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big babies?

post #1 of 28
9/18/10 at 4:41pm
Thread Starter 
Has anyone out there given birth naturally to a really big baby? I'm not showing that big, but apparently the fetus inside is pretty large. My brother, myself, and DP were all big babies even though we're average-sized adults. I made the mistake of telling some people and now all I hear are horror stories about how big babies are impossible to birth naturally. One person even smiled and said, "Get ready for your c-section!"

I don't want to approach labor thinking my baby can't make it out on its own. This has definitely motivated me to get more serious about kegels, hip openers, squats, and (later) perineum stretching. Any advice?

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post #2 of 28
9/18/10 at 4:49pm
DDCC
I had a not huge baby but pretty big. He was 9lbs 7oz. No problem really, fat squishes! No tearing, although he did take awhile to push out.
I had *no idea* what size he was and I like it like that. Take fetal size with a grain of salt and I don't know that your size or your DH size at birth really matters too much. My mom didn't have a baby over 7lbs and neither did my MIL. Now because I have had a big baby, I'm expecting this one to be as well, but I'm not afraid and kinda proud to grow big babies!
post #3 of 28
9/18/10 at 4:54pm
my ds was 8lbs 10oz and i got pretty huge with him, with dd i didnt get as big, yet she was 9lbs 5oz. with ds i had an epi...with dd i didn't have anything, her shoulder got stuck, and the midwife had to kinda pull her out but other than that...cant say i have any advise...i just didn't think about the weight or size they would be, just how ready i was to meet them the dr. with ds did a great job at helping me not tear, and with dd the midwife would tell me not to push so i wouldn't tear...i listened to her and i didnt tear with her either
post #4 of 28
9/18/10 at 5:02pm
DS was 9 lbs 10 oz and was officially "LGA" which is large for gestational age, I never measured large, he just did on the inside.

No problems, had a homebirth w/no tearing. 'Big' is relative and I think there is a fear of bigger babies but honestly, so many people have small babies and no body makes a big deal about people having small babies so I don't know what the big deal is really. My midwife, doula and family pretty much expect another 'big' baby - I, especially if it's another boy. I know mamas who have had 10 lbs w/no complications in either their pregnancy or their births. The one concern (besides people telling you the baby is too big to fit) is if you get gestational diabetes or pre e, at least that's what our midwife said last time.

And honestly, just because a baby is measuring large now, doesn't mean it will continue to measure that way later (not to mention the measuring can be affected by your fluid levels and the position of the baby) The farther you get from 20 wks in ultrasounds, the harder it is too make truly accurate measurements.
post #5 of 28
9/18/10 at 5:39pm
My vbac baby was 8lb14oz. Not huge, but good sized. If my other two (8lb15oz and 9lb4oz) hadn't been malpositioned I'm sure they would have come out easier as well. I have friends/family that have had 10lbs+ babies naturally.
post #6 of 28
9/18/10 at 6:24pm
My first was 9lbs 8.5oz. and had shoulder dystocia. We had a very medicalized (vaginal) birth that injured us both.
2nd baby was only 6lbs. 12oz
3rd baby was 9lbs. 9oz. We had a beautiful water birth with a midwife in a birth center. I had not even one tiny tear with him.
4th baby was 11lbs even! Vaginal, home birth. She had a shoulder dystocia as well that my midwife handled beautifully. We both survived healthy and well.
Try not to let the big baby horror stories scare you!
post #7 of 28
9/18/10 at 6:30pm
Well the first thing you should know is that the "size" the u/s machine tells the dr./tech is not very accurate at all!

I had an u/s late in my pregnancy with ds (like literally a week before he was born) and they said "looks like a small baby...maybe five pounds-ish" and he came out a hair under 9 pounds! lol I doubt he gained 4 pounds in one week!

