oz! specialist never mentioned anything more about his weight.... & since then my high blood pressure hasn't been a problem; so I'm just being carefully watched.

ANYWAYS; last Thursday (the 4th) I had my usual fortnightly checkup - I was 36+3. blood pressure was a little raised, but not enough to cause concern. specialist then went on to check babies hb etc. & when she got to
My fundal height she found that for the fourth appointment in a row it was measuring 3 weeks ahead. so at 36 it was measuring 39.5... I wasn't too concerned - I've had a million comments about how he's gonna be a good sized baby... but she decided to schedule me for another growth scan in 2 weeks.

now I'm a little worried; chances are quite high that my little one may not be so little after all... and generally in these cases don't they decide to induce labour early? there was talk of the specialist inducing me at 38 weeks when my BP was high and I was worried then because of the higher chances of emergency c-section due to induction but now on top of that I have to worry about him being a HUGE sized baby which would make the chances of
EMCS even greater! am I right?

I'm starting to wonder if it would be safer to ask for them to give me a c-section rather than risking getting induced & something going wrong. Is this wrong of me? Am I overreacting? There's a problem though; I'm in Australia and going through the public system rather than private - and from my uderstanding - I have next to no rights when it comes to electing a section.. the only reason they'll approve to do a c-section is if it's medically necessary... do you think my reason could be taken seriously as a medical reason? or should I just not even bother bringing it up?

Has anyone experienced anything similar? & how did things end up turning out? any answers to any of my questions would be greatly appreciated & I apologise again for the length....

Thank-you! x

 

[JeepGirl]

My little man was measuring 3-4 weeks ahead through most of my pregnancy. At my last OB check before going into labour I was told he would be at least 10lbs. 4 days later he was born at 8lbs 2oz.

I did end up with a EMCS, not because of his size but because he was back to back and got stuck. I have actually heard from many women that a bigger baby is easier to push out than a smaller one. Because of complications during my EMCS any more children I have must be c sections. But if I had the choice, I would NEVER have a section by choice. A vaginal birth is much faster to recover from. The first 6 weeks you cant do anything other than lift your baby (I couldn't even to that for the 1st week). It's been 4 months and I still have some pain from the section.

 

[Samantha675]

Growth scans are notorious for being off. It really is hard to determine the exact size of a baby. Everyone carried differently and everyone will measure you a bit differently.

There are plenty of "tiny" women who birth "huge" babies. Your pelvis is built to open up during birth. Staying upright and pushing from an upright position will help this greatly. When you push on your back, this actually make it much harder because it narrows the pelvis.

It is also better for you and your baby if you go into labor naturally, even ending in a c-section. There are loads of hormones that you will both produce during labor that are beneficial.

Obviously, if your BP goes up then waiting to go into labor may not be an option.

I can also say I wouldn't opt for a c-section either. I hated every moment of recovery.

 

[aliss]

My son had severe shoulder dystocia - aka "getting stuck"

Half of SD babies are under 9lbs and induction (ie. pitocin), epidurals, etc. is what really increases the risks. A natural vaginal labour rarely results in SD. SD itself is also quite rare. I suggest looking at https://www.aafp.org/afp/2004/0401/p1707.html for more

 

[Justagirlxx]

My son measured 40 weeks when I was 36 weeks. They recommended I be induced early or have a c-section. I waited it out and went 1 week past due date and went into labor naturally. He was born at 10lbs 4 ounces with an absolutely textbook labor (although LONG), zero complications, & only had a small tear. Don't let them scare you. You CAN birth a big baby naturally. Good luck. xx

 

[Bambers]

There is a theory that bigger babies can be easier to deliver as they are more robust and can help themselves down the birth canal more. x x

 

[angie79]

i had growth scans throughout my pregnancy and at 36 weeks they said he was 7lb 4oz and that he would put on half a pound a week until i was 40 weeks - i also measured 4 weeks ahead my whole pregnancy too so in theory 4 weeks later he should of put on 2lb and weigh around 9lb 4oz and he was born 2 days before his due date at 8lb 11oz - not too far off what they said but not as much as a chunk as they thought.
There was talk of inducing me and c sections and all sorts - my labour and birth experience was great and after being next to a lady who had a c section i'm glad i never had one.
Dont let it worry u

xxx

 

[cabbagebaby]

i wasnt told my baby would be big they all said about 8lb but i told them he would be bigger anyways i went 5 days overdue and he was 10pounds 9 oz and everything went fine i had 3 sweeps could you not have any done prior to your induction ?

 

[AimeeM]

I don't think you should be concerned about he size. Sounds about right. My abdo was measuring 4 weeks behind and he was born 8lb 11oz at 33 weeks he was estimated at almost 6lb on the growth scan. It's the blood preassure you want to get on to them about and find out what is going on. I'd think they may induce you for this reason.

 

[AimeeM]

My son had severe shoulder dystocia - aka "getting stuck"

Half of SD babies are under 9lbs and induction (ie. pitocin), epidurals, etc. is what really increases the risks. A natural vaginal labour rarely results in SD. SD itself is also quite rare. I suggest looking at https://www.aafp.org/afp/2004/0401/p1707.html for more

I agree it as my 8lb 11oz son that got stuck not my 9lb 7oz son.

 

[Cherryhrf]

I always measured bang on with DS2 but I felt he was bigger than my DS1 who was 7lb 10 at birth. The midwife checked me and said 'no about the same, just average size'. He was born 9lb 10oz. He was my biggest and easiest labour (although his foot stuck in my ribs as I was trying to curl up and push him out wasn't helpful lol).