Are baby weights genetic?

[shivawn]

Is there a hereditary link between babies weight and what the parents weighed at birth?

Google says that there is but I'd love to hear anecdotal evidence from people here who have already had babies!

I was 9lb11 and my husband was a whooping 13.5lb. My family keeps telling me I'm going to have a massive baby and not to buy too many 0-3 month clothes but who knows really.

You’re assuming the baby will be born at term.
Newborn size gets little wear so easy to find second hand. Otherwise have an online order for 52 cm ready to go and hit send when you know the size.

I was 10lb 9 and my DD was 10lb 13! All babies in my family are pretty huge, none less than 9lb even my brother who was 6 weeks prem.

I'm not really assuming anything, just curious to hear what other people's experiences have been!

I was 9lb 4. My dd 9lb6 at term and my son was 8lb 11 and two weeks early. My cousin was a 10lb baby and her kids were 9lb8 and 10lb. The only baby under 8lb since the 1940s was my uncle who was 3 months prem and was about 2lb. We just make massive babies. I had extra scans due to polyhydramnios with my first and the midwife said she wanted to warn me my baby looked quite big and would be over 8lb which I had assumed she would be anyway.

I think so. I was 6lbs and DS was 5lbs 15oz. Midwives didn't think so though and kept going on about how small DS was (he was full term) and when I mentioned that I was born at only 6lbs (also full term) they sneeringly told me 'that was the 70s'.

I was 7lb ish born and DH was over 10lb, our kids were 8.7 and 8.3 both two weeks over due

Me and my OH were both 7lb odd babies. Our first baby was 8lb12oz. Our second was 9lb2oz and we've had our third baby 7 weeks ago weighing 9lb5oz, so I'm not sure it does have anything to do with genetics.

I was 5lb7 and DS was 5lb11 born. No real reason for either of us to have been so tiny except that my dad was only 4lb something and still isn’t a big guy.

I was 8lb 12oz and a week late. My boys were 8lb 12oz 10 days late and 9lb 14oz 11 days late. Daughter 8lb 9oz 3 days late. OH, only dad to my daughter was 7lb 5oz and his 2 sons with his ex were both 5lb and early x

Yes I think so. I was 6lb 11 (and IIRC XP was a similar birth weight) and DS1 was 6lb 10, DS2 7lb 8.

Apparently baby weight/size is somehow correlated to the mum rather than dad - we're not like dogs that can grow babies bigger than their pelvis. Despite the big baby c-section fears.

Babies born to smaller mums will on average be born a bit smaller, and then catch up to their correct centile line later, this is one of the reasons why birth weight is no longer taken into account when calculating babies' growth centile, only from 2 weeks old onwards.

(The other reasons are that factors like gestational diabetes, fluids given in labour, or overdue babies can come out bigger and then they kind of "catch down" to their correct centile which can make it look like they are dropping weight.)

I was 7lb 4oz. Ex P was 9lbs and DD1 was 6lbs 11. DP was 8lbs 7ozs and DD2 was 6lbs 2oz so both girls much smaller than both parents. I don't seem to grow big babies tho, although their heads are like mine on the 98th centiles

I was 6lb. (Born on my due date)
Dh was 8lb ( 2 weeks late.)

Dc1 6lb (born on due date)
Dc2 6lb 4 (2 days late)
Dc3 5lb 8 (3 weeks early)

I was 6lb13 at birth and DS1 was 6lb11, both of us around full term.

My husband and I were both late 8lbs... Children all 9lbs.... So yes generally same

I was 5lb 13, dd1 was 5lb 13 (40+6), ds1 was 5lb 14 (36+6) and dd2 was 5lb 13 (36+6)....

0-3 months is huge BTW! You'll defo get wear out of 0-3 month clothes even if you have a big baby. It's the newborn size you may skip or only get a week or so from.

Thanks everyone, all the replies are really interesting! It does sesm like there is some kind of hereditary link going by the majority of responses here!

I was 6lb something and I think DH was 7lb ish and DD1 was 7lb at 40+5, DD2 was 8lb 1oz at 42 weeks. I think I made small babies really considering DH is 6ft and I'm not a small by any stretch!! 😬

@BertieBotts

0-3 months is huge BTW! You'll defo get wear out of 0-3 month clothes even if you have a big baby. It's the newborn size you may skip or only get a week or so from.

Thanks! I've actually bought tons already and they do look really big!

Yes agree on the 0-3 being big. I had 2 big babies (8lb 12 and 9lb 1) and they were both in 0-3 for ages - it goes up to 12lbs I think.

There’s no genetic link in my case - all the babies on my side of the family were tiny (

I was 6lb 2oz husband was 7lb all ours were 6lb ers

I was 6lb12oz at T+2
My younger sibling was 5lb13oz at 39 weeks
DH was 7lb at 37 weeks

My DC1 was 7lb12oz at T+13
My DC2 was 8lb7oz at T+3

Me: 3.2 which is pretty much bang on average.

DD1: 2.5kg SGA

DD2: 2.8kg SGA

Me 8lb4
Husband 3lb2 full term (problem in womb)
DC1 7lb15
DC2 8lb4

No, though I really wished it was true! I was 7lb2, husband 7lb5. Both born about a week early.
Our first baby was 9lb3 (5 days late) and the second was 9lb10 (born on due date)