To ask anyone who’s had a large baby…

[birthplanning]

To advise me on birth?

Bump consistently measuring above the 97th centile. DH is 6ft plus, and was nearly 10lbs when he was born at 40 weeks exactly. I am 5ft 2 and petite build. I’m mid 20s and pregnancy has been touch wood straightforward and low risk.

I’ve done some reading and I am conflicted on what to do. I definitely don’t want to be induced unless there is a strong medical indication for it, as I know it leads to intervention most of the time. In the ideal I’d like a no-interventions birth but know the odds for that as a first time mum are stacked against me anyway, certainly in the current maternity care crisis.

I am not against a caesarean at all, in fact see there are lots of positives to it and although recovery may be harder it offers an element of predictability. I would just be worried about recovery, as DH only has 2 weeks off work. That being said I do not need to drive and can walk 2 minutes to the local supermarket and a nice country park. Also concerned about the increased risks to future pregnancies although we are leaning towards just having the one baby anyway, in any event we aren’t planning for a whole brood!

I wondered if anyone who has had a bigger baby (either ELCS or vaginal birth) could share their experience and whether you’d recommend being induced/going for a planned section, or just having a go ‘naturally’

Many thanks in advance!

My first was 10lb 3 oz , vaginal delivery gas and air only , big bleed requiring a 4 unit blood transfusion , I also fainted in the loo before I’d had the blood and ended up with a huge bump on my head . I had an ELCS for my second , my choice and it was much the better experience and I also spent less time in hospital .

DC1 was 10lbs and came in 1hr 10mins. Very easy birth, painful but not excessive.

DC2 9.5 crash section for unrelated reasons. Worst pain by far.

5”2 and had a 9lb 6oz baby at home, without any intervention, pain relief or stitches. 13 hours from start to finish. They weren’t predicting he’d be so big but all went well with his birth and physically I recovered very quickly, plus got the home birth I dreamt of. Trust your instincts and don’t listen to the scary narrative around birth. Be informed and have your partner advocate for you.

Mine were 8,11 and 9,4 so not huge but both had heads off the charts. 2 induced vaginal births - all fine.

I have a small pelvis and had a 9lb 6 baby. Thankfully presented sideways so ended up with an EMCS. When baby was out I was told it was a good job that happened as shoulder dystocia was highly likely. So I think it depends on your build.

my half sister had an 8lb 6 baby and had fourth degree tears - big pelvis so no issues there but a teeny vagina!

I've had 3 big babies, the last was 10lbs and back to back. I'm 5'4"
Labours and births were very easy, quick and no stitches. Popped to tesco's on the way home from the hospital to pick up bigger baby grows as newborn didn't fit her! Apart from horrendous constipation for a few days afterwards - recovery was very very easy.

Neither of mine were classed as big, heaviest was 9lb 8oz, but he was quicker than my first, who weighed less.
I was told he would be big throughout my later scans, and was warned about the risk of shoulder dystocia, then he turned out to be not big at all!

Hi, I am tall as is husband and we knew by Scan and by my size (massive bump) that my second child was going to be big (he was - 10lb 12)
I opted for section electively. I did not want to push that size out. Some may say it was fine but for me it was a no no. I’d much rather be cut on my abdo than have my vagina ruined which I believe it would have been. I had a much quicker recovery than a couple of my friends who had traumatic births with instrumentation/suction etc. it’s your choice ultimately. Mine was to have no damage/stretching/cut or tearing to my vagina.

Mine was 5kgs/10'11" and I had an elective C-section. They knew he was going to be big but estimated he'd be 4kgs so he was even bigger than they thought! They wanted me to have an induction initially but I didn't want one and opted for the C-section instead. A big factor for me was that I'd had gestational diabetes and was worried about shoulder dystocia and knew that induction might exacerbate any issues. When he was born his shoulders were really chunky so I think it was the right call! I had hoped for a relaxed, intervention-free birth, but in the end the C-section was the right choice for us. I found recovery surprisingly easy compared to what I expected too so that was a big help. My sister had an induced delivery the same month and ended up needing forceps. It took her weeks to recover and she said it was harder to recover from than the emergency C-section she'd had with her first, although she also had one intervention-free birth which she has great memories of. I think it's hard to make these decisions because you're dealing with likelihoods and probabilities which can give you a rough idea but obviously may not apply directly to you, so you can only do what feels right. I hope you have a wonderful birth whatever you decide.

I’m 5’9” with size 5 feet. Midwife was convinced I was having a big baby and referred me for a growth scan. On the day of the scan, the consultant said that they’d make me try a natural birth for 24 hours anyway as the scans are unreliable (didn’t even give me the scan!).

on the day I went into labour I got to 9cm dilated just on gas and air but after 24 hours the consultant came in as my daughter wouldn’t even engage into the pelvis and all signs were that she was getting distressed. Emergency c-section and an 11lb baby later it was agreed that with size 5 feet, she was never going to fit through naturally and I should have just been booked in for a c-section from the start! No regrets though!

I think it varies a lot tbh.

I'm 5ft 2in tall and a slim build. My first (and only) baby was born exactly on his due date weighing 9lb 6oz. I went into labour spontaneously but he was too big to fit through my pelvis so had an emergency c-section.
Recovery took a few weeks but after the first two weeks, I was managing at home on my own in the day when dh was at work.
Started driving after 6 weeks.

