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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

biggest baby born vaginally recently?

44 replies

madeindevon2 · 14/05/2007 07:01

ive been told baby is big. at 36 week scan estimated 7.5lb from measurements. they said on average add half lb a week from then on. so could be 9.5lb or even 10 if i go overdue. i really want as natural a birth as possible. am i being unrealistic? its my first.

OP posts:

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lulumama · 14/05/2007 07:16

don;t think you are being unrealistic.....women tend to grow babies they can birth....i know there have been some big babies born to mumsnetters....one hovering around the 11 lb mark if i recall!!

also, growth scans can be inaccurate, so don;t panic too much....

do some reading, to get yourself in the mindset you can birth this baby....Ina May Gaskin and Sheila Kitzinger are great for this!

If you are able to go as natural as possible, you will be able to listen to your body , and adopt the best position instinctively to get the baby born...

MrsJohnCusack · 14/05/2007 07:38

growth scans are notoriously inaccurate - so many people get told they're going to have massive babies and then just don't

and size doesn't generally dictate the 'easiness' of a birth - all kinds of other factors come into it. as Lulu says - get in the right mindset. Don't spend the last few weeks fretting about a huge baby - as it's your first, spend them enjoying your last few weeks of baby free existence and having a lovely rest. Aim for the natural birth if that's what you want - there's no reason why it shouldn't be - but also, if things don't turn out quite as you plan, it's not a failure!

my first was 9lb 14oz and my second (nine weeks ago) was 10lb 5 oz. both vaginal births without any instrumental assistance. first gas and air only, second I did have an epidural because I got stuck at 6cms for hours!

lizziemun · 14/05/2007 07:51

madeindevon2

I was told that i was having average size baby, when i saw the midwife at 34weeks. I had DD at 39 weeks she was 9lb 4oz (my first).

I had no problems, I had gas & air, i was given a pethedine injection (i think to slow me down as they were short of midwifes) but it had worn off by the time i had her. I had no intervention, no tears.

It's funny but labour was the one thing i wasn't worried about, probaly because you have no control over. I mean it is going to hurt what ever you do.

gingersj · 14/05/2007 07:59

My friends boy now aged 6 was 11lbs and 1oz, delivered naturally in water with only Gas and air. Mum is stick thin and tiny frame, so we were all amazed. It was her second.

Rantum · 14/05/2007 08:06

Obviously the weight of a baby can make a difference, but the hardest part of childbirth is getting the baby's head out, so a few pounds on the baby's body may not make as big a difference as you would think if your baby is in the right position to be born. (I'm not sure how much baby's head sizes vary, probably a bit, but they are soft and designed to squish a bit so they come out)

yellowrose · 14/05/2007 08:29

madeindevon - have you thought about a water birth ? my ds was small, 3.09 kilos, but then i am only 5.2" and he was born 17 days early - i was in water for 8 hours which is great for pain relief - only used a tens machine before getting in the water and gas & air in the water (the only things you are allowed to use in water). total labour was about 16 hours from the time my waters broke.

from what i have read, if the baby is in a good position, head down, generally if you stand up and squat most of the time and walk around you will have more of a probability to have a natural birth. it is usually where they tell you to lie down and use medical intervention where you are less likley to have a natural birth, esp. if the baby is quite large.

you can help baby get into a good position a few weeks before birth, by sitting, squatting rather than lying down when watching tv, reading a book, etc i always sat on a big bouncy ball which is more comfy and better than a chair for getting baby into position. i tried never to lie down during the day when pregnant in the last few weeks before birth. there are some very good books on natural birth, it might help you to feel more relaxed if you read a few now.

good luck !

yellowrose · 14/05/2007 08:35

i honestly don't think size (mother or baby) matters if you try to stay in a good position for birth (i.e. try not to lie down). i knew 2 extremey skinny women with narrow hips who had totally natural births (standing, squatting) with babies the same size as mine. i kept looking at these women and thinking how did they push a baby out naturally with such a small frame ?

but they did. neither had huge tears either, they gave birth squatting. I had no tears at all and absolutley no stiching. water helps as your tissues stretch in water so you are less likley to tear in water.

fryalot · 14/05/2007 08:41

when I had dd1, there was a woman on my ward who had a baby who was 11lb 6oz, (yes, ELEVEN pounds) he had three teeth and he was very large!

