Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

Original poster

Big baby advice

20 replies

DesperatelySeekingPomBears · 14/12/2011 15:28

Hi, I desperately need someone to hold my hand and soothe me...

I had a growth scan last week at 34+1 where I was told baby already weighs 6lbs6 and all of his measurements are for a baby 38 weeks and beyond (including his, frankly, massive head). As this is my first baby I am now completely terrified of what kind of behemouth I may give birth to in, potentially, EIGHT WEEKS.

Should I be lobbying for an early induction or just accept my fate and hope he's at least athletic enough to assist in wriggling his way out of there and have a school uniform ready and waiting?

DP is no use whatsoever, just keeps patting my bump and talking about his 'big lad' and how junior is 'going to be a prop, just like his dad'.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

olittletownof · 14/12/2011 15:47

think virtual hand holding with a and sympathetic ear, I'm still chuckling a bit at the thought of school uniform at the ready though.

8 weeks (gulp) is worst case scenario and they'll be monitoring you all the way. they might induce you earlier, how old are you? if you don't mind me asking.

Iggly · 14/12/2011 15:53

Weeeel growth scans are not reliable so I'd take it with a pinch salt. My SIL was told similar and she had a CS at 38 weeks. Baby was a little 6 pounder!

DD did however have a big head (as did DS) and they didn't cause any problem in giving birth (they did come out with their arms up which did).

Moving around during labour really helps get babies out so if you are induced then try and stay off your back. Not saying that's the magic answer but I know it helped me.

Original poster

DesperatelySeekingPomBears · 14/12/2011 15:53

Thank you for the and sympathy

I'm trying to be stoic and of the opinion of 'he'll come out one way or the other' but also fear the experience may cleft me in twain as it were!

I'm 26, by the way.

OP posts:

olittletownof · 14/12/2011 16:06

the age was because I learnt recently that QCCH recommend induction at 40 wks for women over 38, but won't apply to you.

As Iggly says keep upright, active, walking helps to get gravity on your side. (Ouch to arm up btw), there's lots of threads on here for tips to bring labour on. highly unscientific but worth a punt all the same. my personal fave was reflexology.

PrettyCandlesAndTinselToo · 14/12/2011 16:06

One-off scan measurements are very inaccurate. You would need to have three scans spread over at least 3 weeks to get any reliable indication of the baby's size.

FWIW, my first was 8lb10oz, delivered naturally. Admittedly I tore, but so do women birthing babies of 6 or 7lb. I think the tearing was probably influenced by my reclining birthing position. My easiest and least damaging birth was dc3: 11lb, upright in a birthing pool, no tearing.

samwellsbutt · 14/12/2011 16:14

you dont need to worry, this sudden obsession with baby size and freaking mothers out about it is really pissing me off. i have had 3 bigger than average babies and i have had 3 SVD, no complications of any kind. in fact my babies were all healthy big babies and i always preferred it to tiny 6 pound babies that i would be terrified i would break.
i am now pregnant with my 4th and they are now trying to freak me out with early inductions and c section and bla bla bla.
its perfectly normal for some people to have bigger babies you will be absolutely fine and will prob have an 8 pounder which is not really that big, my first was 8. 10 and i tore a bit but that was it.
dont let them freak you out with all their nhs cookie cutter we all must have exactly the same baby/pregnancy to fit the stats.
your baby will be fine, you will be fine.
.............rant over

Tigrelily · 14/12/2011 16:20

Hi there, I too am carrying a whopper (sonographers words, not mine). I am 33 weeks now and my baby girl already weighs at least 5lbs 9! I have 3 other kids, the biggest of which was 6lbs 12. However, I do have gestational diabetes, and it's well known that GD causes rapid growth in babies... Just wondering, have you had a glucose tolerance test done? x

Original poster

DesperatelySeekingPomBears · 14/12/2011 16:45

Thank you, the reassurance makes me feel a lot better

I did have the GTT done at 24 weeks and everything was fine, no problems. I think I'm probably panicking more because my BMI was 31 when I booked in and now they're, obviously, convincing me it's all my fault because I'm a big fat blimp...

OP posts:

sittinginthesun · 14/12/2011 16:51

I had a growth scan at 36 plus 5 with DS2, and was told he was "at least 8lb". He was born 12 hours later, at 7lb 4oz. Scans are not always right!

And, even if your is a whopper - my friend has 3 children, all over 9lb. Her labours were around 4 hours long, no tears with any of them.

Don't panic!

fraktious · 14/12/2011 16:51

Well I apparently was going to have a giant. He was 8lb4 so not small, and had a big head, and yes I tore but it wasn't that bad and probably due to him being OP anyway.

