Big Baby Scare

[YummyMummy1208]

Ok its 9 days till due date and im totally freaking out over the thought of having a huge baby due to being measured above the 90th centile on the growth chart since 34 weeks!

Have any other mums out there got experience of showing up as a big baby but then having a relatively normal sized baby? My first was 7lb5 so i was expecting maybe 8lbs this time but now im picturing a 10lber and i tore bad with my 7lb5 baby!

Please give me some re-assurance that the measuring may not mean im having a big baby!

have they given an estimate of what teh baby weighs now?

Not really, just measure my uterus when i lie down from top to bottom and mark the cm's on the chart, following up the line baby is on, if she comes on time i worked out myself it would mean nearly 9lbs but the mid wives seem to make comments like 'ooh my you do have a nice little one in there' as if shes huge! They never actually give away wether they think she will be big, the midwife just said 'i think she'l be a little bit bigger than your first, but generally second babies are a good pound or so bigger' which made alarm bells go as i wasnt aware there was that big a gap between subsequent baby weights!

in one of my scans (i think at 35 wks) tehy were able to give a weight estimate.

not sure if this helps but my ds1 was 7lbs exactly and ds2 was 8lbs 8oz. but then i have friends whose second and third babies were smaller than teh first.

Hi. Congrats

I was told that both DD's would be HUGE and they were 7lb 6oz and 7lb 5oz!!

I was told that DD2 would be much much bigger than DD1 and she was an ounce ligter.
Don't take everything you are told as gospel. Like due dates the reality can be a bit different.

Both DD's were overdue too in spite of the fact that I used an ovulation kit and knew down to within 2 days when they were conceived. Don't worry. They are not always right and most second births are a lot easier.

I was told dd would be 10lbs +, going by a growth scan at 35 weeks (iirc)

She was 8lb5.

The midwife told me that the growth scans were notoriously wrong. (and dc2 was much smaller than dc1)

With my second baby I was sent for growth scans as the mw felt it was a big one.

Measure above the 98th centile at 37 weeks and estimated to be a 10 lber.

Anyway he was 11 days late and turned out to be over 11 lbs! I can honestly say he was the shortest labour of my three children and came out pretty easily.

Plus big babies are truely wonderful once they are out too as they feed and sleep beautifully ime.

Congratulations and don't panic about the size. I believe the position of the baby can be more important anyway?

My son's actual weight was 1 lb out even though he was born only hours later. Try not to worry.

Oh God. I had a scan last week (29w) and estimated weight is already 3lb 1oz

I like these stories of big babies coming out easily!

I was told my DD would have a low birth weight because I was still in my size 10 jeans, I even had another scan at 25 weeks to make sure everything was ok. Although DD was my first I knew she was going to be much bigger than presumed AND I was so proud when she came out at 7lb 14. I was fine with just the gas and air, you can ask to be cut, I did, my midwife did this for me during a contraction so i didn't feel a thing.

None of my friends with big babies have suffered, and some were helped like me. If you need stitches then you need sufficient pain relief. That was the only thing on my mind at the time so try not to worry about it right now.

Bigger babies can come out easily!

They told me my 3rd baby would be 10lb,as i measured big and was big,my first 2 were 8lb 13oz,and 9lb 2,so i thought it might be bigger,so bought 0-3 month babygros and no newborn,and she was 8lb 5oz,and everything hung off her,so i wouldnt worry too much,and i had a scan near the end as she was breech,but did turn and even then they said it would be big,so dont worry it doesnt always work out,what they say.

my last one was 8lb 10oz,but must admit the 9lb 2oz was the easiest to deliever..

I had regular scans throughout my first pregnancy due to have large multiple fibroids on my uterus. They were concerned the baby wouldn't have enough room to grow properly in there and would be small and/or premature. She was 9lb 12oz and, despite being the biggest wuss known to man, I gave birth to her with no pain relief. There is a school of thought that says the heavier the baby, the easier it can be (you can dilate more effectively when standing because gravity plays a part - providing the position of the baby is good.

