Poll - how big was your baby and how hard was your labour?

[beartime]

I've been reading the Gentle Birth posts about dieting leading to a smaller baby which means an easier labour, so wanted to see if this is really true. Also should take into account if the baby was healthy or not afterwards - because maybe small means less healthy?

So can you give your baby weight, length of labour, any complications and health of baby?

Mine was 8lb 7oz, 17hrs from first twinge, got cord stuck round his neck which led to episiotomy and ventouse, very healthy. Also tore.

DD was born at 40 weeks, weighed 7lb 2oz, labour was 22 hours from waters breaking and immediate contractions. Had ventouse, episiotomy, unsuccessful epidural but she was perfectly healthy- 9 on Apgars

I don't know if this has already been said but with my four I've found that the weight of the baby is nothing and the head circumference is everything when it comes to labour.

Good point spidermama! I think that dd1 may in fact have had the biggest head... I will hve to compare records.

48h22mns (the longest 22mns of my life!)
8.95 pounds (4.060kgs)
overdue 12 days
Started with water birth (midwife was sure the baby was a small one despite 5 scans check during my pregnancy.. all proved wrong!)
Then Epidural
Ventouse
Episiotomy
And a very healthy baby... No sickness until now (8 months old), due to starting nursery but she is coping very well!!!

Baby weight 6lb 9.5oz (about 10th centile). Length - 2nd centile.
Length of labour 13.5 hrs
Complications - baby back-to-back, ventouse x 4 attempts, forceps, catheter, episiotomy (2nd degree), syntocin drip, 4 hour second stage, internal tear, internal haematoma.
Baby health - Unconscious within 12 hrs of birth. 10 days of phototherapy caused by severe bruising to head and face. Head painful for months

Don't think dieting is a good idea. I put on the recommended 2 stone. Baby was probably small as 2 weeks early and low birth weights in husband's family (was told by a midwife this can be a factor).

41wks 36hrs
8lbs or 3.65kg
whole labour in hos due to unexplained bleeding morning labour started
ventouse failed then episiotomy and forceps, no epidural as phopia of...very painful not recomended!! Post part heam, needed two units blood.. DH very pale at this point and vomits.
Ds very healthy (apgar 9) and he also had slightly above average head circ like his father who was also a forceps delivery!

DS1 - 7lb 11oz, 19hrs start to finish, episiotomy, baby v healthy, 2 weeks late.

DS2 - 8lb 12oz, 3hrs 50 mins start to finish, no complications, baby v healthy, arrived on due date!

Beartime - I have always read two things which might help:

1. the 2nd labour is usually shorter and fater (and easier) - regardless of size - as you can see most women have faster labours second tme around !
2. Jean Sutton (the midwife who writes on optima foetal positioning) says smaller babies are actually harder to get out than big babies are big babies are often in a better position....

baby 7lb 5oz labour 24 hours from first twinge,
not tears, no stitches

I had tens,gas and air, 1 morphine and 1 pethedine injection. Baby totally healthy, me size 12 afterwards(not now lol)
ds still quite healthy and strong, and very tall

ds 7lb 11oz - 45 mins labour, only knew I was in labour as I was isitting with midwife at hoem and I suddenly started shaking and threw up. Up til then mild period cramps. I was doing a crossword and it never distracted me until I was ill. Ds arrived 45 mins later. Easy labour IMHO, no tears nothing!
dd - 7lbs 8oz - 35 mins labour :) Woken up by decent contractions at 5.45am delivered at 6.25am
Both babaies ahd 9/10 on apgar botha lso born in their bags :)

I did all the optimal foetal postioning stuff religeously in month before labour, I think that helped

dd born on time, aftre 10 hrs labour and weighing...9lb 4ozs..!!

I'm only 4ft 11ins and I did it all in a waterpool and on gas and air only.

