Tips for a natural delivery of a large baby

[Mammashari]

I have been trying to do some research and find out some information on helpful hints for delivery of a but I am not having much luck.

I am 32 weeks pregnant with a baby that is measuring big. I had to take a 3 hour glucose test because I was a couple of points over on the 1 hour one combined with the fact that the baby is measuring big and I am very happy to say that I passed. Big babies run in my family. I was almost 5 pounds and I was two months premature.

I have a mid-wife but due to insurance reasons and the fact that I live in a VERY conservative city that has a 98% eipdural rate, I am going to have a hospital birth. There are no birthing centers even here in the area. We are using the hynobirthing technique.

I am trying to be as prepared as I can be for how to handle a big baby so that if they try to force me into an induction (which they have hinted around about) I can use that as reasons for why I do not want to be induced.

Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks.

[Mama Bee]

:

So, is the question about birthing large babies or how to avoid being induced? Sorry... suffering from pregnant brain! :LOL

[Mammashari]

Sorry, I tend to ramble and to those who don't know me, it becomes unclear.

I would like to know both about birthing big babies so I can be prepared to make myself clear to my mid-wife why I want to avoid an induction. Any info you have on either subject would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

[amydidit]

I'd suggest first reading up on the dangers of inductions... that alone can give you some confidence when dealing with someone pushing induction on you... second I'd definately stress the fact that big babies run in your family and so you expect a big baby yourself... third, research different labor and pushing positions... with big babies I believe that positions that take advantage of gravity are more effective... such as standing, squatting, using a birth chair, etc... helps the baby move down the pelvis and get in the right position... and for pushing insist on NOT being on your back, that only will make it worse... learn about the move of getting on all fours if a baby gets "stuck" on the way out, and let your midwife know that you aren't afraid of a long pushing stage because it will help mould the babies head so he can move through the birth canal... big babies can take a little longer to push out because they do need to mould more, but it's completly possible. Have faith in your body to push out whatever size baby your body wants to grow... you've already ruled out a medical reason that you might grow a bigger than normal (for your body) baby, so it sounds like there is no medical reason to be induced.

[Artisan]

***FAT IS SQUISHY!***

Big babies are not harder to birth.

Say it with me, ***FAT IS SQUISHY!***

Babies with higher birth weights may just have an average sized head. And conversely, a 6.5 lb baby may have a giant head. It's the head that hurts the most. The baby's body fat is not what is hard to push out.

Bigger babies tend to settle in an optimal position for delivery, because they don't have as much room to cock their head at the wrong angle and such.

Bigger babies are easier to care for after birth too.

My first was 10lbs, my second 8lbs 9oz. Born at the same gestational age. My first was a much easier baby!

[captain crunchy]

bah, I just wanted to let you know that my midwife's 2 recent homebirths were both over 10lbs each...

You can do it!

Sorry I don't have any wonderful advice ... part of me thinks that people scare women so much with the thought of these huge babies that can't come out.. I am not saying there are never *issues* with bigger babies... but like the other poster mentioned... trust your body, you can do it!!!

[spsmom]

this whole fear that has been jammed into our brains about delivering big babies is just silly! i am singing in chorus with Reader "fat is squishy"! our bodies have been designed to deliver babies. our bones get floaty! they will open up. with all the interventions and csections, there are really only like 4% of women who can not physically deliver their baby without intervention. i think it was my chiro who told me that. he is always doing research and is a pretty reliable source for me.

anyway, do not fear. you can do it! my mom delivered me at 10 lbs 11 oz. no problem! plus those measurements are not always right. good luck, and may the force be with you. (sorry, couldn't help it)

[Benji'sMom]

Originally Posted by Mammashari

Sorry, I tend to ramble and to those who don't know me, it becomes unclear.

I would like to know both about birthing big babies so I can be prepared to make myself clear to my mid-wife why I want to avoid an induction. Any info you have on either subject would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

You don't want to be induced because it hurts like hell and doesn't keep you from having a c/s (I've BTDT.) You're doctor can't really tell ahead of time really what size the baby is, even ultrasounds are unreliable, and even if baby is big, your doctor can't predict if you'll be able to fit the baby through your pelvis. Doctors just assume you won't be able to.

