Tell me your big baby birth stories please!

[fairywing]

I'm 36+5 today and just had a second growth scan which has confirmed baby is likely to be large! Sonographer could see a good layer of fat around her tummy this time Her AC was on the 97th percentile this time and significantly above that this time putting her at about 8 1/2 lbs today Her head circumference has been average both times.

So my romantic festive homebirth plans have all gone out of the window, which i am ok about. I am however now feeling quite anxious about the birth. So i would really appreciate hearing your honest accounts of birthing larger babies. Was labour long/short, pain more/less, tearing, interventions? I'm not looking for all fluffy accounts i'd rather be prepared before i go in that naive and shocked at the actual outcome!

Thanks

My story, not nice, but you wanted warts and all!
DS: 11lb 5oz born on due date after 36 hour labour and 14 epidurals. Eventually delivered by forceps after I repeatedly refused C-section. I didn't have a great recovery, understandably horrendous tearing (even after epesiotomy) lots of stitches and then a years worth of anal fissures. Baby was born very bruised, wouldn't feed on one side because of shoulder pain but recovered well and has no lasting problems.
DD: 11lb 3oz elective caesarean 3 weeks early, see above! Brilliant recovery and no issues for baby.
With DS I knew that he was a large baby but kept being told that there was no way of telling until the birth. On admittance to hospital midwives agreed that he was going to be large and that there was a possibility they would have to break his shoulders if he became stuck. Had tests for gestational diabetes throughout, but nothing. With DD was diagnosed quite early with GD and treated with insulin, but scans continued to show big baby.
They both arrived looking 3 months old and very well cooked, but were still gorgeous and very cuddly. Good luck

38 weeks I was scanned as fundus was measuring large.

Sonographer told me DD was on the 99th centile, a whopper.

2 weeks later DD was born, smack dab on the 50th centile. The sonographer was clearly waaaaaaay off.

3rd trimester scans are only 60% accurate. Treat it as an indication of size, not measurement.

My hardest birth was my smallest baby.

My easiest birth was my heaviest (over 11 lbs)

So pleaase don't stress about it. And big babies are wonderful once they are out as well.

here

I agree with everyone who says position is probably as, if not more, important than size.

My daughter was 9lbs and about 51cm long. I started labour on Wednesday with "real" contractions starting Friday to Saturday night. I'm nearly positive it took so long because she wasn't quite in the right position, just slightly off the pelvis, so she kept rocking in and out of place. The pain itself? Yeah, well it wasn't a walk in the park, but I felt I handled it okay.

Optimal fetal positioning was my mantra for the next one, my son born this summer at 9lbs 15oz. Everyone winces when they hear this, but really, it was a much smoother and quicker delivery. He was much longer (59cm) and skinnier than his sister, so I think that also helped. Pain was okay, but I was also using gas & air and a TENS machine this time.

I tore with both of them, but less so with my son. A midwife once told me that the best position to get the least tearing is to give birth on your side. If you can convince your partner or midwife to hold your leg up, give it a try. I wasn't able to manage for various reasons, but worth a go.

My DS was 4.87kg, not quite sure what that was in pounds. Measured big, and big on the scan from about 33 weeks. Very medical delivery - epidural, episiotomy, vacuum, forceps.

But born safe and well. Taken away from me for 2 hours afterwards to monitor his blood sugars to make sure that it wasn't because I was diabetic (which I'm not).

So, born safe and well, but quite a medical experience.

Episiotomy hurt a lot afterwards, sitting down was very painful. Make sure that you have ibuprofen and paracetamol at home.

or whatever painkillers you would normally choose ...

My advice is to ask midwife/consultant about what their plan of action is: Will they let you tear or will they do a large episiotomy as a precaution against shoulder dystocia?

If they do routine large episiotomies for big babies in your hospital, I would recommend you explore the alternatives.

Is this your first birth?

For what it's worth, I had quite some trouble getting dd1 out and she was only 7 lbs. She had so much space [I have a wide pelvis apparently] she thought it was a party and wouldn't keep still. Pleased current bump promises to be a bit bigger - sometimes bigger can be better!!

ds4 was 10lb 13oz, i was induced as i got to 42wks, waters broken at 8pm, not much in the way of contractions until 11pm then i stood up and had a another huge gush of waters, contractions immediately intensified, got in pool at 11:20pm and he was born at one minute past midnight, no tears at all, it was all good, tho we were kept in overnight as he was a 'grunty' baby.

oh and his head circumference was off the chart, now at 19mths he is still huge, but all blonde wavy hair and blue eyes, utterly adorable

i am hoping to go for no5 next year, my other babies were all over 9lb as well, so i am guessing the next one will be big. but despiste this i have always been told to t=expect small babies as i am 5 2, size 3 feet and petite, scans predicted 6lb for my first two

ds2, 11lb 11oz at home in water, shoulder dystocia, resolved by midwife on 3rd attempt. details of story here, much preferred this birth to that of smaller first son, especially physically. big babies are wonderful to have after birth, my word mine fed and then slept well

Easiest one so far - 4570g. No pain relief needed, waters broke in car, ds born as soon as got to hospital. Was standing up and out he came. He had a big head & it was compressed on both sides but the swelling went down in a few days.

