Eating too much = big baby?

[ag123]

I was just wondering if anyone had any information on this topic. 10 weeks ago I gave birth to my beautiful son at a whopping 11 lb and he was my first baby. I am quite big -5'10" and certainly not of slender frame, but the fact that he was so big led to a lot of complications- I ended up with an emergency section and also had a tear to the caesarean incision as they struggled to heave him out. I won't be planning on getting pregnant again in the near future (and have been advised to wait 12-18 months anyway) but I want to be well informed before I do. I definitely ate a lot during the pregnancy, but never had any sugar in my wee (so I don't think I could possibly have had undetected gestational diabetes) and he has also stuck to exactly the same centile line throughout (95th approx). Do you think if I was very very careful about what I ate during a subsequent pregnancy I could control the size of the baby?

I think that babies that have been affected by gestational diabetes or over feeding are out of proportion for their length. Not that I think that necessarily has to be a problem either. Some babies are just little chunky monkeys. They are programmed to store fat and some do it better than others. It doesn't have to mean the mum has done something wrong.

Big babies are more in proportion. You can
Check your own baby by looking at the red book the HV gave you. It should have a record of you babies birth weight and length. If they are both tracking among the same centile (charts at the back) then you have your self a big baby.

Yes he is basically exactly the same for height and length and has been all along- around the 95th for both. Maybe he is just genetically programmed to be big then. It's just my mum keeps going on about how I will need to be so careful about what I eat next time and it gets me all worried!

I have just had my "large for dates" scan as my MW measured me at 39 cm, and I am 35+4. Scan showed no excess amniotic fluid as MW thought and that the baby is within normal parameters of growth. Sonographer said I won't have a dainty baby but equally, he is not off the chart either. Still waiting for the blood test to determine whether I will need to go for GTT. I don't think so because when my MW did dipstick urine test a few weeks ago it was just after I had eaten 4 Jaffa Cakes which must have spiked my sugar levels up.

Both me and DH were big babies (but it evened out in childhood as we were normal weight then, not overweight), so I expect genetics are playing their part in brewing this baby (my 1st).

I am 5'3'', was just under 9 stone before I got pregnant, ran 3 times a week, exercised, didn't actually start to eat like a horse until the 3rd trimester. In the 3rd one I have definitely noticed the difference in my appetite - it became gargantuan. Still scoffing enormous amount of fruit (has been like this since I found out I was pregnant) which is also sugars....

With my first LO I was not careful about what I ate, gained 4st and then had a horrible complicated birth with LO weighing 9lb2oz. I am only 5'3 and normal bmi and everyone was shocked at the size of my baby! So, second LO I ate sensibly, exercised and barely gained 2 stone! I had a lovely birth, little gas and air and then nearly passed out with shock that LO was 9 and half pounds! Both babies were top centile for height too and no family history of big babies! I'm not sure that what you eat has a huge effect on baby size given my experience but everything was easier second time around.

Well I must just add that I did actually have a growth scan at about 36 weeks as I was measuring big,but the predicted weight was 3.77 kilos instead of the 5.01 that he actually was,which made everyone (including me) stop worrying and I perhaps didn't get the input which could have led to a better birth outcome as a result. So not to scare you at all but just make sure they keep an eye on you. I subsequently found out that it's apparently very normal for the growth scans to be completely inaccurate.

Hi I was 4 stone overweight when I got pregnant with my 1st and only gained 6lbs during the pregnancy! My ds was 5lb 12oz when born inbetween the 2nd and the 9th centile. Length was the next centile up so was very skinny and small born at 38 +3. I really don't see how being overweight can affect birth weight! As my lo was tiny!

I had a big DS1 (for me - 9lbs - also long, 58cm, but I'm only 5ft2 and pre preg weighed under 8 stone). I had really eaten loads during pregnancy (fairly healthy stuff, but a lot of it!), and had put on about 3.5 stone. Like you I theorised about my diet having made him bigger than he might have been.

When I was pregnant with DS2 I had hypermesis. I could eat almost nothing for the first 16 weeks, and lost the best part of a stone. By the time DS2 was born, I had a net weight gain of just over 1 stone on my pre-preg weight, at no point during the pregnancy had I felt like I was eating loads (once I'd regained my appetite I was really conscious of not overeating, and was keen to avoid another big (or even bigger) baby).

