Mothers diet impact on babies weight?

[bumblecream]

Posted in AIBU as I want some honest responses, no beating around the bush so as not to upset the pregnant woman.

If there’s any midwives or doctors about I’d like to hear what you have to say in particular.

Does what a mother eats impact on a babies birth weight? And does the kind of food they eat impact on babies weight?

My ds was a whopper when born, over 9lb.
I’m not overweight normal bmi, and put on 2.5 stone during my pregnancy which from what I understand is not huge.
However my choices weren’t great. I ate a lot of sugary stuff, bread, that kind of thing.
Could this have caused the baby to be so big?
No gestational diabetes or anything like that.

Im pregnant again, healthy weight to begin with so was considered low risk, but I can’t seem to get a straight answer out of my midwife about whether ds would have been quite so big, if I’d been scoffing green beans and brown pasta instead of donuts.
Ds birth was horrific and did cause a lot of damage and I’m wondering if a healthier diet this time could increase my chances of having a smaller but healthy weight baby. After all it’s the babies safety too, as well as my own. An easier delivery would be in both our interests.

This is purely anecdotal but I’m overweight. I lost 3stone throughout both of my pregnancies and I was prescribed marshmallows (frequent blood sugar drops) I literally ate crap for 10 months both times around.
My boys were 7lb 6oz and 6lb 4oz.
So for me at least, what I ate had absolutely no bearing on the weight of my children.

Yes a high amount of sugar in pregnancy is linked to higher birth weights

I had extreme hyperemesis when pregnant with my ds and was admitted to hospital 10 times for fluid IV as I couldnt keep any food or drink down. My son was 8 11 born! The midwife said he took everything from me as I lost weight in the first 5 months because I couldnt eat! He is very tall like his dad and my brother was always on the 92nd percentile until he started moving and dropped to the 75th so I dont believe that what you eat impacts much on a babys weight.

I think that the better/healthier you eat during pregnancy, the better it is for you and baby.

But that went out of the window for my two pregnancies as I was sick every bloody day for the whole 9 months.

DS1 I calculated I ate over 1000 (yes one THOUSAND) cookies during my pregnancy as it was one of the only things I fancied/reduced sickness. He was born at 3.1kg.

DS2 I mainlined chocolate and digestives. He was born at 3.4kg.

They really do take all the goodness for them, which is why I think it's good to eat healthily - so you can benefit too.

I think I crave sugary junk food because I feel sick. And when you feel sick you don’t fancy a plate of green veg. The smell of veg makes me nauseated still even in second trimester.
It’s hard. But I suppose If there is a link with sugar I’m going to have to try unless I want a repeat performance of round 1.
Unless I have an Elcs in which case I don’t suppose it matters.

This is interesting. Heres what ive experienced in family;
Me - sickness every day till birth at 41+6 days. Baby was 5lbs 12
Sil 1 - sickness everyday for 3 months and generally picky diet. Baby born on due date at 6lbs 7
Sil 2 - no sickness. Had GD so very very careful of diet but ate very very well. Baby born 40+6 at 5lbs 5. Very very small.

I think as a family we have small babies at birth. Might be hereditary.

I thought a high birth weight was a good thing? I've had 2 10lb babies everyone (else) was very pleased about that. I was less so if I'm honest.
But my BMI is bang normal and my diet was prettt good in pregnancy. My husband and i are both tall so we were unlikely to have small babies but i thought poor diet was linked to low birth weight not high?

Starting BMI good both times, first baby I gained 2 stones and baby was 7lb 10oz.

Lost all the baby weight and got pregnant with #2 and gained 3 stones and ate utter shit, and baby was 7lb 9oz. No gestational diabeties etc, both born naturally at exactly the same gestation to the day. So no, for me, it made no difference at all.

Skinny and didn’t put on much weight either pregnancy with a good diet. Two big babies.

I'm pregnant and I'd also like to know - from midwives and other HCPs as opposed to random links - what the line is on this as I've been wondering too!

I've not put on any weight over what I should have done and was normal healthy bmi before getting upduffed, but though no gestational diabetes or anything like that I do have PCOS. I'm expecting my baby to be on the bigger end because I'm 5 foot 9 as is my husband, so we're both pretty tall, and that seems to be an indicator.