A bigger baby doesn't necessarily mean c section though.
My mum is the same height as me, though bigger in build than me.
My brother (1st baby) was 7lb 15oz, I (2nd) was a few weeks early and only 6lb 7oz, my sister (3rd) was 9lb - normal delivery and my mum says, the easiest of all!

My dad was ridiculously big 13lb 10oz 😳😳 believe it or not, normal delivery, no c section!! His mum was a similar height to me and not a particularly big lady!! He was her 4th baby so that may have helped, though the others were all around the 7lb mark!

I had a 9 pound baby at 36 weeks (ivf so we know to the day) - I had an elective c section and it was lovely and I would recommend. I’d had a vaginal birth before so can compare .

My 1st baby was 10lb 8oz. I was induced 3 days early due to high bp and protein in urine think my body was starting to struggle carrying baby. All worked out fine.

mine was 10.14 - first baby. I did tear a bit but that was my fault not listening when they said not to push for a min. If you listen to your midwives, I'm sure that wont happen to you.

my second and third children were large but not as large. You'll be fine

5ft 7
Dc1 - breech, Elcs, 9lb 1 at 38+6
DC2 - vaginal. 10lbs 14. Back to back. 2 x forceps, episiotomy. Had Waters broken but no need for snuthing further. 41 +2.

The c sec recovery was fine. I went for a gentle stroll on day 7. Pottered about. ExH useless so pretty much doing everything on my own.

2nd child, recovery also ok.

The c section was amazing though, as you say, it takes away the unknown to a large extent.

I'm 5 5 and slim build. DC2 was a shade under 10 lb.

My easiest birth really - very fast, normal delivery at home, very active birth, moving around, bit of hypno breathing, pool, no intervention, a few minor stitches.

Good luck OP.

I am 5 ft 9. Consistently measured 2 weeks ahead but never had growth scans til last week of pregnancy. 9.8 baby, was advised induction or c section. I went for section, there was a query over missed gestational diabetes and the subsequent risk of shoulder dysocia, and I felt c section was safer for baby. I ended up going into labour naturally prior to elective section date which got upgraded to emergency section as he was in distress and labour not progressing. The emergency section was the best, most controlled part of the process ironically due to the state of maternity care at the moment.

recovery was way easier than I expected. Only needed paracetamol and ibuprofen for around 3 days, was walking around (slowly) by 2nd day. Managed a short walk into town (15mins) about 10 days post. Scar was sensitive for ages but in terms of acute pain - relatively short period of time. Everyone is different though. Go with your gut.

I'm 5'6 tall and one child was 10lb 2 when born. 22 years ago and measured normally. Had no idea baby was so big till the weigh in. Labour was six hours, and much easier than with other child who was 7lb. I'm glad I didn't know the size.

8lb8 induced due to pre eclampsia. I had an episotomy but wasn't related to induction. My friends both had episotomies too but wasn't linked to size of babies. Was painful with stitches but mainly just when doing night breastfeeding so I pumped/combi fed.

DD was 9lb 10oz and I’m a small build. She was a few days overdue, my waters broke at home and I had her naturally. I did need an episiotomy to get her head out! I lost a lot of blood and had to spend extra time in hospital, but we were both ultimately ok.

As she was big, my doctor suggested that I was induced at 39 weeks with DS. The induction went well for me- I was put straight on a drip and he was born three hours later with no tearing or interventions. I was home the next day.

So my induction experience was positive, I know many people don’t have a good experience though.

I had a large baby (born 39+1) weighing 4.26kg on the 91st percentile. I chose to have ELCS so I could be sure there was absolutely minimal risk to my baby (no shoulder dystocia) and much less risk of tearing, prolapse etc for me.
The ELCS recovery was absolutely fine! I was back to normal in about 2.5 weeks.
The section itself was a wonderful experience and my baby and I are both healthy. Best decision I have made!
Do not let others (including healthcare professionals) make you feel bad for choosing a C section if that’s what you want!

I think the fact it’s your first is more of an issue than it’s size.

first labours tend to be slower regardless. Your cervix has to dilate and efface and it does one then the other.

subsequent labours tend to do both together generally speeding it up.

my 2nd was 9lb 14oz. By far my easiest to deliver. Maybe gravity helped, who knows.

My 2nd DC was 10lb6oz

I'm 5' and pre pregnancy weight was 6.5 stone and I have tiny hips

Was induced, easy delivery 🤷🏽‍♀️

Oh, I also meant to say that size estimates are often inaccurate. I was told that DD would be around 7lbs, not nearly 10! I might’ve opted for a C-section if I’d known!

I had a section in November for my 10lb 2oz baby boy! First baby! I elected for it as felt induction wasn't for me after researching it. The operation went smoothly but I wasn't prepared for recovery, despite reading up on it. It caused me a lot of anxiety as I had a few complications despite being young and fit etc. I would say there is no perfect way to give birth - you are nearly always going to be left with mixed feelings - but if you can push for a "natural" birth try to, because it will stand you in good stead for future pregnancies. I want to do a VBAC the next time around but realistically would only consider it in the current NHS system if I had a doula with me to coach me through. I now can't have a home birth without a real battle on my hands. So it does limit your options to opt for section. Then again, when I hear horror stories I'm so glad I had it, and none of the complications I had were long-term! Hope this helps x