[mothernurture]

Mammashari! I just finished birth doula training at Seattle Midwifery School... I have some suggestions for large for gestational age babies... WATER, WATER, WATER!!! Does your hospital have tubs for laboring women? I highly recommend laboring at home as long as possible (to avoid the standard operating procedures of your hospital overtaking your desire for a natural birth), and then when you get to your birth location, hopefully you'll be moving right into active labor by then rather than latent or early labor.... get into warm water.... a bathtub would be ideal but perhaps a shower would help too... I had a waterbirth at a free standing birth center with midwives and a doula... my baby came on her own at 37 1/2 weeks and weighed 7lb4oz, 21 1/2 inches long... she could have been a bigger babe if she went to or past due date.

My first birth I was induced for "large for date" status after measuring large and a 34 week ultrasound estimating a 9-10 lb. baby at term and I ended up having way too many unnecessary interventions, that seemed to come as a domino effect after induction... (this alone is a GREAT reason to avoid induction -- once Pitocin is onboard, your options get very limited, very quickly in terms of comfort measures you can use as well as position change which is vital to get the babe in optimal fetal position for birth).... as it turned out, my son was born weighing only 8 lbs. and 21 inches at 38 1/2 weeks. Ultrasound is notoriously off in terms of estimating size of baby....

Believe in yourself, hire a birth doula who can support you throughout labor and offer suggestions on position change, comfort measures, coping strategies, etc... to allow your natural, physiological birth process to unfold!

Midwives in hospitals often cannot stay with you CONTINUOUSLY throughout labor due to other women in labor at the same time... some doulas have sliding scale fees to help women who cannot afford their full rates... check out the DONA (doulas of north america website, www.dona.org to find a doula in your area that you could interview).

Good luck!

[ldsapmom]

You do not say, so I am assuming this is your first baby? The hazards of induction do indeed exist, but the hazards to a primip versus a multip are even worse. Unfortunately, the risks to a first-time mom in an induction greatly increase the cesarean rate versus a mom who has already gone through labor and birth before. I know my midwives try everything else they can think of before inducing a primip -- they are adamantly against it. But they do have to answer to back-up doctors, so things don't always go that way.

I agree with mothernurture (hi, mn...long time no see!) about getting a doula. If you email DONA, they can provide a list of doulas who are still certifying who offer their services for free or at a greatly reduced fee, if that helps.

One thing that helpsed me with my scary thoughts about having a large baby: I went in to one of my appointments and told my midwife if I went over my EDD, I was going to stop eating. She said, "His head is not getting any bigger." That really made sense to me! He would just be putting fat on, not working up to a very large head! He was 9 pounds, 9 ounces, posterior and asynclitic, and I still was able to have him vaginally and with a minimal amount of recuperation/healing afterwards -- it was the greatest experience of my life.

[mmaramba]

Just like to add that I am hoping and : for a big baby, for all the reasons others have mentioned! (Making use of gravity, baby having less of a chance of getting into a "bad" position, etc.)

I doubt it though-- my mom and her sibs were big, but my bro and I were less than eight pounds (and I was fully term at 7/15).

My SIL, whose family stock is similar to mine and is married to DH's brother, had two 6+ pounders. Now, I'm not sure if they were "to term"-- I'd say so, though. (She "didn't start labor on her own"-- they gave her pitocin-- but she did have SROM before both, so I'd guess that even in a homebirth she'd have birthed within a day or so).

All hail the 10 pounders!

[mb122]

if big babies run in your family, the odds are that the women in your family are built to birth these babies also!

big babies run in my family...my DD was over 10 pounds and i pushed her out in 10 minutes.

my OB thinks i can easily birth an 11 pounder (that was his response to my worrying about the size of #2). he says i was built for this and not to worry.

[mwherbs]

big babies run in our family and all of our kids were big
10 lbs 5 oz born in 12 hrs in hospital
10lbs 11 oz born in 1 hr in hospital
9 lbs born at home ? hard to say how long maybe 8 hrs but maybe longer as we had a couple of upsets that slowed/stopped my labor early on
12 lbs born at home ? hard to say how long as well....

my mother is a small woman and we were all over 8 lbs and she herself was 10lbs when she was born. my DH was also a 5 lb 2 months premature because of complete previa.

no special tips, exercise like walking and squatting everyday, stay out of the hospital as long as you possibly can, make love and eat well

