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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

big baby has anyone delivered a smaller baby than the scan suggested?? v.v.worried

30 replies

Pinkbump3 · 08/04/2009 20:26

I'm 38 weeks pg and have been constantly told im having "big baby" its scrawled all over my notes

this is my third and my other 2 dds where 9lbs13 and 8lbs13 so im used to big

but they have been sending me for growth scans and i had one today which says the baby is 9lbs10 today with 2 weeks to go!!

im worried sick as i had really bad tear and infection with my 9lbs13 dd but even when i was expecting her they never went on about her size in this way. They have predicted she will be 10 and a half pounds plus!

I spoke to the consultant and they are booking me in to be induced next wed if i dont go before (they swept my membranes on mon but obv still nothing)

has anyone had any experience with this? what did your baby weigh compared to the scan measurement?

i dont know if im posting in the right thread so i may post in preg thread as well thanks x

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Hassled · 08/04/2009 20:30

This isn't what you want to hear but IME their predictions are pretty accurate. I think you need to talk to your midwife/consultant and ask as many "What if...?" questions you can think of so you are as prepared as you can be.

Original poster

Pinkbump3 · 08/04/2009 20:44

thanks i dont see mw now till tues so i might write a list for her! x

OP posts:

HeadFairy · 08/04/2009 20:47

They said my ds would be near enough 9lbs, he was 7lbs7 in the end. I always thought weight measurements taken during scans were pretty inaccurate.

Original poster

Pinkbump3 · 08/04/2009 20:49

im hoping they get it wrong like you headfairy! if she was9lbs i would be happy but 10 and a half im terrified!

OP posts:

ConnorTraceptive · 08/04/2009 20:50

I kind of had the opposite to you ds1 was 10 pounds so was monitored for big baby second time round. Was constantly told ds2 would be average size but he weighed in at 11 pounds so they can get it wrong!

For what it's worth if you have successfully delivered big babies before you should be fine

Lizzylou · 08/04/2009 20:50

I had loads of scans with DS2 as well, they were at least 1.5lbs out, he was heavier.

My friend has had 2 DC at 36 and 37 weeks respectively and they got the weights very wrong there too (by over 1lb).

HeadFairy · 08/04/2009 20:52

pinkbump I was more worried about the head measurements, 99th centile. That has apparently more bearing on the ease (or difficulty) of the birth. He does have a big head but he was breech in the end and had to have a cs. I hope they can put your mind at ease about the baby's size.

phdlife · 09/04/2009 04:44

I did a lot of research about this - the evidence is that sizing scans are 10% out (my registrar said 15%), but that they get more out, the larger they think the baby is. That is, they usually over-estimate if they think it's going to be large. Can give references if you like.

hth.

lizziemun · 09/04/2009 06:52

Not sure if it helps but i had the opposite to you.

Was told dd1 would be 7 to 7 1/2lb's at 38wks. When she was born at 39wk she was 9lb 4oz's.

With dd2 the day before she was born was told she was no more then 8lb's was 9lb 2oz at 40 + 8days.

With ds was told at 9lb 8oz at 40wks, when he was born at 40+11 days he was only 8lbs.

twoclimbingboys · 09/04/2009 10:26

DS2 was 10lbs 14 ozs - which is 2 lbs bigger than DS1, but I needed hardly any stitches etc. Unlike DS1 where I was quite extensively torn. DS2's birth was realtively quick and easy. I hope that is reassuring?

LadyMuck · 09/04/2009 10:33

Ds1 was 9lb 4oz and I'm 5ft on a good day, so I was carefully monitored for my 2nd pg. They estimated that ds2 had already reached 8lb 10 a week before delivery (elective c/s due to size) so I was a bit shocked to wake up to greet a 7lb 3oz baby!

memoo · 09/04/2009 17:09

They said my DS was going to be a big baby and they induced me at 38 wks because they said he had already reached 10lbs

He was actually 8lb 2oz! and was out in 3 pushes!

childrenchildreneverywhere · 09/04/2009 17:11

How wonderfully helpful of them to scrawl it over your notes .

Have a look at www.bigbaby.org.uk and make sure you read the positive stories and watch the video link!

wideratthehips · 09/04/2009 17:34

my second baby was 10lb 8oz.so was rather terrified at 37wk growth scan that third baby waqs 'another big one'

........she was 8lb 2oz......however i had a bigger tear with her than with the big baby!!

peanutbutterkid · 09/04/2009 17:59

At 34 week scan I was told DS1 would be a whopper, 98th percentile, close to 4kg.

He came out at 39 weeks and only 2.92 kg (6.5 lbs).

I've always heard that presentation is more important than size -- little arms or feet can get majorly in the way on tiny 6 lb babies. And 10 lb babies can squeeze out nicely if they face the right way.

