Positive (or perhaps just realistic) big baby stories, please?

[Bernifal]

I have a growth scan tomorrow because my babe was measuring at 7.1lbs at 34 weeks.

I’ve been hoping for a natural birth and am quite scared of operations so the thought of being ushered into a cesarean is a bit scary, I don’t really want to be induced early either.

At the same time I don’t want to put my baby at risk of shoulder distocia. Can anyone tell me their experiences of giving birth to big babies? Did it happen naturally for you?

For extra info, her legs are measuring very long and I’ve been told that can add to the weight. But the main concern is her AC measurement was off the charts (I’ve been tested for GD twice and don’t have it).

DS was 4.3 kg and 55 cm. I'm 1.64 m tall. I had him without pain relief. His shoulder did get stuck, and clearing it was painful, though only for a moment. However, depending on the study 4-40% of babies with shoulder dystocia are born with some kind of damage. Though by 'damage', they mean 20% broken arms/collar bones (which heal fine), nerve damage (which also heals fine in most cases with some physio) and lack of oxygen which is serious. Still, any damage largely depends on the expertise of the obstetrician dealing with the shoulder dystocia.

As to lack of oxygen, I read that if baby's stuck for 5 minutes there is 5% chance of lack of oxigen.
Needless to say, most babies with shoulder dystocia come into the world with some drama, but no more than that.

It would certainly not be a reason for me to opt for a c-section.

Theres still more risk having a c section then delivering a big baby.

I’m petite and my husband very tall, I had a big baby who was weighing in similar to yours. I was expecting to be induced. As it was he was heavy, but he was long! So birthing him wasn’t an issue.

Oh, just to add:

DS had what I think was a sprain on his shoulder. They kept saying he could have a broken collar bone, but I think that was out of caution more than anything. He rested his arm for 3 days and then started using it with no issues and no nerve damage.
We had him assessed later and surgeon said there probably wasn't anything in the first place.

Well I had a big baby in proportion to me- he was 9.5lbs whereas I'm small, slim and just over 5 foot tall. He was very easy to deliver and I had no issues either during or after the birth. I did a minor tear but it needed nothing more than a few stitches. He was considerably easier to birth than my dd who had weighed 7lbs.

Also just to add, I had a water birth and no pain meds with the bigger baby, whereas I had everything going with my smaller baby. Try not to panic. Bigger baby doesn't necessarily mean worse labour.

Important to know that scan measurements aren't always accurate. I was told first baby was at least 4.5kg. She was 3.6 kg born. And I had GD so was scanned very regularly in third trimester.

My 10lb baby had such a big head that it couldn’t descend. The pain was immense. The doctor said if we proceeded with natural birth her main concern wasn’t shoulder dystocia, it was oxygen deprivation leading to mental disability. That was an absolutely unacceptable risk so I opted for a caesarean.

My DD (1st baby) was 10lbs. Normal vaginal delivery with G&A, 7 hrs from first contraction to birth and 45 mins of pushing. Shoulder dystocia is more to do with babies proportions in relation to your pelvis rather than big baby in general. 50% of babies with shoulder dystocia are under 9lbs at birth.

I suppose my point is, yes things do go wrong, but not all of the time. I had no idea my DD would be big until she was born (fundal height measured normal, no Gd). I’m due Dc2 any day now and I know he will be big because I’ve had growth scans, currently on the 97th percentile but still planning to go ahead with my home birth. I don’t have GD, I just grow big babies. Maybe you do too. I can understand why your worried about it though, everyone has a different interpretation of risk. hope all goes well tomorrow.

Good luck tomorrow @Bernifal

I'm 36 weeks with my second and they're estimating her at 9lb 5oz already. Had another test for GD but it's negative so they're happy for me to just carry on.

It is a bit worrying though, and particularly because I've had different people give different advice. Someone on the day assessment unit said they wouldn't want me to do a VBAC if the baby gets much bigger, while someone else said it was my birth and my choice and they don't see any safety concerns coming up.

I guess I'll see what happens....