Happy birth stories from ladies who had BIG babies, please!

[Summergarden]

Hi,

I'm nearly 32 weeks, and midwife thought baby was feeling big at check up this week, plus I've put on quite a lot of weight, so she sent me for the GTT diabetes test. Thankfully the results are clear on that, but they scanned me that same day and baby looks like a whopper- measuring at almost 2 weeks ahead what it should be for both abdoninal circumference and femur bone length.

I still long for a natural birth if possible, really want to avoid a C section but they've warned that if I go to full term the baby will probably be 10lb.

Has anyone had a vaginal birth that wasn't too horrendous with a big baby?

I'm feeling guilty too that it's mostly my fault for taking the 'eating for two' adage a bit too literally, hence my almost 3 stone weight gain at 32 weeks, and it's my fault for growing this supersized baby:(

I'd love to hear any happy stories from women who have had good births with big babies, thanks. x

Juju Sundins birth skills book is quite good to read beforehand, gives you some tips for techniques to use which the NCT may not cover...and google active birth, for positional techniques. All quite reassuring though there is nothing like letting your body instinctively does its thing, if you over think you can get muddled and often you will find women getting not the right position for themselves by themselves. InaMay Gaskin also wrote a da guide to childbirth with pics and positional ideas which is the business.

Bloody ipad

Many thanks Napdamnyou, I will be reading both those books you suggest.

My ds was 9lb 11oz. Really smooth labour until I had to have emergency c-section at the last minute, as they wouldn't let me push. But that was because he in an awkward position - kind of twisted round, not because of size.

Having a big baby is great - ds was holding his head up from a few weeks old and has never been small and fragile looking - great for a nervous first time mum. He is big and strong and great at feeding.

He didn't measure very big, so I don't think estimates are that accurate. I did look HUGE though.

DD2 was 9lb 10 oz - she just sort of fell out after 6 hours (5 mins second stage...) - a planned home water birth. Was much easier than DD1 (8lb 5 oz) and I recovered so much faster too - I had some stitches but more to be on the safe side and none of the soreness and discomfort I had following DD1.

Think I was lucky that my MW was really relaxed - I'd thought I was huge for a while, and she mentioned at my 40 week appointment that the baby was likely to be 'a nine-pounder' but said it was mainly length and so shouldn't affect the delivery and she was right. No concerns raised prior to that which is good, as I'd have only worried otherwise.

Best of luck!

I've just had a 10 pounder. She sort of just fell out 40 minutes after I got to hospital

She wasn't expected to be big, MW had said she felt 'a good size but not huge'

I did have few stitches but the recovery from these, and the birth in general was 1 million times better than my 8 lb 12 epidural / episiotomy / vontouse first DC

^ ha hadnt read lackings post. Seems gravity can play a part!

And second what other posters have said about it being a reassurance having a big, strong, robust baby. Much easier to handle and no more bingo wings for me!

Please don't worry about size. They seem to get it so wrong with scans. I gave birth yesterday to my 4th baby and had been told he would be 10lb+ at 40 weeks pregnant and was measuring huge on growth scans. I was absolutely petrified of giving birth because i had had a previous shoulder dystocia baby but he popped out weighing only 7lb 15ozs exactly on his due date with the smallest head out of all of my babies.
Like everyone else says stay as active as you can in labor and adopt a different birthing position. My shoulder dystocia baby was 9lb 12ozs but the hospital kept me flat on my back for 12 hrs to monitor him and speed things up via a drip and i was too intimidated to speak my mind and tell them i needed to be more mobile plus i ended up having an epidural so gave birth on my back causing him to get in a bad position to be born hence the shoulder dystocia. Good luck xxx

Your weight gain isn't relevant imo. Some people just grow big babies

Congrats kimmie

My friend had a late scan and was told the baby was 10 to 12 lb so she had a CS, in the event he was 9lb 1oz and she was disappointed she hadn't given VB a try. Mine were all in the region of 8lb 10oz and I had 3 VB with no complications.

Good luck!