DS2 weight 2oz less than DS1. And was 3 weeks earlier, so at the same gestation would in all likelihood have been a lot bigger. So no, in my experience your diet has very little to do with it.

weighed

No.

Eating to much = Fat Bum

Well Colditz,that is DEFINITELY true!

I was under 4lbs at birth at I gave birth to an 11lb baby 16 months ago!

I did have GD, but monitored my blood four times a day, went to diabetic clinic, and it never seemed to be a problem.. no high readings, put on just under the required amount of weight etc.

Needless to say, everyone in the room was shocked at the size!! I blame DH, he's reeeeeeally tall!!

I wonder about this too. I have had 3 large babies and put on about three and a half stone each pregnancy (I was a size 8 at start of each preg). But, my dc were 90+ percentile for both weight and height so I kind of conclude they were just meant to be big as overeating would not cause them to grow longer bones and be tall. Am expecting dc4 very soon and hoping he stays under 10 pounds!

When I was pg with dd,i was told the biggest indicator of how big your baby would be was to average your and your partners birth size. It worked for me, but I have eaten a lot with this pregnancy, so will be interested to see this one's birth weight.

I am 5 8", size 10 and was extremely healthy through my pregnancy and had my first baby at just over 10lb, all good with delivery though (well, if you ignore the horrendous level of pain) so I honestly think it is genetic, sme people are [rogrammed to have big babies! My sister is slightly smaller but slender frame and hers were 8 and 9. I would try and think about the many benefits of big babies as there are many. Obviously, eat well and be healthy during your pregnancy will help in all respects but i actually think it gave me a healthy big bubba x

bonbonpixie please can you add any more to your comment about fish oils being linked to a large baby? Which study was it? V interesting! Thanks.

I really think you shouldn't worry!

I ate little when I was pregnant as I had morning sickness all the way through. I still had a 10 lb baby (95% on everything).

DH and I were both big babies, and DH is very tall.

In response to original question - no. I ate normally, (although interestingly happytobehomely I drank a lot of milk, esp. with DD2 and DS1), but I am barely 5 7", and was 9lbs4oz at birth myself. DH was smaller at birth and is under 6ft.
My babies were 9lbs2oz, 11lbs8oz and then 12lbs3oz. No Gestational Diabetes.

I am 5ft 8 and definately not small and had a 10lb 1.5 oz DS.
But his dad is 6ft 4in and since birth he has stayed consistently on the 99th percentile or above for both weight and height. Now aged 2.9 he is the size of a 4 year old.
Some babies are just born big - his weight is in his height so its all relative I think?
Currently pregnant with no2 so expecting another big-un.

Hi everyone,sorry-haven't been able to post for a while. I just wanted to say thank you for all your comments. Has just made me feel a lot more comfortable about the fact I must just make big babies!

In the absence of gestational diabetes (and most centres will offer you an oral glucose tolerance test in any future pregnancy as you had a baby big enough to lead to some complications - congrats btw ) the size of the baby depends mainly on length of parents and placental function.
V good placental function - whopper of a baby
Eating lots of cakes - lots of mummy blubber (that'll be me then )

I once met a 12lbs4oz newborn - mum was close to 6ft (and slim) and dad was 6'6'' (and slim). Baby looked kinda wrong in his car seat...

Oy pacific - my son was only 1oz lighter than the one you're talking about (and I'm not 5'7" and husband's not quite 6') :o

I've often been complimented on my placental function :o

I don't think there's any correlation - I have a TINY friend who had 10 and 13lb babies on just gas&air! My mum is petite too and had a terrible time giving birth to me at nearly 9lb - was always a big kid and now a well built woman. And I don't mean fat, I'm just big n healthy, strong bones etc!

I tell you what though,hearing all these stories about smallish women giving birth naturally does make me wonder if the midwife who said there was just no way he would have fitted out and he was just too big was just trying to make me feel better.

I wouldn't sweat it, everybody's different - some people have to cesaerean out 4lb-ers. It's not a competition...I really don't care how it gets out as long as I'm fine, it's fine and so on.