Big baby, big fatty pregnancy ?

[bigbabyshame]

Hello,

This is going to sound ridiculous - however, please hear me out.

Is having a larger baby ( weight wise ) a sign that you've been a fatty during pregnancy ?

Is having a big bump a sign you've been a fatty during pregnancy ?

My babe is measuring reasonably normal (50th centile ), but not small and I can't help feeling like she's going to be massive and I feel ashamed of it- like I've caused it or something ? I just can't help but get a bit upset when people say that I'm absolutely huge and that the baby is going to be absolutely huge- did I cause that by eating too much ?

I have no idea but following.
I am 39 weeks with my 3rd child and everyone keeps telling me how small I am. Baby is measuring 50th percentile.
I have a friend who had a baby who they said would be small and he was short but nearly 9lb.
I was massive with my previous 2 pregnancies and worried they’d be huge babies but they were both low 7lb-ers.

I think you shouldn’t feel guilty as long as you’ve done your best during your pregnancy. The same going into motherhood.

My baby was 10lb 13oz. I ate well and exercised throughout pregnancy. The week after I gave birth to her I was 2 stone lighter than I had been when I conceived, so that shows you how healthy my pregnancy lifestyle was. I'm sure in some cases it's connected, but many times it's not.

Thanks. I've just done the best I could. I've had relentless nausea all the way through, which has meant I haven't been able to eat the way I usually do and have just had to eat certain things that could be deemed unhealthy I guess. I'm usually super strict with my diet and eat low carb only. Pregnancy has turned this on its head and I've barely eaten any protein, but just carbs. LOL. I don't think my bump is huge and I'm measuring fine. But people say my baby is going to be big and I can't help but feel like a fatty. I was an average size baby and my husband was a little smaller I guess. So my MIL keeps telling me all her babies were so tiny, as if it's some badge of honour ? I duno. I'm probably just sensitive and pregnant.

It's crazy how a big baby is now something to be ashamed of when 20 years ago it would be the other way around. Honestly don't worry about it. And remember that many schools of thought suggest that bigger babies sleep through quicker!

By the way- I just thought about it and ' people ' is my MIL. No one else has said my baby will be huge. But people do say my bump is pretty big and that I'm clearly carrying a girl.

@peachgreen I'm so glad you said that ! I think you're so right, it's now become something to be ashamed of ! How ridiculous is our society !!

I don’t know but I hardly ate through my pregnancy, I had awful sickness until about 6 months and then my appetite just disappeared. I ate small meals and healthy food and stayed active.

My baby was measuring huge, estimated 11lb.

He was born premature and was still 6lb 12! So if I had gone full term he would have been an absolute tank!

But DP’s family were all big babies, all over 10lb so I suspect that’s genetic.

As long as you’ve tried to eat relatively well then I think you’re doing fine. Some babies are just big.

People kept telling me I was huge too, it’s annoying but I just had to learn they didn’t mean I was fat.

I weighed less at 6 weeks pp than I did before I was pregnant too.

@bigbabyshame ironically I have been told this baby is a girl and I’m 3 stone lighter than I was with both my boys - I was huge with them.
So I would just give the MIL a secret one finger salute and not worry.
With my boys I literally was so sick right up until delivery. Even the smell of vegetables or earth would make me gag. I pretty much grew them on carbs.
This time round I have a vegetable obsession. It’s not even funny how excited I can get over some watercress.

@LLMD that's interesting.

Reassuring about your weight loss as well.

My grandma had massive babies. All of them were over 4kgs. My mum had normal sized ones.

On husbands side, MIL had small ones and the grandma had big ones 🤷‍♀️

We are both tall. Baby is normal at the moment apparently, so I wonder how she will come out. Hopefully just healthy.

But I can't help but feel I will get shamed if she's heavy.

Surely if it’s measuring at 50th centile, it’s bang in the middle, so not “fat”?

@bigbabyshame I completely get you. My MIL always refers to anyone’s babies over about 7lb as ‘whoppers’ and seems to sneer at big babies as though they are uncouth or less cute. It’s really bizarre! My first DD measured big but came early so although large for her gestation she was below 7lb and diddy (didn’t last long!). This time in less worried but I know if I have a ‘big’ baby (bump measuring over 90th centile again!) my MIL will be the main one making rude comments. It’s really really hard as your defensive of your own pregnant body and baby but just ignore or say how proud you are to have grown a big healthy baby and flip that way of thinking on it’s head.

