Starting to freak out over birth

[Satori]

My dd was only 5 1/2lbs due to my severe pre-e and the thought of birthing a baby that size doesn't scare me. I've started buying newborn clothes assuming this baby will be bigger since I don't expect to get pre-e again (cause last time is known). The clothes looked a little big but dd got into them and put them on her dolls. Her biggest doll is about the size of a 6 mo old baby, or at least the size of dd at 6 mo. The clothes are big on the doll! Now granted there 100% cotton and haven't been washed yet so they will shrink but unless they do some serious serious shrinking i'm freaking out, no way can something that big come out of me! I have never seen a newborn irl over 6 lbs, I always seem to met the moms with the small babies and only hear about the bigger ones. I know in theory my body wont grow a baby it can't birth but as a VBAC i'm scared to death and just the thought of OMG, thats going to rip me in 2!

[Guest*]

I was scared, too. I'm 5'2, 100lbs, very petite. NO WAY was something that weighed 7+ lbs coming out of me! But, dd, who weighed, 6 lb 9 oz, came out just fine.

Your body CAN do it. Your hips open up so wide and you'll stretch.

Whenever I'm worried about the size, I think about my aunt who is only a little bigger than me. She vaginally birthed 11#, 12#, and 14# babies with no problem.

[DoulaSarah]

You CAN do this!! My easiest baby to get out was my biggest one at 8#11. The other two were smaller and harder!


You truly can birth your baby and if you gently push or don't push at all, there should be very little trauma to your perineum. Probably no tears at all!

[aisraeltax]

as a vbac after 2 c/s's i will tell you that you CAN do this! Ethan was 8 lbs/4 oz...smallest of my babies, but only one i was able to birth naturally.
i will not tell you it didnt hurt...it did...but you CAN do it and it is sooo much better than a c/s!
good luck and try to relax.
rach

[orangefoot]

Satori

Everything is possible - you have come this far haven't you and it hasn't been easy!

I have to tell you that newborn clothes are baggy on newborn babies. Dd was my biggest at 7lb 12oz (I'm a petite 5'0") and the little envelope neck vests were off the shoulder for quite a while!

Today I looked at a photo of dd when she was a day or so old resting in the crook of my arm and suddenly had this horrible thought about how big her head looked. Eek! Well, I've done it before and I'll do it again.

Don't talk to people who tell you things you don't want to hear. Listen to all those who are telling you you can do it.

Rachel

[cyjenkins]

I'm 90 lbs not pg, about 5'. They expected my first baby to be around 6.5-7 lbs. He ended up being over 8 lbs!!!!! I was shocked the first time I saw him because he was so much bigger than I expected in every way . . . he could just about hold his head up himself!

And I barely had any tearing. What I had was probably due to his hand coming out WITH his head.

I prefer a big baby to a small one. More weight, gravity works better! And they are so much easier to handle.

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

You totally can do it! Lots of my (average sized) friends have been having high 8s, mid 9s and even a few 10 pounders (not me, though). No real troubles - no one split in half :D But its normal to be freaked out about that.

About newborn clothes - they often ARE big. My two boys, 7 lbs 3 oz and 6lbs 8 oz, both wore preemie clothes for a couple weeks. For real. NB clothes were huge on them and didn't fit til they were well into the 8 lb range, and better in the 9lb range.

:hug

[veganf]

My midwife laughed at me when I got out the newborn outfit to dress my second son in. He was 9lbs. 5oz. She said that I'd better have something bigger, no way is he fitting into that! I was sort of devastated, since that's the outfit I'd had sitting around waiting for him, but I had to have my husband go get the 3-6 month clothes out of the basement bin instead. Oh well! BTW, I'm only 5'3", and the birth was very quick (hurt a lot, but quick and easy!). And my first was 8lbs. 4oz. (he fit those newborn clothes for 2 weeks at least).
I'm sure you'll do fine, but don't go overboard buying those itty bitty clothes!

- Krista

[rozzie'sma]

My dd was 8lbs. 2.6 oz. her head was 13.5 inches and I didn't even tear. Not even a little. You will be fine. Just remember fat is squishy and your body was made to do this.

[Llyra]

My DD was 7 1/2 pounds and the newborn clothes were HUGE HUGE HUGE on her.

[EmmalinesMom]

You can do it! :)

My two babies have been 8.2 and 9.6 and really, the pushing part and actual delivery when their bodies came out didn't feel much different. :) Fat squishes!