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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If you were predicted to have a giant baby, how big were they when born?

200 replies

SheABitSpicyToday · 29/09/2021 09:42

I was told my baby is already 6.5 pounds at 32 weeks! They reckon by 37 weeks he’s going to be well over 9pounds and are pushing for a csection. I have gestational diabetes which I’m now taking meds for so hoping that will slow him down a bit but I really really don’t want a csection if I can help it and want to see about induction at 37 weeks.

My daughter was predicted to be big but she was 7 pounds at 37+5.

What would you do in my situation?

OP posts:
EmmaGrundyForPM · 29/09/2021 10:53

I had GD with ds2. He was predicted to be 10 - 11lbs and turned out to be 10lbs exactly.

I didn't have any choice about a CS as he was a transverse lie, but I'm really glad I had one. He was huge! He had to be taken to SCBU and looked monstrous beside all the tiny 4lb babies in there!

grey12 · 29/09/2021 10:54

DD2 was predicted to be big by US. She was on 50% percentile and had a 3g (tiny packet of sugar!) difference in birth weight to her sister.....

Besides women birth big babies all the time!! I'm sure it's a little more difficult but labouring a smaller baby is not a walk in the park either! Hopefully you'll have a planned, nice labour, regardless of size Smile

CMOTDibbler · 29/09/2021 10:54

Ds was big. And was born naturally at 35+0 as he couldn't wait - 6lb 5oz, they kept asking me if I was sure of my dates which a) I was and b) he had all the hairiness and inability to suck of a 35 week baby. By his due date he was well over 10lb. I was 10lb 6 and my brother 10lb 11oz

MonkeyPuddle · 29/09/2021 10:55

DS was 9lb6.5, born at 37+5
DD was 10lb1, born at 41+4

Both estimated big, both big.

Bigassbeebuzzbuzz · 29/09/2021 10:55

They were worried dc3 would be over 10lbs. Didnt reach 8lbs.
Dc2 however nothing said but arrived weighing 9lbs.
They haven't got a clue.

Captainrachy · 29/09/2021 11:02

DS predicted to be 7lb (even though my daughter born a year earlier was 8lb 7oz Hmm). He was 9lb 10oz. Water birth, no pain relief. Easier than my daughter. Midwife said bigger babies have more gravity to help them through the birth canal. He was 11 days overdue too.

Very few people I know have had accurate measurements pre birth.

Doctor who told me he was measuring at 7lb was actually on rounds the day after DS was born and said “did we know he was a big baby” ffs and lol

CPDubs · 29/09/2021 11:06

I was told my girl would be 10-11 pounds if she went to term. I’d also been told she was putting my on 0.5 pound a week and she was born 8lb 4oz at 37 weeks exactly so would have been nearly 10lbs at 40 weeks.

No one mentioned the possibility of a section but I am very tall and broad.

Itsanewdayforme · 29/09/2021 11:08

My “off the scale” giant baby (weekly growth scans) was 8lbs 6oz , admittedly 2 weeks early

MrsRetreiver · 29/09/2021 11:10

I went to a different midwife clinic when I was about 38/39 weeks and was examined by a very abrupt midwife who frowned and said I was measuring big and the baby would be well over 10lb.

8lb 8oz at birth.

MrsRetreiver · 29/09/2021 11:10

& should say that birth was 40+4

Itsanewdayforme · 29/09/2021 11:10

I should add that the midwife told me that “it’s a big baby!!” many times during my labour and it really wasn’t helpful! She did get stuck and it was a bit scary at one point (we were at a midwife led birthing unit rather than the planned hospital birth) but she was absolutely fine

Original poster
SheABitSpicyToday · 29/09/2021 11:13

I think the reason they push a section is because GD babies tend to store a lot of fat around their neck and shoulders and are at an increased risk of shoulder dystosia.

OP posts:
PileOfBooks · 29/09/2021 11:16

9 10 and 9 14.

I was desperate for a natural birth and went over dates, induction. Forst time ended in emergency c section after no sleep and so so hard. I would now opt for a planned c section over this any day.

I tried for vbac second time and researched it all. It was awful (although baby fine) .

I would go for panned c section over either of mine. I think with nct/etc I had got the ideal of a natural birth in my head and yet the large babies made it so difficult. Friends with planned cs had a good nights sleep, calm section, so so so different.

sazzt · 29/09/2021 11:19

I measured big all the way through. No GD. Was referred for growth scans which I had at 35 and 37 weeks. Both showed big measurements (inc head circumference!) so I was relatively assured that the potential for error was mitigated a bit by the same trend over two scans. Baby was predicted to be nearly 11lbs at 40 weeks. I had an elective CS at 39 weeks. They talked about inducing at 39 weeks but I asked for the CS as felt there was a relatively high chance of multiple interventions, instrumental delivery, significant tears or failed induction leading to emergency CS which I did not want. Also when I asked the doctor what was the safest option for baby they said CS as some risk of shoulder dystocia.

