Big baby predicted - bit scared about the birth!

[Fozziebump]

Hi everyone. I'm 39 weeks + 3 days with my first baby, had a scan today as they thought baby was breach (luckily baby is head down). I mentioned to the sonographer that my bump is quite big (bump size has always been slightly above the highest line on the graph but is following a line) - she asked if I'd had a growth scan and I said no. She took some measurements from the scan and has predicted the current weight of baby to be 8lb 11oz! From the look of horror on my face she did her best to reassure me that bigger babies deliver easier however I am now absolutely petrified! Especially as baby is showing no signs of appearing yet and will get bigger.
Has anyone got any advice or experience on this? Thanks, Sarah

My first baby was 9lb 8oz (no warning about that!)and was 2 weeks late, the second was 9lb 11oz. Both came out fine.

Big babies are born all of the time - some of us are just made to bear them that way!

good luck - you'll be fine

Scans are no good at predicting size of large babies - my consultant, who ran teh obs u/s dept, told me this - no good fro very big or very small, apparently.

Anyway, dd was 10lb 11, and delivered really quite easily - a couple of stitches, but I was in great shape, and she was fab - really cuddly, great feeder. ds was 9lb 1 and came flying out...

hey that's not too bad!!! mine were 9lb 1, 9lb 5 and 9lb 11 and i have no lasting damage! lol

firs tlabour was hideous. second was an absolute joy, third was a bit fast, but ok otherwise

really, some people just have bigger babies, and there is definitely evidence to suggest that unless you have something like GD affecting growth then you won't grow a baby that is too big for your body to deliver.

i think the key factor in delivering is head and shoulder size, not weight... you'll be fine i['m sure

tiy, we are just joined at the hip today!

yes, i think we need a special thread for big babies who feed lots at night and go in slings! lol

Thanks, that does make me feel better. I'm not exactly small myself and have always been told that I have inherited 'child bearing hips' from my moms side of the family! So I guess I am made to bear them that way! The sonographer said that your body produces a baby that is the right size for you which does make sense I guess. Lets hope with it being a big baby the weight plus gravity means baby will fly out quite easily! Thanks again.

Big babies are tremendously cuddly.

yes, and they look much cuter with their big fat cheeks all squishy and lovely

And I think if they're big but in the right position for the off then you'll be fine.... unlike my whopper who was all over the place, never properly engaged and promptly turned transverse 19 hours in. Mind I'm a twin so I've been told that because of my harsh start in utero (!) I can actually grow babies bigger than I can birth. 9 lb 6 certainly was for me!
Basically position is everything.

What all of the above said. Gravity, position, your birth position (squatting or on a birthing stool good as you get maximum opening of the pelvis), the inaccuracy of growth scans and impossibility to predict birthweight from your bump or a scan.

Ahem - DS1 was 10lb 5oz, DD 11lb 12oz, DS2 an 8lb 10oz tiddler. All pushed out and thriving.

Hardest to push out was Ds1 but I think my pushes were ineffective for the first 3 hours - was yelling and growling and all the energy was going up through my open mouth (as the experienced midwife who delivered DD pointed out).

Don't let anyone get you worried about this - you just grow 'em big!

As the others have said, scans are very unreliable when it comes to weight. I have a blood clotting problem which can lead to low birth weight babies so have lots of growth scans when pregnant. I remember crying at 34wks with DS as based on their calculations he'd only weigh 5 pounds - he was 7 1/2 pounds, 9 days late, 6 hour labour.

With DD they sucked their teeth each time they scanned me. Told me she'd be huge. She was 8 1/2 pounds, 6 days late, 1 hour labour - born on the bathroom floor!

The key is the position of the baby I think.

All four of my aunt's children were well over 10 lbs (and she just 5 feet tall). 8lbs 11oz is not that bad -- and in fact, it's very difficult (according to my MW) to accurately predict birth weight. Best not to worry too much.

that's an ok weight y'know...they don't class them as "big babies" unless they're over 9 1b 5...dd was 81b 9,ds was 9 1b 6 (and i felt the difference!!) and am currently in slow labour with number 3..who has always measured big.

i'm not fretting though,like everyone says,there's no accurate way of predicting the size whilst they're still in your tum.

loooads of people have told me a similar story that you've told,and had average sized babies...i think 8 1b is classed as average,but not sure...anyway good luck

nothing to worry about.......I've had a 7lb 12oz baby and a 9lb 6oz.......the 9lb 6oz was much easier and caused less damage to my fanjo!

My 1st was 7lb8oz and the klabour was horrible- 28 hours, ventouse, forceps...

2nd was 10lb2oz- almost no pain, 5hours start to finish, absolutely brilliant. I never thought I'd see birthing a baby as agreat experience, but it was fantastic.

Good luck!

I am sure all will be well.

Just make sure that you ask if they are familiar with shoulder dystocia and what their procedures are.

My second son was 10lb 5oz and came out no problems TEN POUNDS FIVE OUNCES!! They were prepared. that matters.

i am sure it will be fine, all my babies have been big 9lb+ and my last one, ds4 was 10lb 13oz!! had him in an hour in the birth pool didnt have to push at all, my body just took over and did it for me, thank god for gas and air! but it was fine, no stitches need etc and he was and still is a fab cuddly boys.

have to say if i ever have a small baby (am now preg with no 5) i think i would be scared of breaking them, am so used to big babies and i think it does help as they seema little bit less fragile

good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and birth xxx

8lb 11 oz is tiny!

I had one over 11 lbs and he popped out just fine. Another was 10 lbs...

Big babies are wonderful

piff, just a tiddler.

See bigbaby.org for info on the unreliability of growth scans and positive big baby birth stories.
FWIW my last baby was nearly 13lb. Born at home. No tearing. Head circumference was 5cm longer than average too. Best birth by far. Don't panic.

I had a growth scan at 37 weeks that predicted that DD would be well over 9lbs, more like 10lbs the sonographer said. Showed me charts and all sorts that showed off the scale abdominal measurements which 'proved' it.

DD was 7lbs 1oz at birth.

Those growth scans are notoriously unreliable IME.

Same scan showed that I had massive amounts of fluid and that DD had very short femurs. Neither of those was true either.

I had the same as you - scan b/c baby was suspected breech, was told he would be v v large (10lbs!). He was 8lbs 14 but it made no difference to the birth at all.. you only make the baby you can deliver! All will be well!

Ds was 10 lbs. Had him at home with no pain relief but sitting in the bath and no tearing at all. I was standing up to deliver him and walking around for most of the labour. It was a fantastic experience (until the midwife dropped him). I had an extra scan at 39 weeks because they were worried he'd be too big for a home birth but I was quite determined.

Not showing off - just saying a big baby is really really fine. I'd be more worried about having one that was very small.

Just wanted to thank you all for your lovely comments, it really does make me feel so much better as I have been quite worried since I had my scan. Half of me wishes the sonographer hadnt told me the weight! She said that baby has quite a large tummy (must take after me then! lol). Reading your experiences, its quite surprising how wrong they can get the weight of the baby.