If you are careful about what you eat in pregnancy, can you make sure you don't have a whopper baby?

[dinny]

As ds was big and got stuck - want to avoid the same situ

thanks, Dinny

I think it has more to do with genetics. Ds was 9lbs 10oz but me and dp are both very tall and broad

I was v v careful (lost 1 stone although it wasn't intentional). DD was 7lb 12 at 4 weeks premature. Had she been term she would have been 10lbs like her cousins.

It's all genetic imho.

Also, the way I see it, is that my body tells me what it wants/needs and if that is the whole chocolate fudge cake, then so be it!!

No.

Margo, careful how? Did you diet or just eat super- healthily? were you in normal weight range before pg?

no

No, dd was 7lb 6oz. Didn't eat any differently next time, but ds was 9lb 13oz.
Dd is now a dainty fairy child.
Ds is a broad shouldered bruiser.

Genetics I think.

if the answer is no, how come obese women are at risk of huge babies?

Dinny my ds#5 got stuck and was 9lb. He was a shoulder dystocia, i worried endlessly with baby #6, he was fine and weighed 2oz more. He did get stuck but not due to size, transverse head in pelvis. I ate the same things every time. They all got bigger!

I am praying for a 6lb er this time lol at self.

Good question dinny, not sure about that.

I remember getting a free book with a pregnancy magazine by ?Gowri Motha - implied that a typical Western diet did result in bigger babies and congested tissues making delivery more difficult - think it was called something like "Gentle Birth Method". Probably should have read it as dd was 10lbs 7 . My family tends to have large babies though so suspect genetics is a bigger factor. Gestational diabetes can result in bigger babies - I'm being given the GTT test just in case this time round - in this case diet could make a difference.

Aren't obese women more at risk of diabetes even when not pregnant. Diabetics have bigger babies. Maybe

Could it have been more to do with positioning than his size that he got stuck? I would have thought the best thing you can do for your baby is eat healthily and go into labour feeling confident about your ability to get your baby out. Can you speak to your midwife about the first birth and see if she can reassure you?

I was (and still am) overweight but throughout my pg I ate absolutely super-healthily. I cut out all processed carbs (white bread, white pasta, sugar etc) and greatly increased fruit and veg intake.

I was at risk (for genetic reasons) of gestational diabetes so the whole way through I ate as though I had GD (even though I didn't).

I went on holiday to Italy while PG and didn't eat any pizza, pasta, icecream...

It was really quite hardcore. Definitely eating enough of course. Certainly not a diet but I didn't want to get GD. Didn't stop DD coming out really quite big considering her prematurity. Now she eats like a baby Gillian McKeith and is still quite tubby. It's all in the genes, sadly.

LG&T, yes, ds was shoulder dystocia too

my mum says subsequent babies get bigger

really going to try and eat with less abandon than I did with ds!

with dd1 i ate my usual diet which consisted of mainly sarnies, salads, cereal, yoghurt and fruit and very little else. dd1 weighed 6lb 10 days late! had she came on time she would have ended up in special care due to low birth weight!!

after i met dp my diet changed drastically and though i didnt really fancy his stodgy foods during pregnancy it was easier to try and stumache them than listen to him grunt on for hours that sandwiches werent a proper meal and i needed to eat or i would make the baby ill. dd2 was 8lb9 and i put on about three stone in weight!!!

i say eat healthy balanced varied diet, niether time did i do that!

I think that prgramme was a load of sensationalist trollop. Lots of the mums were destined to have bigger babies anyway and a side effect of obesity is diabetes and gestational diabetes causes big babies.

Are you at risk for that and do you eat 14 Mars bars a day

Of course some skinny minnie mums get Gestational diabetes even though they eat well!

The NCT Pregnancy and Birth Line - 0870 444 8709 10am to 8pm, Monday to Friday "You can call our Pregnancy and Birth Line if you have questions about issues relating to your pregnancy or birth, or if you want to chat about your experiences with a fully qualified antenatal teacher."

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PSW, yes, will speak to mw about it all (ds was my second birth, btw - dd (my first baby) was 5 weeks early so an easy 6.7lb)

MAJ - wow, you sound very inspiring! not even a pizza in Italy is amazing!

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LG&T - I'm not overweight, no, and I do usually eat quite healthily, exercise etc

with ds I lost weight initially as was so sick but made up for it after 5 months and ended up with a HUGE bump and thin arms/legs

Cristina - thanks, hadn't thought of NCT

I lived on galaxy when I was pregnant with DD dinny (during my last trimester I was scoffing a 150g bar on a daily basis) and was quite lardy myself but DD weighed 7lbs 6ozs.

Positioning is key and try to be calm. I was in such a flap by the time i had ds#5 i let the hospital induce me at 10 days over (my babies are always late) and it went pete tong from then on!

This time i am staying at home and remaining calm, the last baby was only 2oz heavier then ds#4. I grow big baies and am only 5'4, it is all genetic. I was 9lb.

I know! It was really depressing and I was a bit of a lunatic. Stone and more went right back on afterwards