At 39 weeks she was born just under 10lbs with giant head and broad shoulders!! I have zero regrets over the ELCS.

Ellarain · 29/09/2021 11:19

3 big babies but there was never any big concern. Surprisingly by biggest baby was my first daughter and she was 11lbs 14. I was told she would be no more than 8lbs. My second daughter was 10lbs 8oz and her weight was never mentioned in scans, my son was 11lbs 8oz and eight days early. Consultant knew the weights of the my other children so had no probkem bringing me in early. All three were sections.

babybrain77 · 29/09/2021 11:20

First baby measured big, born 10lbs10oz at 40+4.
Second baby measured even bigger, I agonised over whether to have ELCS or induction (consultant said they would do whatever I wanted). DD arrived at 38 weeks exactly after induction, and weighed 8lbs7oz, so she was on track to be as big or bigger than DS.

Is this your first baby @SheABitSpicyToday? Honestly, had I known how awful the recovery would have been after DS, I would have opted for a CS. IME, people who say that delivering a very large baby is no different from a normal sized baby (or even easier - I got this loads!) have not actually experienced a difficult recovery. Obviously you can have a difficult recovery after a smaller baby too, but my experience of birthing a 8lbs7oz baby vs 10lbs10z was like night and day.

Kuachui · 29/09/2021 11:21

I mean it wouldn't bother mh. My son was 9.6lb and daughter 9.4 lbs and I didn't tear once and had easy births but everyone's different

Original poster
SheABitSpicyToday · 29/09/2021 11:23

He’s my second, but I had my daughter 7 years ago so feel like it’s my first!

My daughter was induced at 37 weeks. It was long but she was out in 3 pushes with no testing and no problems so I’m trying to have faith that I’ve got a good pelvis shape and size for pushing out babies. She was 7.7.

I’m just so terrified of having a section. Surgery terrifies me and I’m scared of the recovery after with the stitches and the pain. I know I will be an inconsolable mess and it will ruin my bonding with the baby.

OP posts:
PileOfBooks · 29/09/2021 11:27

That's what I was like. But recovery after failed induction leading to c section and labour gone wrong is so so so much worse.

TheKeatingFive · 29/09/2021 11:28

But I would rather have him earlier at 37 weeks naturally if I can.

Why though? If it would require induction I don’t get why that’s preferable.

But at the same time, is a planned section better than an ending up with an emergency one?

Yes.

IndecisiveAnnie · 29/09/2021 11:29

Extremely forceful pushing from multiple consultants for induction before my due date because baby was ‘so big’ and predicted to be 9lbs 4 at 40 weeks. Came on his own at 41 weeks at 8lbs 2. NICE guidelines say large estimated size is not a reason for early induction alone but so many hospitals push it. You have gestational diabetes makes your situation different but every person I’ve heard with either a predicted big or small baby had a completely average sized baby. The estimates have a huge margin of error!

Original poster
SheABitSpicyToday · 29/09/2021 11:29

Because my last induction was great and I’d rather do that again.

OP posts:
Greygreenblue · 29/09/2021 11:30

A planned c-section is definitely easier to recover from than an emergency one.

But given you already had a baby without complications I’d be tempted to go with vaginal with epidural (so they are ready to go with switch to c-section if needed).

I would be wary of size predictions, I’d want more than one opinion/scan/reason to believe it. My “big boofer” twin - in relation to her twin sister - was in fact only 100g heavier than her.

PileOfBooks · 29/09/2021 11:31

Planned section and recovery is worlds appart from labouring for 2 days and needing an emergency one.

You can go in refreshed and calm and theynwillbe amazing with you. You can sometimes choose music etc and have so much more control. There is so much less panic. You can plan for the recovery. Time where you arent as mobile can be time cuddling baby and bonding (I basically watched box sets and fed).

MsAwesomeDragon · 29/09/2021 11:31

My dd2 was predicted to be big, and she was. She was a week late and weighed 10lb10oz. She came home from hospital at less than a day old wearing 3-6 month babygrow.

In your position, with the gestational diabetes (which I apparently had, but it was undiagnosed), I would go for having the baby earlier, whichever way they think will be best to achieve that.