Positive big first baby stories!

[Justcallmecaptainobvious]

I'm currently 36 weeks with my first baby, and at every scan he is off the charts... current estimate is that he's already over 8lbs! (I know scans aren't 100% reliable, but even with a considerable margin of error, he's big). I don't have gestational diabetes.

Doctor is talking about inducing at 40 weeks if he's not arrived by then, and I'm thinking of pushing to go straight to a C section in that case, as I keep reading that induction of large babies has a very high rate of emergency CS. Fingers crossed he decides to make his way in to the world before due date.

I am trying very hard not to freak out that this will be a horrendous birth. I just can't imagine that size of baby doesn't impact on tears, episiotomy etc! Does anyone have positive stories of their first baby being big?

Big first baby, a boy. In terms of weight he was 8lb10 which isn't massive. But his head was HUGE!! I knew it would be huge bc his dad's head is huge - the sort of head that can't get motorbike helmets that fit. Also strangely shaped - much wider at the top
God I'm painting the men in my life as looking like freaks. In fact they are gorgeous creatures. But they have huge heads.
That said I still managed fine, and went on to have lots of sex
And another baby!

I should perhaps also add that my 10lber did have shoulder dystocia but midwife delivered singlehandedly with no need for emergency intervention (although they had people on standby) and still baby was delivered just fine with no long term effects for me or them.

First baby induced at 42+2, easy delivery, 9lb 4.

1st baby 9lb8, EMCS but due to presentation rather than size.

2nd baby (1st vaginal delivery) 9lb 2. It was hard work and I had quite a bad tear, but have heard of many other bigger babies that were delivered easily. Size is just one of many factors in ease of delivery.

Meant to say, everything healed well and both babies are now very slim, petite build school-aged children!

My first was 12lb 11oz and was eventually delivered by emcs after two hours of labour at full dilation. There's two were 10lb plus and both elective Cs. Very glad to have my fanny intact, and didn't mind the Cs's.

I think an emergency c section, after a difficult labour is possibly the worst case scenario, because they have to get the baby out in seconds, and you have the worst of a difficult labour on top of the operation.

A tear or graze is perhaps more painful than even a section scar especially if your needing the loo, wee ing over stitches etc.
I had a back to back labour and it weakened my lower back for ages I was walking stooped. You might get lucky but it is down to luck.

There are so many things that can go wrong in labour, having a large baby may not affect your labour, but it's another possibility that might. I would be insisting on the section. A planned c sections is in my view the best outcome. A botched difficult labour can cause ptsd and stay with you for years, that's assuming baby makes it out safe and well.
It's a risk I wouldn't take if an opportunity to eliminate all risk was on the table. Good luck.

My understanding - well, what my consultant told me- was that the size of the baby alone is never a reason for a C section, unless the woman has a particularly small pelvis.

First baby 9lb 8oz, induced at 40+16. Great experience, no tears, no pain relief during the labour. Vagina recovered perfectly!

Current overdue baby also a big one apparently. I’ve no qualms at all about giving birth again!

Not me but my mum. My brother was a bigger baby and she had a difficult birth with shoulder dystocia. HOWEVER I was a 9.9 lbs whopper and I was out in 2 pushes, no tearing, ideal quick and easy birth. Weight doesn't necessarily mean a horrific birth.

11lb baby here. I thought he was going to be big but was constantly reassured that scans are wrong, they only worry about small babies etc.

In the end it was an EMCS following 48 hour induction. It was quite horrible but actually, like most labours I think, it was actually fine. I was glad he was here and it was over and tried not to think too much about anything else really!

It's difficult to know how much his size mattered - I never got beyond 6cm dilated even after 15 hours on syntocinon, so even if he has been tiny he wouldn't have come out. Also he was very long and quite chubby but his head wasn't massive.

This time round I'm having an ELCS and really looking forward to it! Hopefully a lot calmer and more controlled and easier to recover from.

Good luck!

My first dc was 8.14, and back to back. It was a great birth. I did tear rather badly, but the birth had gone so well that I didn't believe them when they told me I'd torn. I had another back to back, weighing in at 9.3, and a normal presentation at 9lb. All v. straightforward.

In contrast, my 7.13, normal presentation, birth was hideous. At one point I looked up from my g&a and realised there were 8 people crowding round me, as opposed to the one mw, and one student I'd had with every other birth.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, I really appreciate it. I have (yet another!) consultant appointment coming up this week, so lots of food for thought.

9lb 4 baby.. I am tiny, 5ft 1 and a size 8... I had her with help by a ventouse but she was totally fine and I would do it all again. I ended up with an epidural as I was induced by a drip 13 day overdue- I’ll be honest and say I don’t know how I would have coped without an epidural with her being so big and needing assistance. I had an episiotomy but no tears. I’m glad they are offering you an induction- they wouldn’t allow me to have one and said she could be 10lbs without being induced- if I was to do it again and had another big baby, I would not let it get to the same stage as she nearly got stuck.

I was 11 days overdue (3 failed sweeps), me and DH went to the hospital at 8am as I was booked in for induction. I was checked over, I was 2cm or so dilated but not in labour. A pessary tablet was put "up there" around 9:30am. I was check again at 12ish, Midwife broke my waters then. She said she'd come back at 2 to set the induction up (plug me into the drip). Luckily at 1:45pm I started getting dull back pains on and off. Midwife was delayed and came back to see me at 3pm. She hooked me up to the monitor and confirmed I was having contractions, I was given a birthing ball shortly after. Contractions got stronger and stronger in my back. Midwife came at 4:30pm asked if I would like to use the birthing pool. I though hmm why not, at this point I was bouncing on the birthing ball a lot as it seemed to help me get through the contractions. At 5pm I was given gas and air (felt very high the first few puffs) shortly after the feeling high novelty wore off but the gas and air was still helping. Eventually contractions made their way round to my bump (felt like very strong cramps) At 6pm I entered the birthing pool (takes 1 hour the fill the pool) luckily I could still use gas and air in the pool. I was in the pool for 3 hours 5 mins. At 9:05pm my beautiful daughter was born in the pool. I delivered her myself. I was pushing for 30mins, at the end my Midwife said, "grab her" as I pushed her out I help her and brought her up to my chest. Most beautiful & proud moment of my life. She weighed 7lb 12oz. I'm very pleased I did not need to be induced, if I did I wouldn't of been able to go in the birthing pool. I would highly recommend the birthing pool, I will hopefully use one the next time I give birth.

Evie May
7lb 12oz
9:05pm

15/10/17

DS (DC1) came at 39+6 and was 10lb 3oz. I had a very straightforward water birth, abandoned G&A pretty early on because it made me feel sick, and only required a quick stitch for what my OB described as a pretty superficial graze. I also recovered very quickly, with no problems.

Please don't worry that a big baby necessarily means a tough delivery. My theory is that bigger babies come out more easily because gravity is on your side

My first born was spot on 10lb. He was induced on my due date but unfortunately nothing happened, induction failed and I ended up having him by c-section a couple days later. He was a lovely squidgy baby.

Dd, only baby, was 10lb 6. I had growth scans regularly as she was off the charts and they were worried about delivery. I had a scan at 37 weeks and she was 9.5lb so they said to come back at 41 weeks and if she was over and 11lb I would be offered a c section. I went home really upset and called my midwife and she agreed an induction would be best so I went in Thurs at 39 weeks for a sweep and she booked the induction for Monday. Friday night I went into labour. Basically easy 12 hour labour. No epidural needed. Pushed for 20 mins, no medical assistance needed. Small tear and a little bit of grazing but nothing that bad. Was a lovely labour