Hope when we have baby2 it's a shorter labour and weight although I have also heard that a bigger baby is easier to birth ..!!!!

ds4 born at 42+3 weeks weighing in at an impressive 10lbs 13oz. 1 hour labour, 4 stitches to a little tear. Oh yeah it was a VBA2C as well!!:o:o:o:o

hmm, not sure.

DD was 6lb 12oz... only took 4 1/2 hous to deliver, but I had a second degree tear and an episitomy. Took 30 mins of stitching me up after!

sorry, not read thread really but my two births were as follows:

dd - 6.7lbs (4 weeks 2 days early), five hours from start to finish, 10-min 2nd stage, no tearing/grazes, had a bit of gas and air. she was perfectly healthy.

ds - 9lb 3 (40 plus one day), about four hours from start to finish, longer 2nd stage as his waters stayed intact, but then had shoulder dysotica (easily resolved with mw throwing my legs around a bit but v painful and scary), no tearing/grazes (mws couldn't believe that one!), no pain relief at all, just didn't need it. ds fine except very bruised face from having his head crowned for too long.

IMO - do loads of pelvic floor exercises for a good labour.

10 1/2 hours of labour, gas and air, an epidural and lots of cutting and stitches later I had 8lb 13oz Abby, but she was well worth it.

Induced at 38 weeks, 10 hours from pessary to birth, gas and air and pethadine, 8lb 3oz boy and a second degree tear with lots of stitches.

Very interested to read the posts about bigger babies not causing tears. Is that an all round general thing, or just the posts on here?

HI ALL JUST NEW TO MUMS NET .....i had little girl 9lbs 30z 3 days of contractions and only 2 hours pushing in the pool with no pain relief,shocked at how big she was had a few stitches but all back 2 normal now and really enjoyed the experience was elated by giving birth !

dd1 7lbs 11oz, just under 8hrs in labour, pethadine, as contractions quite painful, but no tears......dd2 8lbs 11oz! waterbirth, just g&a, not very painful at all, no tears....

1st baby 9lb 120z posterior presentation - 27 hours from 3cm dilated. Ended in emergency cs.
2nd baby 91b 120z posterior presentation. Laboured 12 hours. Got to 9cm and no further. Ended in emergency cs.
3rd baby 9lb 6oz. Elective c-section at 37 weeks. Lots of probs. Post partum haemorrhage and baby ventilated in scbu. Not much fun.
Not broody anymore.

DD1- 8lb 2oz.4 hours gas and air, tear and some stitches(which hurt more than giving birth)
DD2 - 8lb 7oz. 2 hours to fully dilated, gas and air, then crash c section with ga
DS -7lb 13oz. 2 hours, gas and air, ventouse, episiotomy. cord round his neck twice.
All three fit and healthy.

DD1 8lb 8oz - from first twinge 26 hours but established labour for 12 hours. ventouse delivery in the end but dd1 was very healthy perfect apgar score. severe staph infection a few days later though!

DD2 7lb 10oz - 2 and a half hour from first twinge. very healthy again!! would do a labour like that again and again!!!

My DS was 10lb (5kg) and has been a big healthy boy in every sense - apart from the odd cold and chickenpox over the last 5 years and a sicky bug this week (that EVERYONE round here has had).
I was in labour for 19 and a half hours and to be honest I was never going to be able to deliver him myself at that size!! Went for gas and air, followed up later by an epideural and then emergency c-section. He was 2 weeks overdue.

7lbs 7 oz, waters broke at 6, labour (contractions) lasted 4.5 hrs roughly.

30 hours from first contraction till DS was born, 13 days late.
Gas and air / water birth planned. Stayed in pool up to 14 hours - He was back to back. Then 2 epidurals, episiotomy, ventouse, he was delivered by forceps, and weighed in at 10lbs. Not sure about the dieting thing, but I did eat curry every night for the last 2 weeks hoping to kick-start him, so I'm sure that must have contributed to his weight! He has always been healthy and happy.