My second baby was 10lb 5oz. It was a bit more difficult because he was back to back but it was still pretty straightforward (he was out in 2 pushes - 4 minute second stage)

I had a fairly pathetic bump and my friend was huuuuuge. She was given a growth scan and they predicted over 9lbs.

Anyway, ds was 7lbs 12oz and friend's dd was 6lbs 10oz.

Go figure!

They told me mine would be 10-11lb. A day before she was born, they took a scan and said she was a kilo more than she actually was.

She was 6lb 6.

I've heard that big babies don't necessarily mean hard deliveries

My growth c=sacns with both have been pretty accurate.. DD was 8 lb 7 and ds was 9 lb 7 ds was given a getastional age size of 34 weeks at 29 weeks! and he stayed there! at 36 weeks the radiographer suggested i just buy a school unform .. which lightened my mood! Now pg at 24 weesk with dc 3 and it is 3 days bigger than gest age at 19 weesk and the rapid growth peiod is yet to start.. still i figure id be lost with a little baby! Although mine have not been easy deliveries i have heard lots of peopel say they generally are easier~

Hi there Yummymummy,

yep, I've been measuring on the 90th centile all the way along, with an estimated weight of between 9-10lb at term.

But then I was sent for a scan at 34 weeks to check on the placenta and I asked them if they could guess how big, they did a full growth scan and estimated 8lb7 at term.

The midwife told me that scans are far more accurate than fundal height measurements and as my baby isn't engaging, surely the height measurement is going to be higher anyway!

I've got 5 days to go now so not long to find out

Very best of luck to you x

ds was 9lb 3. When pregnant with dd they all said she was bigger. I remember walking into theatre and were discussing weights. I said 8lb ish as i felt she was smaller. Consultant and midwife said 10lb - 11lb

she was born and guess what - 8lb 1oz - i was an oz out. Don't always think the proffessionals are right!

Weight can't be estimated by scan or measurement with anything like accuracy...but be reassured b the fact that big babies are very often easier to birth because the weight of their body can flex their head into a good position and keep it there.

Also heavier babies dont have the weight around the top of their head, just chunk round the body - its the head thats the important bit! HTH

Scans can be hugely inaccurate at estimating the size of babies as others have said. Also big babies don't necessarily mean a more difficult delivery. My second was 10lb7 and I had a 2.5hr delivery with no tears. Hope all goes well for you, and try not to worry.

Hello! My first was 7lb 8, but I had a late scan due to size with no. 2, which showed he was huge. I got really upset because I had not found it easy to give birth the first time and was sure it would be a lot worse with a bigger one. It turns out that the second baby (who was 10lb2) came in less than a quarter of the time, straighforward and even enjoyable labour, minimal tearing. Midwives all said that deliveries of bigger babies were often easier.

Good luck :)

Hi!

If it's of any comfort, my baby was so big, he didn't even feature on any growth charts - he was quite literally "off the charts"! I had a load of growth scans and it was thought that he'd be between 10 and 12lbs!!!!!!!! My grandfather was 12lbs 4oz when he was born so I decided that there must be some kind of family connection!

Due to unforseen circumstances, I had a c-section at 36 weeks and my DS was a whopping 8lbs 6oz - to think I could have gone another 6 weeks if I'd gone full term and been overdue! I could well have been looking at a 12lb-er!

So don't worry, bigger babies have been and will be born and I'm sure that you'll be absolutely fine. My Consultant also said that bigger babies are easier to deliver

Thanks for all your experiences, made me feel a bit better! :)

Im just generally freaking out about the birth now the closer i get so i guess im dreaming up all horrible situations imaginable!

I suppose its true, the extra weight wont be around her head but on her body and the head is the worst bit to come out so i can see how bigger babies are easier to deliver. Im just so curious to see how big she will actually be when she arrives now!

My sister was measuring big and was told she'd have a 10lb baby but she had her baby one day early and she weighed 6lb 12oz so they can't always tell!

Was measuring very big all pregnancy. Obstetrician reckoned ds would be around 10 pounds. I eventually had an urgent c section at 38 weeks due to pre-eclampsia. Ds weighed 11 lbs 8 oz.