@Busybeebeebee that's interesting that you were so sick with your boys. As everyone always says it's girls that make you sick.

Interestingly I'm also really enjoying salads and veggies and carbs, but not meat/ eggs etc. Which is what I usually eat. Good luck for the rest of your pregnancy. As long as baby is healthy, we shouldn't care how big they are.

My little boy was 7lb 4 when he was born and I was a massive fatty during pregnancy!

50th percentile is perfect, I'm not sure why you would be worried about that!

@Napqueen1234 how ridiculous is this !! Why are big babies shamed. It's such a joke and makes me so angry. I read somewhere that having a big baby means that the conditions in your body / uterus / placenta have been perfect, which is why you've been able to grow a big baby. I think we should respond to those comments with that answer, like you say- turn it on its head.

It makes me so angry honestly.

My baby was measuring 98th was percentile in my tummy, she came out at 50th percentile.

I’d barely eaten due to awful hyperemesis grav making me actually sick until she was born.

My tummy went down straight away so it wasn’t fat either, was back in my pre pregnancy jeans within a week. I’d previously had stomach/pelvic surgeries so really wasn’t expecting it!

Truly depends on how the person is carrying. Gestational diabetes can be a factor too.

@Soon2bemum2017 @Times10 yes 50th is fine. I don't see an issue with it at all. I still have a few weeks to go, so she could get bigger, right ?

It just shouldn't even be about that. It's so silly.

@northbacchus I've heard a lot of stories like yours actually. You're so lucky to have been able to fit into your jeans so soon. I don't really understand how the uterus can go down that quickly though ? I'm certainly not expecting mine to go down that quickly.

I don't have GD thankfully.

My f growth scans are over the 97th percentile. Make of it what you will. The baby will be what it'll bw
I haven't eaten more than usual, I just make big babies. As long as they are healthy I don't give a flying fig

My second baby was 10lb. I weighed 8 stones. I was very very proud of my big baby.
My pelvic floor never recovered though.

I was massive whilst pregnant with my DTs - people mistook me for past full term at 5/6 months. Ignoring my own discomfort, I was thrilled they were big babies, because to my mind, the bigger they were, the safer they’d be if I had them premature!

I was (and still am to a very small private degree) very proud of myself and then when they were born slightly prem but normal weights for a singleton.

I’d put on 4 stone by the time I gave birth, but only one stone of that was chocolate milk and biscuits, the rest was baby and water retention!

*and them when they were born

@MuchTooTired good for you ! I'm happy you had healthy baby and wow 4 stone and only 1 of those actually baby Chubb, sounds amazing. I should only be as lucky as that. Fingers crossed 🤞

I put on over 3st when pregnant with DD - I had hyperemesis and although there weren't many foods I could eat, once I got past about 20 weeks eating was the only thing that made me not feel sick... so I ate! I had a huge bump and was so sick I didn't care... DD1 was 9lb2 so she was a bit of a whopper - off the scale for length and chubby too.

If anyone said wow she's huge I think I said "thank you, I made her myself!" My gran said when she showed photos of DD to her friends they said she looked 3 months old... they were right!

A lovely chubby squidgy baby is delicious - if anyone comments, just say I know - lovely and cuddly.

Everyone carries differently. I have had a girl, boy and now a third girl. People always comment how small my bump is and how tiny I am...but I honestly gained over 20 kilos each pregnancy....and babies were tiny...6lbs each pregnancy. I think it depends a lot on genetics. My metabolism slows or I retain a lot of water...not sure exactly what causes the huge weight gain.....but just because you gain a lot, does not mean baby will be huge. I think it depends also on your body type. I am naturally slim when not pregnant, and my children both are naturally slim (age 6 and 7)...

@HildaSnibbs aw you're so right. And what you're saying about your Hypermensis is also very true for me. It got better after 20 weeks as well for me. But I still suffer from constant nausea. Constant! And the ONLY time I don't feel nauseous is when I'm eating 😩 so it sounds like we had quite a similar experience. We should be proud, rather than ashamed. I'm really doing my best and have done my best. I'm also suffering from PGP, which means if I walk for more than 5 minutes I'm in absolute agony and need to sit down. It's definitely not been the easiest time.