Just talked to MIL . . .

[Kavita]

and finally remembered this time to ask her how big DH was when he was born. (The midwife I trained under thought that the father's birthweight was a pretty reasonable estimate of how big a baby a woman might have. It makes sense to me that it would be at least partly genetic.)

Anyway, she couldn't remember exactly how much he weighed, but said that he was definitely between 10 and 12 pounds!!!!!!! :

I myself was 7.5 lbs at birth, and my younger sister was almost 10 lbs--and this from a mom who smoked in pregnancy.

So now I'm wondering if I am going to end up with a ginormous baby!!!

Maybe I won't buy too many clothes in newborn sizes!! :LOL

[flapjack]

Ah, ginormous babies are easier to handle. They have bigger tummies so they do stop eating occasionally, and they don't have the "I'm going to break it" fragility of the 6 lb-ers.
BUT I think newborn sizes are a waste of money for anyone- because you only get a few weeks wear out of them. Once the legs unfold, they can go straight into 0-3 months- and until then all you need are nightgowns or sleepsuits anyhow.

[Gunter]

Wow.

My DH was 7 lbs 10 onz. and so was his dad. I'd be okay with that weight, I guess?

[meagen]

I can sympathize! I was 10lbs, my dh was 9.8 lbs, and my dd was exactly 9lbs. So, yes, I don't buy anything in the 0-3 mo., and count on him wearing 3-6 mo. home from the hospital. Like flapjack said, not so much to worry about fragile-wise with the big ones. Personally, I'm partial to the fat, hairy babies! I hope Liam is just as big.

One quick horror story: dh's paternal grandma had nine kids. One set of twins (there were two sets) were 8lbs. each and dh's dad was almost 13lbs. Wow, what a woman! Leave it to those Irish Catholics :LOL

[MelW]

I have a friend who has a "birth trophy"- a bronze baby on a plaque with a label with stats: weight, length, time, etc. I think that mamas should get trophies for birthing their big babies :LOL And that way, when people make jokes about there being "no prize for the best birth" you can whip it out and show them :

[gonnabeamom]

I'll have to check with my MIL about DH's weight, because I've been counting on the fact that he's a little guy now. I'm actually not as worried about giving birth to a big baby as I am about trying to have to carrying it around afterwards.

However, if we're trading horror stories. DH, his brother, and his mother were all nearly 2 months late! My mom first was 6 months late. I due the 15th and I'm hoping to have the baby by Christmas. Is there a prize for longest pregnancy?

[spughy]

Please tell me that was a typo, gonnabeamom! 6 MONTHS late?!?!?! Surely that's not physically possible...2 months either, for that matter, unless EDD was way off...

My DH was around 10 lbs but I was only 6 lb 12 oz, so I figure that averages out to a normal-sized baby MIL had nasty back labour, 3 posterior babes in a row, and that may be why she think's I'm nuts to want a home birth. My mom had perfectly normal labours and smallish babies so I'm hoping that my genes win. Although - on the late thing - my mom was induced with me & my youngest sister at 42 and 41.5 weeks; my middle sister was allowed to come naturally, and she did, eventually, at 44 weeks!!! MIL's OB didn't believe in induction and she went to 42-44 weeks with all of them. So I'm probably fairly doomed to go late - I just hope it's not enough to risk me out of a home birth.

[oetien]

probably 6 weeks..

[kiwimutti]

hmmm my dh (who's 6"2 ) was 7.5lbs... me i think around 8lbs ...both my babies...10lbs...and after the first my midwife giggled to me that I might start finding small indian and asian men suddenly mysteriously appealing

maybe this means no walking on golf corses when its overcast (lightening) and keep buying lotto tickets... :LOL because if the odds dont apply to me I must be one of those ones that is in the 1-3%...those are real people you know and to them its %100 real :LOL

[spughy]

Heh. My DH IS asian - half-chinese (he's not short either, and neither is his Chinese dad). And my Chinese neighbour (who is typically tiny) had 2 HUGE baby boys. In my personal experience, Asian babies tend to have large heads, too. I don't know where this "small asian baby" thing came from. It seems to be an unfortunate myth, probably started by Chinese guys to get chicks :LOL

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by flapjack

BUT I think newborn sizes are a waste of money for anyone- because you only get a few weeks wear out of them. Once the legs unfold, they can go straight into 0-3 months- and until then all you need are nightgowns or sleepsuits anyhow.

My second baby (9 lbs at birth) was in the 0-3m stuff for about a week, maybe two, then I unpacked the next size up. I gave away all my baby stuff when I was getting divorced the first time, so I had to replace everything when I was pg with #3. I didn't bother buying anything smaller than 3-6m, and it all fit him fine at birth (8 lbs 14oz). By 2-3mo he was in the 6-9m size stuff.

If you're expecting a big baby, I suggest starting out with 3-6m size clothes, not 0-3s!!!

[3for3hb]

but... 0-3 stuff is so cute because it's so tiny....

still, on the practical end, I agree!

[MrsMoe]

My daughter needed premie clothes when she was born. Everything else fell off! And the 0-3 month stuff fit way past the 3 month mark. She was a 6.5 pound baby. :LOL

[crsta33]

My dh has made two 8 lb 3 oz babies (delivered 7 years apart by 2 different women) so we'll see what this one weighs.

I have a feeling he's going to be a 9 pounder though. If my "feeling" (actually just an irrational worry) about him being early isn't true.

Christa

[Kavita]

As for the small indian/asian baby thing--my DH IS from India! So no luck there! Of course, at 6 feet tall, he's always one of the tallest men at any Indian fuction we attend. (At least it makes it easier to find him in a crowd!) I'm not too worried about weight really for the birth, more just my back surviving the pregnancy and then having to lug around a newborn baby that looks like he/she should be in kindergarten already! :LOL

As far as birthing trophies, my MIL definitely deserves one! If you saw her you would never believe that she would even produce a seven pound baby--she's about almost 5 feet tall, small boned and delicate, and rather slender too. DH told me that when she was having babies she weighed about 90-100 pounds! Her first baby was 12 lbs, followed by twins who were 3.75 lbs each, followed by DH.

After talking to his mom, DH started joking that he was going out to buy me a pack of cigarettes and what kind did I want? (I've never smoked, but he knows that smoking reduces birth weight and so we started joking that I should start now!) :LOL

[nataliekat]

Hm. DH was over 10 pounds, and I was over 9. But Maisie was only 7 lb, 5 oz. and Little girl #2 is on track to be about the same, I think.

I really don't think it's any indication. The two of you together make different babies than his parents or your parents did.