He was (I think) her fourth, and she said that he had been the easiest birth of them all. Her theory was that the bigger the baby, the less work you have to do - in her words "he climbed out himself"

good luck with your big, healthy baby, and try not to worry too much.

cylonbabe · 14/05/2007 08:42

my father weighed 11 lbs when he was born. perfectly naturally in 1937

hertsnessex · 14/05/2007 08:46

my friend just had a 10lb 3 baby. she is tiny, no tears or stitched needed! i was amazed.

katyjo · 14/05/2007 08:53

I was told ds was going to be a big baby, he was 8lb 1oz so hardly big!
My sister has had 3 babies ranging from 5lb 6oz to nearly 10lb, she has never had any stiches and she says that the size doesn't make it any harder.
Your midwife should be able to advise you, speak to her, despite the bad reports I have always found midwives to be really helpful and give good advice.

I look forward to reading your birth post in a few weeks time.
xxx

LucyJones · 14/05/2007 08:54

my SIL had an 11 lber. The midwife said the biggest they'd had there was 14lbs!

lulumama · 14/05/2007 08:55

big babies can indeed be easier to birth, as the weight sort of helps to propel them out ! PMSL at "he climbed out himself" !!!

i think the best thing you can do is have faith in your body and have a look at this about optimal foetal positioning

MrsJohnCusack · 14/05/2007 09:01

and water is a top idea too

don't take any notice of them if they start wittering on about how hard it might be giving birth to a whopper - it's so negative (people then start saying 'ooh you'll never feed him youself' when you do give birth to a big baby - it's infuriating!)

meant to say positioning more important IMO than weight - so lulu's link v.good (think I got stuck at 6cms not because of his size, but because he moved his head and position for some totally unknown reason).

Bananaknickers · 14/05/2007 09:16

my second child was 9lb 2 when born 3 days early.When I had my third I was tiold all along she was going to be very large. I had a scan a week before I had her and they told me she would be over 10lb. I was scared I can tell you. Well also at the scan they discovered she was upside down and the wrong way around, they tried to turn her but I went into labour and ended up having a C section. After all that though she only wieghed 9lb 5 0z.She would of been easier to push out than my second as her head was smaller than his. I always think it is the head size that counts.
My first was only 7lb 7 and I needed forceps to deliver him. So guess what I am saying is don't worry as things will happen natrually for you. Has there ever been someone who has had to have a section, forceps because the baby was to big?

charliegal · 14/05/2007 09:17

My ds (1st baby) was 10 lbs. No ventouse or anything and just a superficial tear. I was a bit shocked, he didn't look like my image of a new born. Even now the early photos make me laugh. He look about 2 months old!

DaisyMOO · 14/05/2007 09:31

I had a 10lb 13oz baby at home with no pain relief last year (was after two previous cesareans too!)

You can do it! But also remember that scans can be wildly inaccurate - that whopper baby was predicted to be 7.5lbs! and I know plenty of people who had it wrongly estimated the other way round too.

Original poster

madeindevon2 · 14/05/2007 12:30

thanks to all for your advice and kind words.
i am very keen on a water birth - and have told MW that already. there are 2 pools at the unit i am going to so chances are good.
im not actually worried at all about the labour...i know its gonna hurt....no pain no gain!!!!! and i think i got quite a high pain threshhold anyway.
im sitting on my gym ball as we speak! ive found it far more compfy than sofa actually! baby is in the right position apparently so fingers crossed for the natural birth i really want!
thanks for the reality check! im feeling very positive!!

OP posts:

duchesse · 14/05/2007 14:11

Growth scans, ha! I was told my third child would be a 6lb shrimp (vs. my estimate of 7.5-8lbs, judging by tightness and size of bits I could feel).

Had final scan at 36 weeks (ultrasound dept at Frimley Park freaking out), so should have been accurate...

She was 7lbs 9oz.

The proof of the pudding is in the labouring.

donnie · 14/05/2007 14:13

wasn't there a baby born in Mexico who was 17lb a few months back? naturally, I think!!

MegaLegs · 14/05/2007 14:19

Yowch Donnie!

My lot were all big. DS1 was 10lbs10 and I had him vaginally, gas and air , small tear.

Biggest was DS3 at 10lbs 15. He hurt like hell. Laboured in the pool with him but got on bed to deliver (meconium in my waters).

I knew they would be big, I had good birth experiences with them, breathed alot, kind of zoned out with the gas and air.

catnip · 14/05/2007 16:09

I had a 10.9 baby as my first. I had absolutely no idea he was going to be so big, all scans/bump measurements had been average. I had forceps and episiotomy, so not that natural, but I recovered very very quickly. If I were you I'd just be very open minded. No reason you shouldn't be able to do it, but it will come down to things that you have little control over - the baby's position etc.

catnip · 14/05/2007 16:11

Blimey Squonk - three teeth?!?

PinkChick · 14/05/2007 16:12

mum from dd's nursery had little girl 5 weeks ago, i say little..she was 1lb 9oz!, her older brother was only 6lb 11ozborn 3 yr before.

PinkChick · 14/05/2007 16:12

doh!..11lb 9oz

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