I have also heard that some ob's will plant ideas in ppl's heads about how "big" they baby is so that the mother will be more likely to consent to a C-sec...sad but true for some!
post #8 of 28
9/18/10 at 6:33pm
DDC

None of mine were enormous either, but my 9lb2oz baby did break her collar bone at delivery. No actual dystocia though. We didn't even know it was broken (and healed) until a follow up ped. visit a while later.

It was no harder than my 8lb10oz, 7lb15oz, or 7lb9oz deliveries.
post #9 of 28
9/18/10 at 7:06pm
My friends was over 10 lbs and she did a great job, naturally in the hospital. You can do it! And keep in mind that *big babies* often come out totally normal, even small.
post #10 of 28
9/18/10 at 8:01pm
Well, DS was 2 lb at birth, so I don't have personal experience, but my best friend had an 11 lb baby, naturally at home. It was a HBAC. No tear, no problems, no nothin' - just a gorgeous, healthy baby!

He was her fifth (fourth VBAC), so that could have something to do with it, but I don't think so - it's totally possible! Having a supportive doula will probably make a big difference, as will being really informed, especially about the notoriously inaccurate nature of any "size measurements" from u/s.
post #11 of 28
9/18/10 at 8:26pm
I've now had two homebirths with strangely identical labors- FAST and furious. DD1 was 7lbs 11oz and DD2 was 9lbs 12oz. No tears just a few skid marks both times.
post #12 of 28
9/18/10 at 8:35pm
Yeah dont trust the u/s they told me my son was going to be 13 lbs and that i'd have to have a c-section in reality he was 8.10. My vbac baby was 9.10 and i had him at home just fine with no tearing.
post #13 of 28
9/18/10 at 8:40pm
ddc crashing- I had a lovely-beautiful home waterbirth at the end of June. Baby girl was 9lbs 13 oz. The birth was 45 minutes start to finish and surprisingly painless. I did have a bad tear though, but it healed impressively well. FWIW, my firstborn was 8.6 and was also a straightforward, 6 hour, labour with about 35 minutes of pushing. Fat squishes!
post #14 of 28
9/18/10 at 10:12pm
My husband was over ten pounds and born at home, no problems.
post #15 of 28
9/18/10 at 10:58pm
DDC crashing...


DD1- 10 lbs, 5 oz (ultrasound said a 8ish lb. baby)- hospital birth, pit, epidural... tearing (I think due to the epidural and impatient doc).

DD2- 9 lbs, 12 oz, perfect home birth. I let my body tell me when to push, etc. It was fabulous.

Good luck!
post #16 of 28
9/19/10 at 3:31am
Mine are on the bigger side, DD1 was 8 lbs 9 ozs, DD2 was 8 lbs 4 ozs. Both were expected to be small babies according to the doctors. In fact the doctor I had for DD1 predicted her in the 6 pound range when I was in labor, he lost that bet.
post #17 of 28
9/19/10 at 8:49am
My third was 9lb 7oz, I had natural (well induced but no pain meds) labor, no tears or episiotomy.
My fourth was 3 weeks early at 8lb 1oz, natural no tears or episiotomy.
My fifth was also 9lb 7oz same as above.
I am only 5' 4'' and regularly 120lbs.
It can be done!

Oh, and because I was up walking around, on the birth ball, shower, and squatting into my contractions, and I did not push laying on my back - I probably pushed no more than 5 contractions with each and out they came
post #18 of 28
9/19/10 at 9:19am
My second ds was 9lb 9 oz, slid out easily at home after a 2 hour labor. My midwife thought he would be big, cuz I was so big. Totally managable.
post #19 of 28
9/19/10 at 11:58am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all of your reassuring stories! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...
post #20 of 28
9/19/10 at 12:05pm
My babies weren't big by any standard - but I am extremely small. I'm 5'1" - thin stature. And my daughter was 8lbs5oz and my son was 8lbs2oz (and he was 15 days early!) I'm hoping to push out a 9lb-er this time

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