[mandib50]

i would grab henci goer's books along with a guide to effective care in pregnancy and birth. lots of great, scientifically backed reasons to avoid induction.

i believe if your body can build your baby, you can birth your baby! ultrasounds can be waayy off ... with my first i had an ultrasound at 36 weeks showing the baby to be 5 lbs and then was born at 7 lbs 4 weeks later (induced, ended up in c-section). my last 2 were my biggest at 9lbs 5 oz (homebirths) but as you've seen even bigger babies are successfully born vaginally! my midwife's biggest baby was 13lbs!!

believe in yourself, have faith in yourself, hire a doula if your midwife is not the most supportive and refuse the induction! you can do it!
mandi

[flapjack]

The easiest way of having a natural delivery of a big baby is to have an unexpectedly large baby. It's so much fun when you can shock a midwife who's been there, seen it all already
And, if that doesn't work, just refuse. At 32 weeks, though, it's really too soon to tell.

[EmmalinesMom]

nak

my baby wasn't huge by any means...she was 9.6... but i did a totally natural birth in a hospital that has a 95%+ epidural rate...you can do it!

try reading some from Active Birth by Janet Balaskas. It has some great ideas for birthing process and natural inductions.

[onlyboys]

I do think that one of the best ways to birth a large baby is not to know about said large baby in the first place....

When I was birthing my largest, the MW *thought* he was huge, but said NOTHING to me about it. I'm so glad, as I would have carried that baggage into labor. Those fears about large babies. That said, he was my easiest, happiest birth, and my easiest, happiest baby.

Your body knows what it's doing. Induction for large babies are not necessary.

Good luck to you!

[crunchyconmomma]

sorry no time to read PP - have to tend to my 2 big boys (over 9 pounds and 10 pounds :LOL ) - did anyone mention all fours or some other big baby facilitating position? whatever you do, stay out of the "hospital birth" lithotomy position no matter what size your baby is - decreases pelvic capacity up to 30%. i was on my side with my second babe (at home, hypnobirthed also) and when my midwife measured him she said he had the biggest head she had seen in over 400 births. we grow 'em big in this family also.
i learned a great visualization technique for self-hypnosis, but not in the mongan-approved class :
visualize the whole scene as you would NOT want it (for me i was in pain and not enjoying the birth and was being mean to my MW and DH and i looked sweaty and scowly and ugly and blah blah blah) and make it a big screen before your eyes like a huge TV set
next visualze what you do want (for me, i was calm and delighted to be birthing and things were moving with ease and i was lovely toward MW and DH and i looked like a beautiful birthing goddess because i was radiating positive energy) and you make this good one a tiny little image in the corner of the big ugly one (like those picture in picture TV's) and then you quickly swish the small image mentally and make it big and vibrant and replace the bad with it. you keep doing this until you have a harder and harder time conjuring the bad one.
you can do it. i have no info for you argument about why you don't want induction. just tell them 'NO. period." you're in charge - it's your birth and you aren't sick.

[seven_lux]

I have birthed a 6lb'er and an 9lber naturally and normally (9lber at home unnassisted). I for one could not tell any difference during delivery. Both hurt a bit and both felt good to get out.
People (especially doctors) seem to think that smaller automatically equals easier, but there was basically no difference for me.

I deliver kneeling and hanging off something/bracing against something. Works great no matter what the size i think

[Mammashari]

Wow. Thanks to everyone for their wonderful responses. I am going to take a lot of it to heart. I think sometimes I just need some reassurance. By nature, I am a non-confrontational person at times and due to that can be pursuaded into agreeing to something that do not want just to avoid conflict. My viewpoints are so strong with this though so I am hoping that in itself gives me the strength to not agree to anything. Luckily my husband knows how I feel and he will help me out also. My fear is not so much delivering the baby. I have always been under the mindframe that this is what women have been doing for years and that it is what our bodies are designed for. I also had a friend that delivered an 11 pounder naturally with not even a small tear. My fear is that myself and my body are not going to be given the chance without a huge fight. That scares me more than anything and I wanted to be educated enough to state my case without it being purely emotional.

Thanks again for all of the info. To whoever said "fat is squishy" that is WONDERFUL. I will keep telling myself that and any time I am reminded by people (which happens many times daily) how big I am getting ( "are you sure it is not twins?") and how big the baby must be I can use that line. That will become my new mantra.