Good luck.

Original poster

Pinkbump3 · 09/04/2009 23:37

thank you all for your messages it does help to calm me down i guess i just have to wait and see! but i will come back and post the outcome! x

OP posts:

mamababa · 09/04/2009 23:50

they cannot tell from the scan. I know someone who has a CS cos they said baby was huge. 6.5lbs in the end.
Think that you should go for it and see

phdlife · 10/04/2009 05:35

another thing you should be warned of -

there is a study that showed that mothers who were predicted to have big babies, had 2x the c/s rate of others - that is, it has a big psychological effect on dr's, who all get a bit twitchy.

I cannot for the life of me remember the reference, though I did find it fairly easily googling things like "accuracy of obstetric sizing scans" etc. Nothing like hard factual info, imho

Portoeufino · 10/04/2009 05:43

Mine was supposed to be 9lb something but they said plus/minus 25%. I was too scared to do the sums! Dd was 8lb 2.

angel80 · 10/04/2009 09:56

Hi i have just posted this on another thread but think its probably more appropiate here lol so here it is again!!

Hi i stumbled upon this site and thread and just wanted to add my personal experience..
I had normal pregnancy with my 4th child, no indication that i was carrying a big baby, antenatal checks/measurments were correct to dates, scans fine, then at 38 weeks my midwife thought i had a lot of fluid when she palpated me.. was sent for a scan straight away which revealed i was carrying a BIG baby!! at the scan they told us he was measuring 8lb and if he carried on growing as he was to expect a 10lb baby!! I laughed, my last 2 children both weighed 8lb 2oz.
The only real worry was his abdominal circumference was large and the risk of SD was presented.. I started to worry about all the riskd and tried to get my consultant to give me an early induction.. i was admitted onto the ward 2 days later and at the 11th hour they changed their minds, they said if they intervened and induced labour there could be a higher risk of complications that could lead to a CS..
Sooo i was sent home and told not to worry..
My 39wk antenatal was fine, the day before my due date i was 3 cm dilated, uncomfortable and begged my MW to help things along, she gave me a sweep and on my due date i started with contractions in the evening, my son was born after 2 hours 15 minutes of labour weighing a very healthy 10lb 1oz (4.572 kg)!! No shoulder dystocia and no other real complications! I did suffer a PPH due to a having a large placental site.
so in my case the scan was spot on!
I breastfed my other children and didnt even think about it being an issue to feed this big boy! I exclusivly BF every 2 hours for 6 whole months and then weaned him onto solid foods. I am still Bfing him and he is now 9 months old, He slept from 7 weeks through the night and he still a big boy he was last weighed 25lb at 7.5 months.

BetsyBoop · 10/04/2009 13:13

for both of mine the growth scan predicted 9.5lbs-ish at term

DD (my first) was 8lb8.5oz at 39+4

DS was 10lb11oz at 40+10

So IME the scan is only a very rough guide

JulesJules · 10/04/2009 13:24

I had a scan minutes before my CS for dd2 and they said she was 8 lb 7 oz. She was 7lb 14oz, exactly the same as dd1.

thirtysomething · 10/04/2009 13:28

I was told DD would be enormous. Never given a precise weight estimate but constant tut-tutting about how big the baby would be and how I mustn't go overdue (DS was tiny, early and still managed to get stuck!)Even during labour they kept saying what a big baby she was - imagine my surprise when out she came (stuck, of course, and yanked out by forceps) at 6lbs 14!!! They got it totally wrong and were all very surprised too. So it is possible.

verygreenlawn · 10/04/2009 13:36

phdlife is spot on. Ds3 was predicted to be "at least" 10.5 lbs - I was given lots of dire warnings about his "off the scale" head circumference etc. Having had a 9.5 lber I wasn't massively worried about the birth, but my notes too were covered in anxious warnings.

Went into labour normally on my due date, saw a registrar who (without asking) broke my waters to hurry things along due to concern about the size. Absolutely no need to do this as I was already in labour and progressing nicely, and had written on my notes "NO ARM".

Result? Very very distressed baby, and a crash emergency cs under general anaesthetic an hour later. Ds3 pulled through and was only 9lbs 3 oz, but I was - am - traumatised.

I hope this doesn't come across as scaremongering, but I seriously believe that they can get it seriously wrong.

Ronaldinhio · 10/04/2009 13:46

I was told big baby to very big baby, also scrawled all over notes etc and some stupid discussion about the accuracy of my due dates.
My DD was 6"6.
Our GP laughed and said that she sees this sort of thing often enough to consider if pregnancy has moved on from when they used to put an ear trumpet to your belly and hope for the best.

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