Having followed a 9 month Cadbury diet and given birth to a 5lb baby having gained in the region of 3.7 stones I'm not convinced!
There was DEFINITELY a stone missing from that baby's weight!!!

I put on 4 stone, ate crap and baby was 6lbs2

I think it is much more linked to the weights, heights and birth weights of the parents, though if you eat loads it can make the baby bigger.

I was 8lbs 12 oz when I was born, as was DH. I am 5'7", he is 5'11". I was surprised that DD1 was as little as 8lbs TBH. DD2 was 9lbs 2oz, which also seemed unsurprising. I was the same weight at full term with both DDs.

I was told by doctors during my pregnancies that women who put on more weight during pregnancy and those that have a high calorie diet tend to have larger babies. There are also other factors involved - they said to me that Gestational diabetes isn't black and white so even if you passed the test you may have slightly compromised BS levels which will impact the baby's weight. You also may just naturally produce large babies.

I ate really well all through my pregnancy, exercised 3-5 times a week until 38 weeks. ex dp and I both weighed about 9 and a half stone when I fell pregnant, and both 5 ft 7.

By baby was very long and 8lb 4oz.

🤷🏼‍♀️

I ate pretty much the same diet with all of mine and they were varying weights - 8lb5 at 41 weeks , 8lb9 at 37 weeks , 10lb12 at 41 weeks and 9lb10 at 39 weeks . I don't think diet matters .

My twins were tiny and at high risk of early delivery - the only thing suggested to try to increase their weight was a high protein diet... and even that was just anecdotal.
No one suggested eating tonnes of junk food to increase their weight (that would have been so much easier for me than protein!), so I'd have to say that there probably isn't a link.

I had HG and lived off rice cakes and pea soup. DS was 8lb8...

My blood sugar was rock solid throughout pregnancy and my boys were whoppers. Which was annoying in ds1' case as he's small and slender now. Ds2 is built like a brick shithouse for rugby like all the men on dh's side of the family so no change there.

Purely on my own experience, no.

Was overweight both pregnancies. Less so with first and generally had healthy pregnancy, eating very healthy etc. Baby was 9lbs.

Second lived off pasties, monster munch, double Deckers and tango. In my defense I was working full time and had a toddler to look after! Baby was 8.5lbs born at 38 weeks. I had big babies both times.

Sister who is super skinny and healthy also had an eight pound baby. We're both really short so big babies for our size.

All three boys now are super tall and skinny and eat healthy balanced diets. It's not the be all and end all although it makes sense to eat as well as you can when pregnant.

I had 4 children ranging from 8lb 12oz to 9lb 3oz. I was about 8stone at the start of each and put on 1st 10lb each time. Ate normally, but in first couple of months would chew on jelly cubes to combat nausea. Husband not large. Children adults now; all healthy and have good diets, and enjoy alcohol!

My eldest was over 9lbs at birth and I was eating properly (but admittedly big portions and lots of snacks). I did put on over 3st too but I lost it over the following year and wasn’t over weight to begin with.

My second child barely scraped 6lbs and my relationship was by then abusive, had no money to eat properly so lived on toast and £1 Iceland ready meals and drank tonnes of caffeine to get me through the day (constant exhaustion and anxiety). So yes I do think it makes a difference what you consume during pregnancy.

First baby put on 1.5 stones. Inactive due to low blood pressure. Ate normal meals and jam sandwiches in afternoon. Baby 19 days late 7lb 13ozs. Hardly any morning sickness.
Second baby I weighed 22lbs LESS after birth than before pregnant. Reasonably active. Ate normal meals but had morning sickness for 9 months. Baby 10 days late 8lb 1oz.
Baby one started on solids at 16 weeks. Baby two solids, chips and sausages at 13 MONTHS.

Another HG survivor sufferer here - I'm overweight, have had 2 pregnancies, HG with both- hospitalised numerous times for rehydration, could hardly eat throughout pregnancies, ds1 was 10lbs exactly, ds2 was 9lb 11oz a week and a bit early. I lost weight in both pregnancies.