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

Original poster

Do big girls have big babies?

51 replies

Gillian76 · 12/01/2006 20:22

Just a comment on the gestational diabetes thread got me thinking...

If you are of larger build or overweight, are you more likely to have a bigger baby?

I thought this to be true but have never seen or heard an "official" line on it.

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starlover · 12/01/2006 20:32

i don't think so...

BudaBabe · 12/01/2006 20:33

Well I a big girl and my DS was 6lb 13. So not big!

I was very concious of eating healthily when PG and reckon the no alcohol helped a bit - i was lighter after the birth than before the conception! Ate loads of fruit and drank loads of water.

misdee · 12/01/2006 20:36

erm no

i am a size 16-24 (depends on my weight loss at the time lol) currently a 20/22. at a size 16 i had my 1st dd who was 6lb 15oz(size 18 ater birth). at a size 20 i had dd2 who was 9lb!! then iwent back down a 16, was about an 18 when fell pregnant with dd3, dx with GD at 28weeks, she was induced at 38weeks weighing 7lb 13oz.

as you can see, i am not a small lady, but my biggest baby was my middle weight and no dx of GD.

chicagomum · 12/01/2006 20:40

I think there is a difference between being genetically larger build and being over weight. Both of my cousins are genetically "big" (but not overweight), one is almost 6ft, and both of them have had large babies. (However I am only 5ft 5 and average weight and gave birth to a 10lb boy last year sooo....)

edam · 12/01/2006 20:41

AFAIK the answer is no ? it's not unusual for small women to have big babies. And in my own family, my largest sister had the smallest baby (despite gestational diabetes) and my smallest sister had the largest.

Biggest influences on the growth of unborn babies are genetics and environment in the womb ? how healthy the mother is, not just in terms of diet but also stress etc. etc. But that's across thousands of births, not necessarily the case for any individual baby or mother.

chicagomum · 12/01/2006 20:41

Oh and obviously the fathers genetic make-up needs to be taken into account as well.

WigWamBam · 12/01/2006 20:42

I was 19 stone before I became pregnant (although I lost weight during the pregnancy), I had GD, and dd was 8lb 8oz - so not exactly a heavyweight.

Original poster
Gillian76 · 12/01/2006 20:44

My own girls were 8lbs 12oz and 8lbs 4oz. I was slimmer with the first than the second.

Ds was 10lbs and I was quite heavy before during and after that pregnancy!

Just wondering what influences the size of the baby.

OP posts:
Hausfrau · 12/01/2006 20:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

starlover · 12/01/2006 20:48

i am about a 14-16 (12-14 when i got pg) and had a 9lb 1oz baby

Original poster
Gillian76 · 12/01/2006 20:50

Does your diet during pregnancy make any odds either then?

My gran was always telling me to watch what I was eating so the baby and I didn't get too big! I thought it was a bit of an old wives' tale.

OP posts:
biglips · 12/01/2006 20:52

I was size 16 before i got pg and DD was 9lb 1oz.. the surgeon told me that the babies usually take after their mothers weight when we were born!!! (thats the first ive heard of it!!) and i was 8lb 4oz

winnie · 12/01/2006 20:53

no idea about the official line but I am a size 20-22 and my first baby was 6lb 3 oz 10 days past term and my second was 9lb 10 oz 11 days past term

winnie · 12/01/2006 20:54

ps i was 2lb 4oz when I was born!!!!

Janh · 12/01/2006 20:55

I am 6', heaviest baby was 8.3, smallest was 5.11.

Have heard frequently that the father's own birthweight is a significant factor (DH was also a 6lb-ish baby).

Rhubarb · 12/01/2006 20:55

I'm just under 8 stone and my ds was 8lbs, second baby too, first only being 6lb 14oz! He was a bit of a shock!

Janh · 12/01/2006 20:56

(I was a 10lb-er )

Janh · 12/01/2006 20:57

Hi Rhuby!

ambercat · 12/01/2006 20:57

I'm size 8-10 and ds2 was 10lb 4oz! (ouch)

Original poster
Gillian76 · 12/01/2006 20:58

Oooh ambercat!

OP posts:
Rhubarb · 12/01/2006 21:00

Hi Jan!

chicagomum · 12/01/2006 21:00

Gillian76 I'm ceratin that watching what you eat whilst you are pregnant makes a huge difference to how big you get (but not sure about baby). With my first I ate for two excessively as I was fortunate not to have morning sickness and was constantly starving. Having had no previous experience I (naively) thought that like my mother it was not going to be a problem (here I should point out that my mother was back into her size 6 mini skirts and knee high boots (1970's) a few days after I was born). How wrong I was, it took me 18 months to get back to what I was pre pregnancy.

eidsvold · 12/01/2006 22:49

i was big when I had dd1 - just 6lb

smaller when i had dd2 - 9lb 7oz

despite then insisting on testing for gestational diabetes - no problem here with that.

joash · 12/01/2006 23:11

In answer to original question - NO, at lease this one didn't

spacedonkey · 12/01/2006 23:31

I'm taller than average (5 foot 9) and had two biggish babies (both around 9lb)

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