To think a bigger baby won't necessarily be a lot harder to birth

[Oysterbabe]

DD was born at 35 weeks and was only 4lbs 13. The labour was quick and the birth was fine, much less painful than I'd anticipated. 2nd baby due in December and growth scan suggests that if I make it to term this time he should be a much more average size baby rather than the teeny one I had last time. My DH and sister keep banging on about how much harder it's going to be and how it'll be a different kettle of fish than last time. I know all births are different and you never know what will happen but I see no reason why this one can't be easy too. What difference can a couple of extra lbs really make?

I've actually heard the opposite that a more normal- slightly bigger baby is easier then a little baby to birth!! (

I think there's a lot more involved than the size of the baby ds1 was tiny he was 5lb14oz at 41 weeks and ds2 was 8lb4oz at 42 weeks in has to be induced with both of them and they were both difficult births for various reasons.

Ds was a chuppa- chupp ( 25th centile baby with a 98th centile head). That was not great. I think a bit more weight behind him would have helped!

No, it definitely isn't harder by ounce or anything! There's so many other factors at play.

Very often the second baby is a bit easier. My third was by far the quickest and easiest and he was 9lb9oz!

Both mine were about 9lb. I always thought the size meant gravity could help you more. It also depends on the shape. A big head can be a challenge. Babies can be heavy but long and slim!
Whatever the size of the baby you still need the cervix to dilate. That won't be any different.
I wouldn't worry about it. You can't change the weight of your baby. Keep moving in early labour and stay positive. Good luck.

I think as it isn't either your DH or your Dsis who have to do the work they need to shut up.

How on earth does telling you that this one might be harder help you? All births are different there are lots of different variables.

I think it's more to do with position etc. My MIL had her first son who was about 8lb abd by all accounts it was a very hard back Labour. Her second son, my DH, was uncomplicated and straightforward and generally easier to deliver - he was 10lb 8oz.

Although weight of babies varies hugely, the head circumference doesn't change enormously between the top and bottom of the range and that's the bit you're stretching around.
Anecdotally for me, my biggest baby (9lb +) was much easier than my 7lbers.
I do think a bit of extra weight pressing down on your cervix helps things shift along

8lb 3 DD, 10 lb 2 Ds. DS birth was much easier (albeit natural with no pain relief). I didn't find any difference due to size. It was the contractions which hurt me the most......

My babies were exactly the same weight. Baby two had a different shaped head - much rounder than baby one - so it was a bit more painful (not much, but I made myself tear a little by being impatient and pushing harder to get the pain over with).

Head circumference and shoulders are the only relevant measurements really I would have thought?

It's as much to do with the size/shape of the baby's head ,as a small baby can have a large round head and be hard to give birth to .a large baby might have a smaller /different shaped head .
There are a lot of factors that can determine how the birth goes .
My first was under 7lbs ,she had a very round head and I had a large episiotomy ( cut twice ) to get her out .
My other two were both over 9lb no cuts or stitches for either .
But no difference in all three labours ,all the same pain there .

DS1 (9lb 4) was much tougher than DS2 (10lb 6) but I was on continuous monitoring with DS1 and he had a fucking enormous head.

DS2 was much faster and easier, but in needed many, many more stitches and he was (literally) quite the bruiser. So easier birth, tougher recovery.

None with the right pain relief.

Wise words from my 1st ever midwife 'no prizes for being a martyr'. Too bloody late for one of my deliveries.

Actually found having miscarriage fucking horrendous physical pain wise. Than full term

I was told head size was most relevant. I got really fed up with people saying how lucky I was that (premature) DD was so tiny. If her body had been in proportion to her (ginormous) head she would have weighed almost 13lbs.

Ds2 was quite a bit bigger than ds1 but much easier. It was as though my body knew what it was doing second time round.

Ds1 - 4lbs 15oz
Ds2 - 8lbs 4oz

Both fine btw!!

2 easy births here and 2 big babies.
Did tear a bit with both but not too bad.
Eldest was harder to push out and she was slightly smaller than youngest.
Both labours were around 6 hours in total.
Both were well over 9lbs.

My grandmother had two children. The first was average sized with an average length birth and rather bad tearing. The second child was enormous (over five kilos) as a result of gestational diabetes. She barely made it onto the birthing table before the active labour began (she was doing her to DS at a different hospital when her labour started and was transferred to the maternity hospital in no time at all but it progressed very quickly). After less than twenty minutes of pushing she had her colossus in her arms and not a single tear. Go figure.

Why on earth are they saying this anyway? It's not as though you can choose to make the baby come out smaller!

Both of mine were very different. First was 8lb11oz and labour was fairly lengthy but not particularly bad in terms of pushing etc. Average, I would say. I had a small tear which only had one stitch and I didn't feel it happen.

Second was 9lb5oz and had a very large head. Labour pains were more painful but I think that was because of the induction. Labour overall was faster and pushing was extremely quick. I had to be cut as his shoulder was stuck and cord wrapped around neck. I'm fairly certain I only pushed for six minutes, it was ridiculously fast.

There's loads more to it than just size! The baby's position can have a really big affect on how painful or easy a birth is. I wouldn't say the size of the second one had any impact on how difficult it was to push him out. The midwife said I stretched beautifully around his massive head The shoulder being stuck was the problem. My mom managed to give birth to a 10lb10oz baby without any problems. She said she found the smaller one more difficult.

Perhaps just say 'mmmm' every time they bring it up and change the subject. You have no idea what will happen until it does.

DS1 5lb5oz at 33weeks, quick easy spontaneous labour.
DS2 7lb2oz at 37weeks, another (very) quick easy spontaneous labour.

I feel very lucky with my labours. I think babies position helps. In my case the difference in weight made no difference. Contractions are contractions. Of course I've never had a 10lb(er). Good luck!

DC3 is only a few days old. He was the biggest at 9lbs and the longest and hardest. Other 2 were 5 and 7lbs. Though had 2nd degree tears with all 3.

Tell your DH and Dsis that they may think they're being hilarious but their view is way too simplistic.
So many other variables.

My smallest was 6lb 10 and my biggest was 10lb 6.
Ouch is ouch regardless of size!