To ask if those of you with big babies tore badly?

[wtfisgoingon]

And if you didn't what position were you in?

I have a thread on childbirth but need a bit more traffic to help me come to a decision.

In brief, ds1 8lb 7oz - third degree tear-was lying on my side (all happened quite quickly)

Ds2 was 10lb 11oz - couple of stitches-on my knees leaning on birthing ball.

Current baby growth scan results from last week (38 weeks) showed baby as 11lb. I refused induction and a csection and deferred decision till yesterday.

I asked for another scan yesterday (39 weeks) hoping that last weeks was incorrect. Scan yesterday showed a 12lb baby.

I have booked a csection for Monday as felt under pressure to do so, but I am wondering if this is the right thing to do. I had such wonderful births with the other 2, and never imagined a csection for dc3.

I am concerned about the baby getting stuck, but that can actually happen at any size. I gave birth to a whopper already, am hoping this is a good sign.

Another concern is bad tearing.

Is it inevitable past a certain size? Or, as I am hoping, is it affected by position of mother and baby for birth?

TIA

I had forceps with my 7lb 4oz first and my second farted out in a minute and was 8lb 8oz (not all that big I know). It was a much much much easier delivery but I did tear on the site of my episiotomy from the first. It was only eighteen months later mind you. I would be tempted to try and bring on labour myself and give it a go if I were you.

I tore with my first (10lb 4oz) but not at all with my second (10lb 5oz)

I assume I stretched considerably the first time.

Ds1 at 11lb 2, I was on my back but by that point they knew I was going to have trouble and we decided to try forceps before going for a cs. Luckily a couple of tugs and he was out, although I did loss alot of blood due to the massive placenta.

I was induced at 43 + weeks when he was still showing no sign of coming on his own

Ds3 was 11lb 3oz and I had a couple of stitches on some grazes. I was on my knees in the water (some people believe that water can soften and support the perineum).

I would be slightly sceptical of the scan results. The baby put on a whole pound in one week?

I believe the position of the birthing mother and the baby makes the difference between tearing or not. A friend had 6lb tiddlers, birthed on her back and had quite extensive tearing. Or maybe I just have a wizard sleeve

I had an episiotomy with my 10 pounder. Then a forceps delivery.

I believe positioning is everything.

DD1 - laying down - 6lb 6 ... i tore everywhere. No pain relief. Agony. Healed fully.

DD2 - half sitting half laying - 9lb 13 ... small tear. No pain relief. Agony but not as bad as no.1 Healed fully.

DD3 - all fours - 7lb 6 ... no tears. No pain relief. Faster labour - much less pain. 2 big pushes and she was out :)

Let gravity do it's work OP. I will not be sitting or laying for no.4 (due in Jan)
Best of luck.

Ds was 10 pounds, I had a 2nd degree tear but he came out in 2 pushes, I was so worried about him getting stuck I just pushed and pushed.

My growth scan was soot on, did they measure the head circumference and belly circumference? I think a belly bigger than the head can indicate a higher chance of the baby getting stuck. Hopefully your baby is just very tall.

Good luck! :)

10lb 10oz. 28 hour labour. Episiotomy and third degree tear after a low forceps. I knew all about positions and best way to deliver big baby but after a day in labour my legs were jelly and I couldn't even kneel. I lost two litres of blood and needed nearly three hours of surgery.

My scan measured my baby correctly almost to the oz. If I had one measuring 12lbs, I would go CS in a heartbeat. There is no shame it in and the recovery of my CS mates seemed easier than my tear. And you get to spend time with your baby sooner, which I would have loved.

Obviously as this is your third baby, your labour is likely to be easier a d faster, but I agree that head circumference is key. My son's was 110 centile, which meant it wasn't descending properly and got stuck for an hour or so. Was quite scary at the time.

FWIW, I think you are doing the right thing in having a CS.

Oh and I was on a birthing stool, really great position for me at least. Dp behind me and the midwife and birthing partner kneeling on the floor

Oh, and I am 6ft 1 with wide hips.

dont panic. my 10 lb baby was born at home without a graze.
with a good experienced midwife and listening to her AND your own body you can do this.
ive never heard of a growth scan thats been particularly accurate.

Not quite as big as yours, but DS was 9lb 6oz and a very fast birth, but no stitches. I was lying on my back.

Another story of inaccurate growth scans. Consultant pressured me into booking for c-section due to growth scan suggesting baby being too small as they thought she'd be under 6lbs if I went full term and might not survive labour. I cancelled it the day before and baby arrived weighing 7lb 5oz so not that small at all and a similar size to her three brothers!

DS2 was predicted to be 10lb, turned out to be 11lb 3oz. Birth was easier than with DS1 though and he was 3lb lighter.

I used the birthing pool until it was time to push then he was born in about 4 pushes, slight graze (but a lot of blood on the floor as the clamp pinged off the really thick umbilical cord! ).

I tore slightly with DS1, he was 8.12, haven't torn with any of the others (another 3 between 8 and 9 lbs) but why I was posting was because my DS2 was "off the scale" for size, he was going to be enormous and I really needed a Csection, and then he was 8.3! And, yes, I can see that both your babies have been on the large side, and this one may well be as well, but my DC5 was only 6.13, by far the smallest of any of mine. Do what feels right for you. Good luck and I hope all goes well.

Ds2 and 3 were 9lbers but ds2 was emcs so no tearing with him.

I had vbac with ds3 and tore slightly, I used to massage almond oil into my perineum during my pregnancies after I read that it helps increase the elasticity.

I think it did help and I was on my back as well.

Oh, so I just should have listened more and my baby would have slithered out like a greased pig, Branleuse?

9lb 9oz third degree tear but the worse end of third.Had to rush him out as others said and he got a wee bit stuck.Was not expecting such a big child thought hed be about 7 lb ha

I haven't had big babies but I have had wildly inaccurate growth scans!

DD was only 5lbs on her final growth scan & we were warned that she may initially be taken to SCBU for assessment if she was any smaller. She arrived the NEXT DAY weighing 6lbs 14oz.

DS2 was predicated to be a "big baby" - 10lbs to be exact. He arrived weighing 7lbs 7oz!

On the other hand, a good friend of mine does have big babies & her last DD did 'get stuck' on the way out. Unfortunately, she had to have her shoulder dislocated to be born & my friend had a very nasty tear. Both mother & baby are fine now, but my friend is definitely having a C-section with DC5, due early next year.

I also have a horror story about my cousin's wife who refused a C-section & tried to have a natural delivery with an 11lb baby. It ended with a stillborn baby I'm sorry to say (although there is a very clear case for negligence too).

I really don't know what to advise - I am one of the those people who always take medical advice, so I suppose if I'd been told a C-section was for the best, then that's what I would go for.

Exactly. I had a fully natural labour in the midwife led centre with the most incredible support but it just went tits up at the end. I had read all the books, been to NCT, promoted good baby positioning in my sitting positions from week 30, but No amount of preparation, listening to anyone or my body could have helped the fact that my baby's enormous head got stuck and he became very distressed.

I find the "just breath it out" crew a little patronising because they are unaware just how lucky they were. And how unlucky a lot of us have been.

dd was 8lbs 12oz and I torn badly as she came out with her hand on her head

My babies were average really - 8lb9 and 7lb9 but the big difference was head circumference. DS1 was 90-something-th centile and needed forceps and episiotomy; DS2 was 50th and fast and I barely grazed.