36 weeks pregnant with a possible 7lb 6ounce baby! How can i bring on labour sooner???

[Ayisha]

I am really hoping someone can help and has advice and has maybe even been in the same boat.

I've been having regular scans to check for pre-eclampsia as i was considered high risk. In the last three scans the baby has been right at the top of the scale for weight and they are now worried that i wont be able to have baby naturally as by there estimates i'll end up with an 11lb baby at 40 weeks!
This is my second pregnancy and my first baby was relatively small, only weighting 6lbs 10 ounces.

The thing is the midwifes arent taking this seriously at all. They said the scans arent always acurate which i can understand but as the sonographer explained yesterday how can three scans showing the same amount of growth all be wrong! She said i was on the 94th centile (not entirely sure what that means, sure it just means baby is big! )

I would really like a natural as possible labour and i may even go into labour soon according to gp as i've been having very sharp painful stabbing sensations "down there" for about two weeks now. She seems to think i am starting to dialate and thats why. Midwife ignored it as usual, apparently it's all normal

I would just like alittle advice if anyone has has something similar or any advice on how to bring baby on earlier.

Sorry to go on for so long but i just wana put all the facts on the table.
Any advice appreciated!
Thank you!

[wrinklytum]

I have no avice but good luck

FWIW baby no 1 was 8lb 5 oz and no 2 was 9lb 3oz and I am 5ft 3 and was a size 10 before the babies and had a natural birth.

People do say raspberry leaf tea or curry or sex can help.Tbh the idea of any of the above when I was heavily pregnant made me retch,but it might be worth a try

Good luck with it all,I am sure you will be fine and hope you soon meet your beautiful baby

[ShowOfHands]

You sound very angry. I can understand you're a little frustrated but try to relax a little in whatever way you find easiest.

94th centile means that out of 100 babies of the same gestation, 5 will be bigger, 93 will be smaller.

The low down stabbing pains are normal and usually nothing to do with dilation. It's the baby moving down, nerves pinching etc.

Your baby will come when it is ready. All the old wives tales in the world are unlikely to make a difference. Your body in most cases makes a baby you can deliver. And you probably don't want to wish the baby here sooner if it's not ready to cope with life outside the womb as effectively as it could.

Those scans are often inaccurate where weight is concerned and by quite a margin. My Mum was told I was a whopper, that she probably wouldn't manage. I was a whopping 5lbs 4ozs. Obviously technology has moved on, but they are just guessing.

I know none of this is much help to you.

[Ayisha]

Thanks so much for your support guys.
I am definately panicing and i think thats why.
I'm scared of the whole having to have a cs and being induced unnaturally.
Definately the reason i'm freaking out
wrinklytum i agree with you about the curry and sex....couldnt thing of anything i'd rather not do right now!! Poor hubby!!

[ShowOfHands]

I don't know a woman that isn't scared of labour you know. Have faith in your body that it can deliver the baby it made.

I was terrified that I wouldn't deliver naturally. My average sized baby was an em cs for reasons out of my control. Honestly, it was fine.

Have some chocolate.

[SparkleandShine]

I've had a 9lb2 and a 10lb 5-er naturally. I wouldn't worry too much....

[Ayisha]

ShowOfHands i swear i'm not angry lol! Just panicing!
I've just found the last two midwifes that i've seen to be totally unhelpful.
Any question i asked the response was its normal....i just wanted advice.
I've had bad experiances with midwifes in my first pregnancy but i've been really trying hard to understand there point of view and there reason for the grouchyness in this pregnancy.
But i'm not angry really, disappointed would be a better word but they dont have a smiley for that lol

[GaribaldiGirl]

I don't think these scans are accurate. they told me one of mine was a big baby (he was 6 lbs 6oz!). also since this is your second baby the labour will probably be much easier whether you're induced or not - you don't say what it was like last time.

[CuppaTeaJanice]

A heavy baby doesn't necessarily mean a large head - and that's what counts iyswim!!

DS was 10lb 4oz and I managed with gas & air and a pool (oh, and forceps at the end). I shouldn't imagine it's much more painful than having a 7lb baby though. After all, labour's the same no matter what the baby's size, and the crowning bit doesn't usually last long.

Whole pineapples and a very mild chicken korma brought on labour for me...

[Habbibu]

My cons said that scans are only really any good for estimating weight for babies bang in the middle of the weight range - not so good for small or big. FWIW, dd was 10lb 11oz, and delivered naturally with just a couple of stitches, no forceps or ventouse. We had a much easier time than many friends with smaller babies...

[tribpot]

Yes, I can assure you head circumference is far more relevant than weight and they can't accurately predict weight and don't even take a punt at head circumference! Don't worry. You can't really bring the baby on early and you don't want to do so yet, he/she hasn't finished cooking.

[littlebrownmouse]

DS - 8lb 13 - c. section
DD 9LB 14 - natural, no pain relief.

Was told at my scans and appointments that DD looked like she was going to be smaller than DS .
Would have had another section if they'd told me that she was going to be big though, so I'm glad they were wrong as I had the most fabulous VBAC!

[thisisyesterday]

i agree wholeheartedly with everything everyone else has said!

it's def the head that's the biggie lol. overall weight isn't that important.

my worst labour was with my smallest baby. My second 2 were 9lb 5 and 9lb 11 and both born at home with no pain relief at all (and I can assure you I am a HUGE wuss lol and have a low pain threshold)

[Ayisha]

Just hearing everyone else's experiances has really helped me calm down and rationalise everything!!
My son was a long and difficult labour, i wasn't contracting hard enough or something along those lines. They were sure i wasnt in labour and tried sending me home although i refused. Thankfully i did because later that evening he was born. It turnt out the monitor they used to monitor the contractions was broken so showed nothing on there even tho i was clearly having them!

I've felt more confident with this pregnancy and i think the thing that threw me was the whole weight issue but after all of your commments i'm feeling as tho it isnt the end of the world !!! LOL

If u all can do it then so can i
I'm going down the positive route now and i hope for a happy healthy baby no matter what the weight!

Thank you all so so much!!

[gemwow2000]

hello everyone.

I am not a mum or mum-to-be. I am a student nurse from Newcastle. I was just hoping someone would be able to help me with an assignment due to be handed in next week
I have to give an account, from the patient/client perspective of the role of the midwife. So basically I need someones story of their midwife during and after there pregnancy. Whether it is a positive or nagative experience. In depth detail would be good, seeing as I have to write 2000 words.

Please can someone help me

It would be much appreciated. Thank you.

[serenity]

You're not really going to get much response on the end of someone else's thread

Best bet is to start one of your own.

[gingertoo]

Glad you are feeling more positive Ayisha

I've had three big babies (smallest was nearly 10lbs!) and have, thankfully, had straightforward delivieries with no complications and only a bit of gas and air for pain relief - so, as the others have said, a big baby does not necessarily mean a difficult birth......

Good luck

[CuppaTeaJanice]

Good luck Ayisha! Will you let us all know how it goes - and how heavy the baby is?!!!!

[Ayisha]

Thanks again everyone. Soon as baby has come i'll let you all know how much he weights and the outcome of there ever so acurate scans lol