Expecting big baby, what are my "options"?

[williwonti]

Hi. DS1 was just over 10lb (induced at 41+5, normal delivery but he had VERY big head so took a while ). I'm 31+4 and very over the top line. I am having scans every few weeks but bit confused as to what I should be 'pushing' for if the size continues to be big. I know big babies are generally healthy babies and I feel blessed if he/she is ok but there are obviously negative issues too, even if they are purely psychological ones i.e I think I wont be able to get it out - which will affect labour.

Midwife said to have a think but would it be better to be induced at 40wks or wait until it's ready/42wks and have higher risk of complications if lookslike would be very big?? If I wait till it's ready it could be too big for me and risk EMCS

No health issues or Diabetes etc. Any experiences?

Do you have to make a decision now? I'd be tempted to see what's happening by 39/40 weeks and make your decision then.

Hi Rock. No, I don't have to decide anything now and will certainly wait for scan on Monday and another when I am 36 weeks but MW just suggested I start to give it some thought so makes sense to give self time to think about it.

Personally if mine is that size i'll be opting for a section. Just purely because i know too many people who've gone down that road and ended up with an emergency section anyhow- so i'd rather an elective one. Is that out of the question for you? I guess in your case you've been through it before so you know your body is able!

I would think that if you've done it before your body will do it again. Babies don't gain that much weight between 40 and 42 weeks, seem to remember about half an ounce per week after 38 weeks.

Hi OP. I'm in a similar situ in that my first DS was 11lb, and am 36 weeks with DC2 who is also measuring large. For me I have suspected pp so the choice of delivery method may be out of my hands, however notwithstanding that, when I discussed VB options with the consultant, he said the only way to proceed was to try and labour naturally with little intervention and see what happened. Otherwise go for a ELCS from the outset. Growth after 40 weeks would not make enough of a difference to consider early induction. S'alright for him to be vague, I guess, but I would also prefer not to try and deliver a biggun, much as I would love a VBAC (had an EMCS last time as DS got well and truly stuck).

yeah Ruey a good few friends of mine have had the same thing happen- EMCS in a similar situe- hence why if i'm measuring that big i'll opt for the ELCS- lazy copout option i know, but it's what my gut tells me. I'd imagine you'll find a big difference in recovery times between the EM and the EL.

in my case i'm really thinking ahead a bit too muc as i'm only 17 weeks- but both OH and I were 10 lbs and baby is already 4 days ahead of gestational age so i'm fully expecting a big 'un!!!

I'm in the same position as you & have opted for a due date induction.
DS1 was 10lbs. Delivered naturally but i was told I had a vaginal prolapse afterwards (after waiting months to see an NHS consultant). I was told there was nothing to be done to make it any better. When i cried, the ignorant OB asked it I had relationship problems!
Went private, didn't have a vaginal prolapse but there had been some damage which was repaired, much to my relief.
DS2 was a 39wk induction which I had to fight for. healthy baby & mum with no damage.
DS3 is going to be a due date induction, again I have had to fight to get this.
My rationale is that there os no benefit to either me or the baby in letting him go over 10lbs. there is no accurate way to tell how big they are as scans are inaccurate, however, he is unlikely to be smaller than previous deliveries.
By being induced at due date, they are cooked & should be able to be delivered naturally, hopefully avoiding shoulder dystocia. I also avoid damage to me caused simply by delivering a big baby. The medics argue that there is a correlation between induction & increased instrumentation (which can again cause damage) however, the research fails to take into account the type of pain releif used. Induction can be painful, therefore does this increase the likelihood of an epidural & it is the choice of pain relief, not the induction that leads to instrumentation? ...no-one can answer this queston for me.

I spoke to my consultant about a due date induction also- she said we would play it by ear as if the body is ready she is fully in agreement with them.. some pwople have told me it will complicate labour somewhat but i agree with you, if the baby is cooked then i dont see how it will - being induced at 39 is surely no different than being induced at 41, only diff being the baby is bigger at 41?

i guess when it comes down toit every single situation is so different. But the likelihood of a 'show' happening post 40 is so much bigger too- i'd really like to avoid that if i can- does anyone know how common 'show' is? seems to have happened to lots of my friends that went over 41..

I might be wrong but thought I'd read that inductions are "better" when body is almost ready to go into labour i.e less complications etc if induced at 41 then say 38. I'm going to see how I get on over next couple of scans but think I really need to decide where my head in relation to induction v take the chance of it being big and having complications, Fact is, it's all the unknown, just don't know. My gut tells me I can deliver another "big" baby but not a "BIG" one so guess I'm coming down on the side of scand and a due date induction. Whilst I'm asking, does anyone know if I will be allowed to take these decisions? Surely I will and it wont be just down to my consultant (who's completely dismissive).