So why do slim women sometimes give birth to huge babies?

[GYo]

Not wanting to start a row about large/slim women but after watching britains biggest babies being born to large women, where it seems large/obese women sometimes give birth to large babies.

So, what is it that makes slim women give birth to heffers?

I am size 10/12, BMI pre pregnancy of 19. I put on 2.5stone in preganancy. My baby was nearly 11bs at birth.

Does anyone know why this happens? Am really curious now. I am quite tall but not huge (5, 10)

Midwife said it was because i ate too much chocolate and said it was all my fault - that comment really didnt help matters in the early days!

Anyone got a scientific viewpoint?

TheOldestCat, my DS has positional talipes too - which I think indicates he really was too big for my size. Neither DP nor I are above average height (though there are tall people in both families). He was born on due date - thank goodness, otherwise I'd have never got him out (we had a home birth)! My stomach muscles are also very separated. During pregnancy the skin on the surface went very numb over the bump, though oddly was also hyper-sensitive to certain materials. Since the birth the skin is still quite sore and sensitive - didn't get stretchmarks though amazingly enough!

How did you DDs talipes resolve, did you have to do the foot massage to stretch the tendons? DS is still only 3 weeks and his feet are still very bent, but we have been reassured that it will resolve itself by the time he weightbears.

cargirl - I was only stating the case with most babies not all of them. Clearly you and your mum are exceptions

The rule I heard was that generally a mother's size tends to dictate the size of the baby but the father's size will contribute to how big that child gets in later life. However if the mum is teeny and the dad 6'5" the baby's size will have to reflect that (as happened with friend's of mine - all their babies were delivered by CS).

I am normal weight but tall (5'11'') and have had 9lb9.5, 10lb12.5 and 8lb.12, in that order.
DH is small build and 5'10''

Mine all came out the way they were designed to without stitches too!

I think genetics and human bodies etc are all too complex and clever for rules to appy IYSWIM.

I think I have inherited the ability to make, carry & give birth too large babies despite having tiny hips & being petite - it will be interesting to see what by dds produce if they decide to have children, I suspect I'll have large birth weight grandchildren too!

oooh this is very interesting! This thread is making me go "eeek" though - I'm a size 10 (and in size 10 maternity clothes at 28 weeks) but am 5'7 myself and DH is 6'5". Baby measured normal at 20 week scan but I am all bump and people keep telling me what a big bump I've got!

Hmm, think I'll be starting on the pineapple/raspberry leaf tea etc nice and early

Lionstar - DD's talipes sorted itself out as it was very mild. The physio said not to worry with the stretching/exercises etc (although I did a bit of stretching as part of baby massage as I thought it couldn't hurt) and it did right itself completely when she started weight bearing.

She never crawled (bum shuffled) and was quite a late walker (17months) which of course worried me silly. But she's fine now (nearly 3 yrs) and your DS will be too. The experts know what they're talking about, so don't worry.

Sorry if this has already been mentioned... but there was a series of two or three programmes on pregnancy. one of the things they covered were the paired genes from the mother and father and the 'battles' that go on in womb. They stated that the female half of the pair was programmed to keep the baby small in the womb and the male half was programmed to make the baby big and the result is down to the balance between these paired genes... bery interesting, but means you can blame dad!!

other things it talked about which is slightly off topic were thart in general the baby will take everything it needs from mum, so if mum is eating a poor diet, the baby will still be fine but the mum will suffer the consequence (e.g. calcium will go preferentially to baby)

crikey... really sorry for not proof reading that!!

ksal I watched that programme. It was fascinating! I get the idea of the genes 'competing' with eachother totally. I also think it might depend on the conditions inside the uterus - a brilliantly functioning placenta is going to help a baby grow better surely?

I had dd 13 days late by emcs and she was a whopping 10lb 1oz. I am 5'5 and 9 stone but DP is a 6 foot big built guy. My bump was massive from about 5 months - always measured bigger than it should have (I really was all bump). The photo on my due date looks like I have a beachball up my jumper! I ate fairly healthily right through my pg and there is no history of big babies in our families.

She was on 99th centile for both height and weight at birth but has since dropped to 65th for weight. This seems about right for her. I guess she is going to have her father's height but be a slim girl.

If we are to have a dc#2 it will almost certainly be by elcs (second babies are often bigger right?).

I would love to know if there has been any research/studies done on this subject.

I'd love to be in on the research. With my 2nd - the huge 10lb 6oz one I was all bump and massive but measured small and they kept telling me the baby wasn't going to be big She didn't hit the height chart until she was nearly 6 months only. At 12 months old she was 98th centile for height and weight but at 7 she is 98centile for height and much lower for weight.

Interestingly all my girls had 75th centile heads when born, and acutally is it head and shoulder size that causes the problems in the birthing canal?

Everyone else I know with smaller feet that a size 3 was autmatically referred for a c-section so I consider myself lucky really.

Hi,
I am 5ft 11 and usually a size 8/10 and weigh about 10st.

My DS was 9lbs 1 (not huge but bigger than I thought he would be!!) and I was pretty neat all the way through my pg and gained only a little weight.

Can't blame it on my DH because he is smaller and shorter than me!!!

it is interesting isnt it, i post on the last page about my 4 all being big, the last one being 10lb 13oz and i am small 5 2 and have size 3 feet but i birthed them all naturally, ds4 was born in the birthing pool and his head circumference was off the top of the chart, he is still big now at 18mths and we are planning no 5 for next year, i do hope it isnt any bigger, but at least i know i can succesfully birth big babies

im v small, 5'1", size 6-8 with size 2 feet, ds was 9lb2oz and was huge throughout my pg. ds was born by crash cs after 3d in labour.

I'm size 8/10, am fairly tall at 5'8" and DH is 6'. Have had a huge bump both times and gained a lot of weight all over - but DD was 6lb14 and DS was 10lb2 so I have no idea what to expect next time! Not sure why one was quite small and the other large!