My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

Pregnancy

Am getting even more nervous about size of baby ........................

22 replies

mosschops30 · 02/10/2009 16:58

had 34 wk apt with mw today. Raised concerns again about how this baby bump is so much bigger than first two.
She measured and bump is spot on 34 weeks, however she did say 'ooh its had a bit of a growth spurt' after marking it on growth graph.
The she sais if it continues to spurt like this then she will refer me for a scan, or if I get to 38 weeks and am measuring 40 because head should engage so measurements lower, at which point I mentioned that its my 3rd and 2nd didnt engage until labour induced so always possible this one may not engage either!
She also said 'oh I think it will be a good size'!

None of this is reasuring me in any way. She wont send me for a scan now, her explanations are contradictory and my only other option is to pay private which after already spending about ÂŁ500 on private scans we cannot afford.

WWYD?

OP posts:
Report
hf128219 · 02/10/2009 17:00

I was repeatedly told my baby was very big - she was 6lb 13oz!

Report
Deemented · 02/10/2009 17:02

In all honesty? Nothing. A larger baby isn't the end of the world, and measurment scans are notoriously unreliable.

It could be that you have lots of fluid - just because bump is big doesn't mean it's all baby.

Is there any particular reason why your scared of having a 'big' baby? And what would you consider big?

Report
Scorps · 02/10/2009 17:02

She doesn't seem to know what to think

I agree with you WRT head engagement, and if baby is measuring 34 weeks at 34 weeks then i see little issue TBH.

Report
piprabbit · 02/10/2009 17:03

I'd try not to worry too much.

With DD everone kept telling me she would be huge - but she ended up at 8lb7oz.

Nobody mentioned the size of DS, but he ended up at 9lb8oz.

Anyway, they both made a traditional entrance to the world and were fine.

If you are measuring 34 weeks at 34 weeks I'm not sure what the concern is at the moment.

Report
seeker · 02/10/2009 17:11

And even if it is big, in my experience, size makes very little difference to speed or ease of labour, unless you have a very small pelvis - and as you've had babies before you know everything works!

My ds was 10.6, and he was born in less than 4 hours, start to finish with no pain relief.

I would try not to worry - and don't spend money on private scans - even scans are often wrong.

Report
mosschops30 · 02/10/2009 17:18

I know everyone says that big babies are no harder to deliver etc etc, but both mine were under 7.5lbs, and my nether regions still look like they did when I was 18! I dont want to be dragging my lady bits behind me like a feckin handbag
Plus Im also pretty small, usully a size 8 and weigh between 7.5-8stone. I dont think my body will be capable of delievring a 10lb baby.
I dont mind it being up to 8.5lbs but any bigger than that and Id worry about him getting stuck or tearing me from one end to the other.

OP posts:
Report
piprabbit · 02/10/2009 17:22

But you only really have to worry about the size of their heads - so if you and DP have normal size heads, then the baby probably will too.
The rest of the body just kind of follows IYSWIM .

Report
peppapighastakenovermylife · 02/10/2009 17:23

I had a nearly 9 pound baby (incidentally told would be 6 pounds so dont trust too much) with no tears or stitches. I had a seven pound baby and needed and episiotomy which tore further.

It really doesnt mean that things will be bad - try and have a look at positions maybe that help get bigger babies out easily - making more room in the pelvis etc.

Report
ErikaMaye · 02/10/2009 17:36

I don't have any personal experience, am pregnant with my first, but will say that I was watching a birthing program earlier (this is my life, now..!) and the woman was HUGE. Litterally, giant. They thought the baby was going to be so big that they decided to do an elective.

Baby weighed 6lb5oz - she just had a lot of fluid!

I'm a terrible hypocryte, as I posted a similar post a while ago, but do try not to worry

Report
seeker · 02/10/2009 17:38

Many of us manage to leave the house without the need of an extra handbag. And expecting to retain the attributes of an 18 year old may be a little - shall we say - unrealistic?

Report
mosschops30 · 02/10/2009 17:54

well I managed after 2 seeker, so why not aim for the same after 3rd??

Yes I have also heard about women who are HUGE and then deliver 6lb babies hope that will be me!

OP posts:
Report
piprabbit · 02/10/2009 18:31

Mosschops - Bless your DP for telling you it's still like an 18 year old's.... now that is loyalty

Report
Scorps · 02/10/2009 18:52

I am ususally a size 6/8 and have had 6lb 11, 8lb 1 and 8lb 9. I'm wondering what dc4 will weigh, in December.

Bigger babies are easier to deliver, more to work with. And i don't drag along the floor

Report
mumof2rugrats · 02/10/2009 21:40

i was told at 36 wks that my baby would be 8 1/2 lb max and she was 10lb 6
scorps bigger babies arent easier they hurt

Report
ErikaMaye · 03/10/2009 11:31

Mines not going to hurt, its just going to come out without a problem, no tearing, no fuss, and it'll be easy as pie...

I hope.

puts fingers in ears at talk of babies larger than weight estimate

See what I said about being a hypocrite? Yep, am terrified today.

Report
mosschops30 · 03/10/2009 12:08

piprabit you are way off the mark with my DH, he says 'dont worry love it wont have far to stretch'
I meant to look at, not in size as I am sure after two already it is deffo not same size as it was when I was 18, but it still looks nice (IYKWIM and read the 'porn lips' thread)

OP posts:
Report
seeker · 03/10/2009 14:33

Well, I suppose if you wear patent leather shoes........

Report
Sunnydale · 03/10/2009 14:44

Share your concerns with your midwife. They are valid, so don't feel bad about it. I too am quite small, though not as small as you. I weigh eight and a half stone and am 5 foot 5. The DR told me my baby would be big, and that I should prepare for a very long labour. She wasn't wrong. 36 hours later, I had an emergency C section. My dd was nearly 10 lb. My DH's side of the family is pretty heavy: all my MIL's kids were 9 or 10lbs. I still think I'd never have been able to birth a 10lb baby myself, even though everyone says anyone can give birth to any baby, regardless of size. I tried, I really did, but next time I'm going for an elective cs. Anyway, good luck to you.

Report
mosschops30 · 04/10/2009 12:12

thank you sunny for that post - not nice for you obviously, but good to hear that my concerns are real and that not everyone can deliver their baby.
I am also getting increasingly concerned with the position of the baby, she said she wasnt sure, and then said she thought he was head down, but Im getting kicks all over the place so cant quite work out where baby is, although my bump looks pretty perfect so not transverse I dont think.
The scan is becoming more and more appealing, even if it puts my mind at rest slightly, i know its not an exact indication of anything but would be better than nothing (knowing breech or not, or fairly large or not)

OP posts:
Report
Comma2 · 04/10/2009 18:41

I have to say too, I didn't know how strange everything would look after an epi...it's not nice. But, you can have plenty of trouble with a csection, from weird scar tissue to puckered scars to ingrown hairline (not to forget, they do sever all your abdominals...). So who knows. Fact is, there ain't no easy way out unless you get lucky. Another fact is that you'll have plenty of other things to think about once you little angle is around.

Report
puffylovett · 04/10/2009 18:52

I was expecting a big baby. Told at a 39 week scan that it was approximately 7lbs 4 oz. Born 3 weeks later at 9lb 11oz. They're just not that accurate imo !

oh and he was a much easier birth than my 8lb 6 DS1, he has a smaller head

Report
MummyElk · 04/10/2009 19:04

yep agree with most posts tbh, mine is a similar story, told at a scan it would be a 10lb "or more" baby, convinced into induction "you're only 5'3"" etc etc and out popped an 8lb9 baby and a swimming pool sized amount of fluid.
having said all that - i think you've already made your mind up and want a scan. in which case i'm not going to tell you not to.
but you are measuring 34wks at 34 wks and you have another 6wks to go. so plenty of things can (and probably will) happen. i'm not sure hearing a lot of other stories about big/little babies will make you feel better though? i hope they do...
you could just trust your body that it knows what it's doing? you never know, it might?!

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.