Don't stress, these measurements are very imprecise and the margin of error may be something like +/- 5% but that's a lot on a tiny weight!

Yawner247 · 14/12/2011 17:00

Take your time with your labour and listen to your midwife and you won't have a nasty tear...my first dd was 9 pound 9 and delivered in the pool just a tiny little tear that didn't require stitches! I agree with the others growth scans aren't always accurate!! They also say that you only grow a baby your body can cope with (who they are I've no idea )

ktef · 14/12/2011 18:07

my ds2 was 10 pounds 4. The birth was fine, only had gas and air, standing and swinging hips helped. Really it was fine - better than my labour with ds1 who was 8.9, my worry before the birth was worse (I thought I was having a big baby so was quite scared). I did tear a bit and had to have stitches but really stitches aren't that bad either! They healed very quickly and didn't hurt very much. I would recomend getting some sea salts for the bath which really helped the healing. Try not to worry though, it sounds like the scans are often wrong!

ShowOfHands · 14/12/2011 18:13

My sil was going to have whoppers. They scared her silly. Her biggest was 6lbs, all born at 40+ weeks.

If it makes you feel better, try kicking dh in the shin. He's a prop, he can take it.

Rikalaily · 14/12/2011 18:30

My dd1 was estimated at 6lb 10oz at my 34 week growth scan, she was born at 39+5 and was 8lb 11oz, larger than average but not massive. Growth scans are unreliable (although mine was quite accurate). My sil had a growth scan 1 week before she went into labour, she was told baby was quite small and would be around 6lb... he was 7lb 13oz, nearly a 2lb difference from scan to reality.

PrettyCandlesAndTinselToo · 14/12/2011 20:15

Your own weight has, I believe, very little significance on the baby's weight. Obviously, if you have poorly controlled diabetes then, whatever your own weight, you will grow a fatter baby. Apart from that, the weight of your baby at term has more to do with the health of the placenta, and how well it serves the baby.

Xmasbaby11 · 14/12/2011 20:26

I didn't think growth scans were supposed to be that accurate - why did they even give you a weight? Just curious as it's not standard procedure. I've been measuring large since 34 weeks but it's only approximate. Anyway larger babies are healthier - there was a Tv and radio programme about it recently. The bigger the better!

chocolatchaud · 14/12/2011 20:36

Firstly, as everyone else has said, growth scans are notoriously inaccurate - so don't panic on that basis!

If the baby is 6lbs6 at the moment, and they put on 1/2lb per week, that makes around a 10lb6 baby if he is 2 weeks late. I know that sounds quite big, but around here it seems very normal to have a late 9/early 10lb baby.

Also, the labour part is the same for any size baby, so it's just the pushing bit that may be different. I have had a nearly 10lb baby with gas and air, and my friend managed a 13lb something baby on gas and air alone too! You can do it!

LivingDead · 14/12/2011 21:02

Really growth scans are not that accurate, my second child was 9lb 10oz at 38 weeks so obviously would have been hefty if left to go full term. But I had gd with my third child and had millions of scans, he was measuring way off the scale for everything, I think they said something like 11 pounds odd at the last scan. I did have an elcs and he was 8lb 9oz, not exactly tiny (although he looked it) but not the behemoth I was expecting. At my 20 week scan with him the bloke was joking about 16lb whoppers yeah hilarious.

My first 2 children had large heads, but the child they predicted to be the largest with the biggest bonce had a head circumference of 36cm, positively dinky compared to the other 2.

Don't worry honestly, if you don't have GD then you are unlikely to be giving birth to a toddler.

I knew a colleague who had diabetes who did actually give birth to a whopper, he was absolutely huge. But then again she thought nothing of ignoring advice and tucking in to massive takeaway pizza's on a night shift, bit worrying for a nurse really.

Wolfiefan · 14/12/2011 21:06

I was told my first was big. He turned out to be just under 9lb. He was also long so I figured long and skinny was good! I have this theory that bigger babies are easier if you are in a good position (no honestly hear me out!) as their weight combined with gravity helps you out! Well it made me feel better so I am sticking to it!

MiauMau · 15/12/2011 11:18

DesperatelySeekingPomBears I'll hold your hand if you hold mine, I'm having my growth scan tomorrow and I'm only a tiny 5'2"!! Hoping that what I've been told is right and that the baby's birth weight should roughly between mine (7.28 pounds) and my DP's (6.39 pounds).
Does anyone know if this is right?

Flip

Swipe left for the next trending thread