Expected big baby...will i be offered C-section??

[amymc25]

Hi girls

I'm 35+5 weeks and hospital have estimated baby is almost 9lb already which mean he is gaining 1.5lbs a week!!

They have asked me to come back next week for another check up and to talk about baby coming out early.

Any other girls experienced this and how big was your little 1 before they offered a c-section or do they let all giant babies come naturally??

First time mum having a freak out as my blood pressure has creeped up really high the last week along with a big baby i'm worried about the health of the baby and if he will survive natural labour.

[Snobble]

I always thought that you could opt for a c-section anyway, they just dont like you to do it when your healthy enough for a natural birth.

If your very insistant, i don't believe they are allowed to turn you down, just expect a bit of a lecture!

[notso]

It's only an estimate remember. I was told my 4th would be 10+lb but he was only 8.4lb. Babies 2and 3 were both over 9lb so he seemed tiny.

[sillyoldfool]

Unless you have GD then here they seem to take the view that you're unlikely to grow a baby too big for you to birth.

I'm currently 8 days overdue with my third 'big' baby, and have had both the others vaginally and haven't been induced because of their size. I was induced with dd1 though because my bp was getting high.

[ZippityDoodahday]

Growth may slow down though. I had a 10lber naturally. No tears or grazes. Quick recovery. It can be done.

[sillyoldfool]

Yep, ime it's far more down to positioning than the size of the baby.
Google the website 'spinning babies' for exercises you can do to help lo get into a good position. If you want a vaginal birth that is, if you want a csection then ask for one.

[LittlePeaPod]

My MW said she delivered an 11lb baby via a homeburth the other week. From my experience it seems they will push for a VB first, then consider a CS if that fails. But this is my first and only going by what my MW has said. I have opted for CS but I had to request it.

[Bearfrills]

When I was pregnant with DD I went for a scan at 40+1 as she was thought to be breech. The MW doing the scan told me that all she was trained to do in terms of scanning was to check positioning. DD was indeed breech and he explained the options. She booked me straight away for an in depth HD scan to see if DD could be turned and to Chen her size. On the scan I was absolutely "full of baby" and the MW was concerned we were looking at 11lb+.

She told me that if a baby is found to be 11lb or more and with a larger than average head circumference they would highly recommend a planned section to avoid damage to the pelvic floor and to avoid an emergency section.

Not sure what they do with the babies who don have growth scans

Anyway, DD was an emergency section for various reasons relating to the breech, cord position, fluid levels, etc (and because I went into labour) and was a relatively titchy 7lb 10oz :o

[Mogz]

They're more likely to offer you the CS due to your look pressure getting too high, so make sure you do lots of resting up!

[amymc25]

Thanks girls, glad to hear im not alone in this an that big babies can come normally and be just fine.

i was diagonised with GD hense the giant baby so i know they will start me early because of they but i think its either goig to eb induced earlier again because of the size or straight to c -section,

really i cant complain either way this little guy is causing me some serious pains :(

[sillyoldfool]

This afternoon I gave birth to DD3, 11lb 8oz, totally straightforward birth with gas and air, 5 hours from start to finish.
So much easier ( and far less damage) than back to back 10lb 3oz DD2, though admittedly a lot harder work than little 8lb DD1!
Good positioning really is the key imo.

[Mogz]

Congratulations fool! 11.8, what a whopper, that's some good baby making skills you've got! Enjoy your newborn snuggles.

[hazchem]

I gave birth to a 10 pound 2 boy. I spent quite a bit of time working to get him into a good position. Circles on birth ball, sitting leaning forward not back that sort of thing. I managed til 9ish cm with hot water and swearing and then had a bit of G&A until I started to push. Had a relatively short pushing stage too. Not saying this to sound like a champion just to say that big babies can go through textbook/normal birth process too.

[ILoveAFullFridge]

A baby who is big due to GD can be a different shape to a baby who is 'simply' big. A GD baby can be unusually fat for a newborn, with particularly large shoulders, and that's the potential problem.

Is your GD well-controlled, or do you frequently have glucose in your urine/high blood-levels of glucose?

Another thing to take into account is that one-off growth scans are notoriously unreliable. Have you had a series of growth scans, or just this recent one?

[Tinyflutterby]

I am only 5 foot tall and normally weigh just over 7 stone and my DS1 was 9lb 3oz! I ended up having a c section after 2 days of failed induction due to awkward positioning (head was down but over towards one hip so sort of lying diagonally). Who knows whether he would have come naturally if he'd been in a better position or not. I'm currently 34 + 3 with DC2 and had a growth scan at 32 weeks where baby looked to be 'bigger than average' (we weren't surprised). I think it's a better position this time, however I am having an ELCS due to other health complications, but would have preferred to try for a natural birth if it wasn't for that. I don't know if that's helpful or not, but all I would say is that I don't think they can estimate baby size very accurately from ultrasound. Good luck!

[amymc25]

Hi

my levels seem to go up an down mostly i can control them with insulin but i do have glucose in my urine often.

i have had 3 growth scans so far
29 weeks - 4lb4oz
33 weeks - 6lb
35 weeks - 8lb 2oz

i have another scan coming up next week at 36+5 and i hope that they make some sort of decision then, this not knowing is driving me crazy!

thanks for the advice girls im glad it can be done naturally with out complication, sometime i wonder am i better to just push for the section to reduce the risk of things getting to the emergency touch an go stage..

[Tinyflutterby]

I was actually told at my growth scan that they wouldn't give me an estimate as to the baby's weight as it was so inaccurate. They could only give a torso measurement. Perhaps they have more sophisticated equipment where you are being seen though. Can you discuss your birth options and concerns with them? What have they said so far? Hope it works out for you and you get what you want. Remember it is your body and your baby and you should do what feels best (and safest) for you. Good luck!

[tinkerbell666]

I've not had big babies, but as for natural v's section, i'd go natural everytime ! i had 4 normal, one section, and the baby born by section was the least responsive at birth :( he was fine, but could have done with a big squeeze :) oh, and section recovery sucks !

[SoYo]

If you've got gestational diabetes & the baby is estimated to be above 4.5kg (above the 95th centile) then you'll likely be offered a section at 38 weeks.