Does the size you or DH were at birth have any bearing on the size of your own baby?

[LoveInAColdClimate]

Still at the TTC stage but managing to worry myself about the birth anyway! DH was a huge baby (12lb something). He was a second baby, though. I was a first baby and a far more reasonable 7lb something. Does anyone know if the fact that DH was so big at birth mean our baby is more likely to be very large? I am quite small and simply can't imagine how I would manage to get a 12lb baby out! Thanks in advance.

DH and I were both around the 7 1/2 lb mark and both my babies were just short of 9lbs so, in our case, no.
These days I think they would induce labour before a baby got to 12lbs so I don't think you need to worry.
Heavy babies are also often heavy because they are long. Length isn't going to cause you problems during birth - once the head and shoulders are out it makes no difference.
Things have come a long way so don't fret.
Good luck ttc.

I was 6lbs DP 9lbs
DS 7lbs 2oz DD 8lbs 2oz

I believe that the weight of a baby depends on:

1. The conditions in utero

2. The no. of weeks term pregnancy that you get to

Once baby is born, genetics starts to take over so generally 2 tall parents will have tall children etc.

Nope. DH was 8 pound 8, I was 7 pound 1

His older children were all very small, but our DD was 8 pound 4.

DS was 11 days late and surprised us all by weighing 11 pound 14

(btw a big baby is often due to gestational diabetes but I didn't have it. At least, not when I had the test at 28wks. DS had low blood sugar though and the dr said I may have developed GD later in the pregnancy.

Me and XP were the same weight at birth and DS was one ounce lighter. But I was about physically the same sise as my mum and XMIL were, I think that has more to do with it. We aren't like dogs who will produce puppies bigger than they can birth - our bodies make the baby to fit us :)

Thanks, all, this is all very reassuring. Ouch re your 11lb 14oz DS, FreudianSlippery!

I was 6lb 4oz
DP was 6lb exactly.

Ds was 7lb 14
Dd was 7lb 6.

We are both from small families going back generations. My Mum was only 4 lbs at birth but this was not unusual just after WWII when diet was very limited.

DP's Dad was only 5 foot 1, RIP.

I've heard birthweight is more to do with the pregnancy than anything else. DP and I were both 7lb something but ds was born on the 75th centile at 8lb6oz - he quickly found his "true" line on the 25th though.

I do believe that parents' birth weight is a contributing factor to baby's birth weight.

Gestational diabetes is definitely something to look out for - perhaps ask your MIL if she had it? A friend of mine has had it twice but it hasn't been picked up until late on; and both her babies were big, over 10lb.

DH wasn't particularly heavy at birth (although I don't know exactly how heavy but it was under 8lb) and was 2 weeks overdue,
I was 7lb 13oz and 5 days overdue
and DS was 7lb 2oz and 2 weeks overdue!

Another friend of mine had her baby 8w early - as her DH had been, and his mother also was early. So length of incubation might be more "hereditary" than birth size but it could just be coincidence.

I was 8lb 5
DH was 9lb something

DD was 8lb 7

bertiebotts - that isn't quite true - someone I know had to have 3 CSs because none of her 3 DC could be birthed naturally - their heads were too big for her pelvis.

Dh was a preemie and came in at less than 2lb i weighed 7 1/2 lb dd was 9 lb so um no lol

DH was 10lbs.
i was 7lbs 12

dd1 - 7lbs 12
DS - 8lbs 12 (slightly jaundiced at +10)
DD2 7lbs 6 (looked full term at +10)

I was a 'perfect' 7lb 7oz , DH was a fairly hefty 8lb 15oz.

DS1 was 7lb 13oz and I breathed a sigh of relief that he had taken after me.
DS2 was 9lb 1oz which seemed giant
DS3 was 10lb 2oz which I didn't think would be possible, BUT his head was on exactly the same centile (50th) as DS1, so in effect the difficulty of giving birth was the same. Basically, what the previous poster said about big babies being long is true.

Also, I put on least weight with DS3 (probably because I spent the pregnancy running round after the other two, and couldn't eat much due to sickness and then because I was too full of baby). My midwife was amazed at the size of him and kept saying she didn't know where I had 'hidden' him .

BTW, I was tested for GD quite late in pregnancy the second two times, and didn't have it.

I am quite a tall / big person myself though, so maybe nature just adjusted the weight of my babies to a size I could deliver.

My cousin married a very small man (he is about 5 ft 1) and her babies were small, even though she is about the same size as me.

I have also heard that boys are bigger than girls.

DH was 8lb 4oz, I think I was 7lb 10oz or something like that. DD was 5lb 4oz - teeny tiny! - and on the .04 centile, and has tracked it ever since. However, she was 51cm long, which I think is quite average for height. Peopel call her petite and because I'm only 5'1" people say that she must be taking after me, although I would say she takes after her tall skinny daddy

I don't actually know. My mum found it hilarious though that my son (PFB) was exactly the same weight at birth as I was (7lb 11.5oz).

Both dh and I were around 6lb all of my 3 dcs were 6lb something

TBH I get upset when people trot out crap like "We aren't like dogs who will produce puppies bigger than they can birth - our bodies make the baby to fit us"

I have had two c-sections as I make babies bigger than I can birth. Does that make me a dog?

to answer OP - DH and I were both in the 8lb region and DD1 was as well then I had a whopper at 11lb 1oz.

I wouldn't worry about it too much at the TTC stage!

i think there maybe is something genetic with size (all else being equal), but it is not necc to be seen in the parents - my ds2 was 11lb11, to which my grandmother said oh yes your grandfather was 14lb (everyone else having been between 6.5 and 9.5)

I agree smac, I know people who had to have elcs because of (sp?) cephalopelvic disproportion.

I also know others who had big babies who were persuaded to have elcs and weren't allowed to try a vb. I'm glad the dr didn't know how big DS was before his birth!

ps, i had my ds2 on the kitchen floor, with help of an excellent mw, OP, but she realy needed to know her stuff to help us on her own as she turned out to be, he did get wedged a while. but late pg was vastly (pun intended) unpleasant. could barely swallow. it was the length of him that did for me i think, 62cm. his head wasn't too huge thankfully.

me 9lb 10

DD1 8lb 10
DD2 8lb 7

DH has no idea nor does his mother - i sometimes wonder if she was actually there ]