I had a hard time after the birth of my quite big baby boy - 8lb 12oz. Forceps at the end and nasty tearing, which meant for first few weeks I was really uncomfortable - sitting was hell. Ice packs and inflatable ring were fab, though. 11 weeks on, feel so much better, and the incontinence is not a long term issue, thank God. The thought of that is really scary. In a way, I wish I'd begged for a c-section, though that's no picnic, either.
Best

I'm sorry too, but I'm going to add my less "fluffy" tale. DS1 born at 9lb12 after 40 hours of labour with emergency CS. I always measured big and was given no support regarding a difficult birth despite the consultant's prebirth notes commenting that it was a big baby. Baby after trying forever was just stuck and heart rate started dropping.

However, as a result when DD starting measuring big I was scanned regularly and out she came through elective CS at 10lb4
Not the births I wanted but 2 healthy children who arrived safe in the world. I personally put this above any dreams I may have. DS's shoulders were v.large and all the surgeons agreed he was not coming out any other way.

4.4 kilo, 1 1/2 hrs labour. A bit manic but no problems, easy, no pain relief. He just came, 3 pushes or so.

I was told ds2 was going to be huge and Id never manage a natural birth - the scans showed he was on the high centile lines - cue lots of panicking etc - I ignored them i just wasnt that big - He was 8lb 9oz born at home with gas and air.

DS3 i supposedly had gestational diabetes and he was off the chart - there was absolutely no way they could support hb - he would be far too big - there was no way id have a natural birth - i would have 52% chance of CS. I had ds3 at home with gas & air and he was a massive ......wait for it.........7lb 13oz

So what Im trying to say is dont listen to much to the scans - they are not accurate - the Consultants and midwifes all told me that they are inaccurate yet they still follow them so dont rule out hb - check out the homebirth site - see the link for big babies

I had DS at home he was 9lb 13oz. Got a bit stuck as he had his had by his face but other than that, a 4.5 hour labour with no pain releif and no stitches.
I was shocked as me and midwife had sort of planned for an 8.5lb baby (DD was only 7lb 6oz) and he looked HUGE!!! but all fine.
Hope your labour and birth go well try not to panic too much......they are meant to fit through there!!

wow! hearing those stories, i cant believe some women have such long labours and difficulties - i have real respect for your experiences. i was induced at 42 weeks, he was big! after exactly 8 hours, i had a c-section, as he was back to back, getting tired already, and very big - ended up being 9ibs 13, with a full head of hair. I embraced gas and air after 15 mins of being induced, and had an epidural after an hour. very unpleasant, but not unbearable. he is six months now.

PS- oh and they midwife and registrar only asked me to push JUST ONCE! too posh to push, no - just taking orders from the professionals.

TBH, if the head circumference is normal, then I would still opt for the home birth, the weight is so inaccuarate at these scans and it is the head circumference that would give you the most trouble, ime!

The weight estimations do tend to be inaccurate, with my last I was told to expect 8-9lbs.

I went into labour at 40weeks 3 1/2 hours later Ds2 was born weighing 10lb 10oz!

Labour was my most painful out of the three, really hard work to get him out, his head was born so slowly, but no tearing

I was told at a 34 week scan that my dd was big and had a large tummy.

She was 7lb 1oz when born at 39 wk 6 days.

They could be wrong

DS was never picked up as being larger than average. He was born at 40 weeks at 10lb 7.5 oz.

I was induced, had an epidural, all went well, no tears etc etc.

Admittedly the after phase (aches, pains and
soreness) was worse than my DD before and my DDD after him but other than that all was fine.

Both DSs born at home, straightforward labours with only Tens/gas and air for pain relief.
DS1 was 9lb 2 and I had a second degree tear which healed well, DS2 was 8lb 15 and no tear (water birth).
The MW was worried that DS2 was going to be small and almost sent me off for growth scans, so as mama says, they can get it wrong.

Please dont give up on the idea of a home birth, its a great way to give birth and I found it very easy to get breastfeeding established, unlike nearly all of my friends who had hopsital births.

Some useful info on here
www.homebirth.org.uk/