Macrosomia in non-gd moms (looking for research)

[Cyneburh]

A little background first... I gave birth to my daughter at the hospital after transferring during a planned homebirth at the midwife's reccomendation. (Meconium and elevated heart tones) The hospital wasn't really in favor of a homebirth and basically did everything they could to try to prove that my care had been substandard. One of the items they did not like was that my dd was born weighing 10,13 even though they couldn't prove that I had gd. They even did a hemoglobin A1C and couldn't give a definite diagnosis of gd (though the perinatologist who told me they'd done that test did try to claim it was positive for gd.... but then I asked him what the borderline result for gd was and without thinking, he told me... based on what he had told me monents before about my numbers, I had passed... he wasn't happy to have slipped like that!) But despite that they insisted that I had to have had gd because I had a large baby.

Since then, I have done research on macrosomia. I find references to the fact that far from all are born to mom's with gd. I know that mom's with gd are more likely to have macrosomic babies but I also know there are other reasons such as heredity. The problem is that I haven't found any articles showing research as to either how often macrosomic babies are born to non-gd mom's or what percentage of macrosomic babies are born to non-gd mom's vs. gd moms. So far all the articles I've read deal with gd as a cause for macrosomia.

Can you point me in the direction of articles dealing with macrosomia in non-gd pregnancies?

I'm going to put this type of information in my just in case bag for my next labor.

Thanks!!!!!

[candiland]

I'm not sure about the research, but I do know that what many midwives and mothers consider normal, healthy-sized babies are considered macrosomic by medical professionals. It's just a silly medical term, and it means nothing. Truly. If you were healthy and your babe was healthy, don't let a scientific term define your pregnancy and birth. My son was 9.4. and my midwife and I never blinked an eye. However, the medical professionals I worked with were worried, asking me if they had me tested for gd or if I got him a bloodtest to test his insulin levels or whatever. :rolleyes: I said nope, we're healthy and happy, and size doesn't matter:LOL

[Cyneburh]

I'm really not letting it worry me. I'm just a huge info-junkie :LOL(majored in physics in college just for the fun of it...) and I want to have the research available in case some snotty ob (not all of them are but having had a run in with one I'm more aware that some are) tries to tell me that this next baby was a resul of gd. My midwife is wonderful about the over 10 pound idea and assures me that she's comfortable with it especially since so many aunts of mine gave birth to large (over 10 pounds) babies, dh was technically macrosomic and my grandmother's babies were all near 10 pounds themselves (+/- a few ounces).

I'd really like to have the research to back me up though when I say that just becuase I had a big baby, doesn't mean I had gd.

Dh did make a change this pregnancy though... he's not joking that we're going for a 10 pounder. :rolleyes: He did that last pregnancy and then was shocked to find out just how big of a baby he'd "wished" on me. :LOL I did great birthing her though and have no fears about future babies. I actually have an extra inch of circumfrence in my pelvis so now giving birth will be even easier!

[PumpkinSeeds]

You can do a search on Pubmed. I was just on there doing research about gestational diabetes and the use of the ultrasound to determine amniotic fluid index ...

Sorry, I didn't look it up for you, just my computer is soooooooo slow.....

Anyways, even if you don't have access to electronic journals, it's pretty easy to go to a medical library and make copies of the articles.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

[pamamidwife]

You can check out my new arrivals page to see the size of babies we have had at home: http://www.midwifemama.com/new_arrivals.html

(what's interesting is there are two c-sections on that page, and both were UNDER 9lbs)


Both 13lb babies were born at home, over intact perineums. A couple of weekends ago, I helped a friend birth her 11lb 9oz baby in the water over an intact perineum.

Birth works so well when you're allowed to listen to your body, remain upright as your body leads you and push only when you feel the urge and in a position that helps facilitate the alignment of your body and your baby.

:)

Henci Goer has a nice article on big babies and induction here (http://www.parentsplace.com/print/0,,234322,00.html?arrivalSA=1&cobrandRef=0&arrival_freqCap=2) : , but she also has some good info in her book, The Thinking Womans Guide to a Better Birth: