Induction with big baby

[catobe]

Hello! Normally a lurker but could do with some moral support.

This is my first baby and I'm due to be induced 40+1 - reasons being, the baby is quite big!

The last growth scan I had at 37 weeks showed the baby was estimated 9lbs 4oz.

I instantly thought that meant c section with me having weeks to go! But no, hospital very much pushing me to do it naturally and don't feel like I have any choice.

I don't have Gd, I think my hips are quite big, but apart from that I'm about a size 14 and 5ft 1.

I'm just a bit anxious of getting this baby out and fear that even though I feel pushed to do it naturally, my gut is saying "c section"! However, not sure if that's my gut of fear talking!

Anyways, I've googled the crap out of it, I'm actually terrified of the usual things, head stuck (apparently baby has big head), shoulder dystocia, episiotomy's!

Any kind, realistic words would be appreciated - feel like I'm preparing for doom on Tuesday, like I'm not going to get this baby out safely and it's really scary.

[bringonthrsummer]

I don't have any experience in this really but just to say, I had growth scans and at 36 week they estimated my boy to be about 8.5 and 3 weeks later he came out at 8.4 and he's obviously grown a lot in 3 weeks. I've also read that they get weight estimations very wrong a lot of the time. So I'd try not to worry, try for a vaginal birth but be prepared to go with the flow of needs be. Also big babies can actually be easier to deliver than smaller ones for some reason X

[catobe]

Thank you! Don't know if this makes a difference but I had two growth scans and they were consistently big. But i will try vaginally!

Episitomy scares me - yet major abdominal surgery doesn't! Think it's be ashes it's controlled.

[MyBeard]

Hi, first of all congratulations!

My friend had growth scans that predicted her baby over 8lbs. She was born 6 weeks later at barely over 5lbs!

I was also induced with my first, he weighed 9lb 2oz. Honestly, it was fine. Not a walk in a park, but it was about 6 hours in labour, 2nd degree tear but healed well. It was fine even though he was huge. My second was then 10lb 8oz and that was an 'easy' and simple labour (as easy as you'd expect when a human is coming out of you!) and was only 4 hours. You'll be fine good luck

[DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep]

I have had an 'unfavourable induction ' (the term the mw used) and an elective section. Growth scans are notoriously unreliable, you hear of huge babies born naturally and noone had a clue they'd be big, and predicted huge babies coming out a normal size. My twins were both measured at exactly the same weight, or to witihin ounces of each other, fortnightly. They were very different weights at birth. A whole pound different!

That said, if I was offered an induction in the same circumstances again (slightly impossible as it was my first baby and there'll never be another first- and that may have contributed), but if they said right, we'll induce you but you have a high, closed, hard, posterior cervix, I'd say no and keep saying no. My waters broke at 40+2 and after 30 hours of not going into labour I was induced - and my body was not about it do it itself, clearly! For me it was a pessary, which made me contract but did not send me into labour. Then finally getting a bed on delivery suite at 2am and having the drip started then...and 16 hours later I still wasn't even 1cm and apparently not in established labour. Except I was contacting every minute and I couldn't handle the pain with the syntoconin (? Sp). I did have an epidural. I went on to have a third degree tear. So having twins 19 months later, a planned section was a definite for me.

A lot of that is so personal though. Are many inductions done when you have such an unfavourable cervix? I've no idea. Once I had the epidural it was okay. I didn't realise you had to ask for a top up though so it did keep wearing off wand the pain would hit! But, I had the lowest dose possible, which was great pain wise, I could feel the contractions but they weren't agony, I could walk to the toilet, I did give birth kneeling up. So I can see it didn't have to be as bad as I found it too!

[Afreshstartplease]

I've read growth scans are often very inaccurate

I'm 5ft1 and a size 6/8 pre pregnancy. My last baby was 8.6, natural birth no tear TBH it was easiest of three (never had an induction though sorry)

I'm set to have growth scans this time because of size of last two but don't have much faith in the accuracy of them TBH

[goodbyeyellowbrickroad]

I've just been through similar with my DS who is now 12 weeks old. Growth scans predicted that he'd be big in terms of weight and head circumference. From what I read in the NICE guidelines induction is not usually offered simply for a big baby if no other underlying condition is apparent like gestational diabetes.

In my case DSs head was large (98th centile I think) but his estimated weight was way off. They estimated his weight to be 8lb 10oz at 38 weeks. He was born at 42 weeks weighing 8lb 7oz. I'd had an instrumental delivery (ventouse) and an episiotomy but this was due to fetal distress rather than size. It took about 3 weeks to feel OK after the birth and now everything feels back to normal.

[Buttwing]

As others have said growth scans are really really unreliable. My dc3 was 10lb8 and no one picked up what a whopper he was on scans (his sisters were 7 pounders) I delivered vaginally with no problems, no stitches or intervention. I had maybe 8 scans with dc4 I was told to expect at least a 10lb and half pound baby his weight was plotted on a graph all the different sonographers told me he was a big baby.
He was 8lb 10 and the skinniest of all four all them.

[catobe]

Thanks everyone! This was the positive reinforcement I needed - it's amazing the old mumsnet threads you can pick up on google that scare the bejesus out of a person.

Don't YouTube 'episiotomy's' either!

I also didn't mention my close friend has recently had a still birth at 42 weeks and I've been very honest about my anxiety with the hospital/consultants. I think that helped with their decision to induce me.

I'm very much going for a average sized baby!

[Mouthfulofquiz]

I've no experience of delivering a really big baby, but I had a growth scan recently which predicted my baby was 8lb 4... And he was exactly 8lb 4. So the scans are right sometimes!

[FrancisdeSales]

I delivered all 3 of mine vaginally and they were almost 9 pounds, almost 10 pounds and almost 11 pounds. My last was my son and I was induced but they were very surprised how big he was. He was actually very long, and is still very tall. I am average height and weight. Your body can deliver big babies. While I was pushing him out the obgyn said "You're not having a baby you're having a toddler!"

[Afreshstartplease]

Mouthful I think that's the first story I've heard of them being accurate

[catobe]

Mouth - I too think you are the first I have heard of with an accurate scan. Was this predicted or did you get a scan just before delivery?

They have faith I can get the baby out, I need to learn to trust the midwives and doctors.

Induction scares me also - think I'm just actually a total wimp.

Thanks francis, hoping I can do the same!

[Diddlydokey]

I'd absolutely be demanding an elective section. If you can physically do it, you're so likely to have issues with incontinence and prolapse. If you can't get a huge head out of your pelvis you have to exhaust yourself trying through being induced.

No thanks!!

[Diddlydokey]

There are no prizes for having a vaginal birth.

[DragonboysMum]

I don't have experience of induction, but my last two babies were delivered at 40 +10 weighing 9lb 10, and 40 +6 weighing 11lb 1. Both very quick, natural births with no pain relief (no time!) and no problems. Only a couple of stitches with both.

Your body will cope with a big baby if that's what you have. It's what it's designed to do. But as others have said, growth scans are rarely reliable so I wouldn't panic. Good luck and enjoy your new little one

[catobe]

Thanks dragons!

Will see how it goes.

Prolapse and incontinence are rare - there is also cons to c-sections also.

[bringonthrsummer]

My last baby was induced at 38 weeks, had my water broken and drip for about 5 mins before he literally flew out! Went from 4cm to him being out in 45 mins! Midwife didn't believe me when I said his head is Guna come out! However all fine, and had no stitches with either birth (6lb 15oz and 8lb 4oz) X

[YorkieDorkie]

Weight estimates are usually +/- 25% I think!! Huge variations and ridiculously unreliable. I wouldn't worry .

[Flisspaps]

I didn't think a large baby was an indicator for an induction being offered now (DS was born 2012 so I may be out of date)


DD was an induction, 8lb 2oz and I vowed never again. DS was big, I wouldn't have taken induction - he was 11lb 7oz and a spontaneous labour. They predicted 9lb-ish. The woman in the bed next to me was predicted a 9lb boy too and went home with a 6lb girl.

[Flisspaps]

I didn't think a large baby was an indicator for an induction being offered now (DS was born 2012 so I may be out of date)


DD was an induction, 8lb 2oz and I vowed never again. DS was big, I wouldn't have taken induction - he was 11lb 7oz and a spontaneous labour. They predicted 9lb-ish. The woman in the bed next to me was predicted a 9lb boy too and went home with a 6lb girl.

[Bombaybunty]

I was induced at 40+5. My DS was 9lbs 4lbs. I was told he would be big.
I had a 6 hour labour with no complications.
Mind you that was years ago, he is now 13 and just under 6ft, and I'm 5'10".
To be honest I was expecting a much bigger baby!.

[FrancisdeSales]

I did have epidurals for all three births before I receive the martyrs crown!

[Mouthfulofquiz]

The growth scan was at 41 weeks and he was born at 41+4... This was the weight given to me at the growth scan using all of the measurements (thigh bone length etc). I had mine done because I had dropped down the centiles from the 50th to the 5th in three weeks - turns out the baby was just in a funny position when she was measuring fundal height.
I was surprised it was so accurate - but I just wanted to put it out there that sometimes these things work out!
Good luck OP!

[Zaurak]

If you want a Cs, push for a Cs.
Hospitals are under financial and other pressures to reduce c section rates and in my opinion this leads to some pretty poor clinical decisions.
Growth scans can be about 25% out either way but it's totally up to you. Do not be railroaded into a vb if you want a section (or vice versa.)

[BaskingTrout]

I was told DD was going to be huge, induction was mentioned, I was given sweeps from before my due date. She was 8lb 2oz. However, even though she wasn't that big, I ended up with an EMCS because of her position. She was back to back and then turned half way, so went into a deep transverse arrest i.e. was back to hip and got stuck.

I think position is a much more important factor than weight, maybe go on spinningbabies or google optimal fetal positioning? focus on doing what you can to get the baby in a favourable position, although obviously there are no guarantees.

and induction when you aren't "ready" is more likely to end in interventions anyway, so maybe ask for lots of monitoring, given your anxiety about your friend's very sad loss?

FWIW my gran gave birth to 3 massive babies (my mum was the smallest at 9lb something, in 1946) and said that "big babies get themselves out!"