Big Baby!!!

H.,
Just keep in mind that the ultrasound can only give you an "estimation" of the baby's weight. Yes, they can be correct, but they often a bit off on the weight. My cousin was induced because her baby was "too big" - well, when the baby was born he was only 6 pounds!! So take it all with a grain of salt and remember women were having babies LONG before ultrasounds and modern technology.

My ultrasound stated my daughter was bigger then she was. I delivered a week early and she weighed 8.15 lbs. They thought she was at 10 lbs. Good luck!!

My first son was 9lbs and 6 ozs and they told me to expect a small baby. LOL. He was born at 35 weeks.

Hi and Congrats!

My first baby was 8lbs 13oz, second 8lbs 10oz, third 9lbs 11oz and fourth was 9lbs 13oz. I delivered all my babies naturally/vaginally. There was never a fear of having a large baby until the last one, but everything was fine with each delivery/baby.

I never wanted a c-section, so I am no help there. I hope you get the info you are looking for otherwise!

As you've read, ultrasounds are an estimate, and off by up to three pounds, which is alot for a newborn. I'm not in favor of all the people being induced, or having c-sections, when the baby is ready they make an appearance. I went two weeks over with baby #1, 8 pounds 9 oz, 3 weeks over with baby #2, 9pounds, 5 oz, and one week over with baby #3, 9 pounds 10 oz, all natural, and I'm small, 5'5 and on a good day I weigh 110. My doctors told me at the beginning I could handle anything up to a 7 pounder, and I cleared that by a long shot. I think the babies do better coming when they are ready, not when its convienient for everyone. I had strong healthy babies, not sick with anything like asthma or anything. Just something else to think about. Good luck, and congratulations. Everything will work out just fine. :)Sue

Like, several others have said, I have heard that those weight estimates are usually wrong and on the high side. Even if you do have a big baby, it's not too bad. I had a vaginal birth at home and my daughter was 9 lbs 1 oz and lots of people have vaginal births with bigger babies. If you are concerned about tearing you and your partner could do perineal massage. It really does help.

Have faith in your body's ability to give birth. I really believe one of the most important factors n a positive birth experience is getting out of your body's way and letting it do what it was made for. Good Luck!

I was measuring big the whole time. My OB wanted to know if big babies ran in either of our families. They do on my side. I was 8lb10, my sister was 8lb 6oz and my other sister was 10lbs 8oz. Almost all of my aunts have babies 8lbs+ (including TWINS!).

So at 40 weeks when I measured 8lbs, my doctor scheduled a c/s for 41 weeks. She came out at 41 weeks at 9lbs 8oz. He was very happy w/ his decision as was I!

You'll be amazed by what your body can do!! I know it sounds scary, but you were designed to help him grow and thrive and, when it's "time" your body finds a way... By the way, you'll forget almost everything except seeing his beautiful face ;) Good luck with whatever you decide - you'll do great!!!

when my first was born she was 2 weeks over due and w/ the last ultra-sound they guessed she was about 7 1/2 pounds-she was 8# 11 oz. with my 2nd she was 1 week over due and they guessed her at 8#'s she was 7 # 9 oz, and with my third they guessed 10#'s so they induced me 4 days early and he was 8# 10oz. So I don't really have alot of faith in thier guesses-I was induced w/ all three, but had vaginal deliveries with no problems at all. Good luck and I hope all goes well for you and your new baby
I don't know how true this statement is but I have heard that if your mother had large babies then it is more likely that you will or vice verse on if they were small babies: my mom had 5 kids and they were 8#'s, 10#'s(me), 9# 10oz, 5# 9oz & 6#'s (the last two are twins and born 6 weeks early)

They did a size U/S on my daughter (and then an amnio to check lung development) at 37w 2d, she was supposedly 7lb 12oz. I had her 3 days later (I was induced because of Gestational Diabetes), and she weighed 6lb 12.6oz. She's 18 days old now, btw, so this was very recent.

They are often off by half pound to a pound and a half when doing ultrasound sizing. And, it's 1/2 pound per week that they gain in the last few weeks, not pound! lol.

Edited to add:

And, now that I see this was from nearly a year ago: How big was your baby?

Congrats on the baby! With my son at 36 weeks i was measuring 40 weeks so i had an ultra sound and the tech could not even do it due to my son was soooo big lol. She said i give up this baby is ready. My due date was march 21. The doctor said he was about 10lbs 8oz already and i was freaking out. My family does not have a history of big babies. So my next doctors appt they scheduled a c-section that friday and i said i am not going to make it and he said oh yes you will. Well the next day march 10 my water broke and i had a c-section and it was wonderful no problems at all. Well when they pulled parker out they said holy smokes he's a moose lol and weighed in at 10lbs 3oz and 24 inches long. When that baby is ready it will come out. There is no way i would have pushed him out his head was so big he would have got stuck. I am pregnant now and measuring on time but i am still wondering if i will be having another big baby they say they get bigger ihope not. But once again for the safer side for me and baby i will have a c-section. Good luck and congrats again!!!

Hi H.....congrats on the new baby due soon.

All doctors are different. I will tell you what happened to me. My first child (DD) was born 9 days early and weight 8 # 12 oz. So when I was about 1 week due to have my second (DS) my doc decided to induce in fear that the baby may be too big. Glad that we did induce, DS weighed 8# 13 oz and he was 5 days early. So if we would have waited....and gone over my date, he could have been close to 10 pounds.

Being that this is your first however, your doc may want you to wait it out and go on your own.

Good luck and keep us posted as to what your doc says.

oh and a side note......my kids are also July babies. DD 7/3/01 and DS 7/12/04

When they did my ultrasounds when I was pregnant with my daughter they told me that she was a 9 pounder and that she might hit 10 pounds by the time she was born. I went into labor naturally 3 days after her due date and she was 7 lbs 8 oz at birth.
They were sure that I was going to have a large baby (I measured large by fundal height, I gained 80 pounds, the calculations from the ultrasound, etc) but she wasn't that big at all. I did have a rather nice sized placenta though (which passes easily since it is very, very pliant and comes after the baby paves the way).

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Those numbers are really just guesstimates (part estimate, part guess based on averages over past experience).

DON'T DO A C-SECTION! C-section for big baby isn't even supported by the American College of OBGYN's It's NOT NECESSARY! elective c-sections put you and your baby at risk. A baby born via Elective c-section is 4x's more likely to die during the neonatal period (first 4weeks) You are more likely to die during a c-section. And every future pregnancy has increased risks of miscarriage unexplained stillbirth preterm labor and uterine rupture. Wait for your body to go into labor, try to have your baby naturally. Chances are very good that you will. And your baby probably won't be "that" big.

H.,

All 4 of my bio children were good size. They were 8 10 , 9 14, 9 and 9 5. They were all vaginal deliveries. My husband made a good point. The bigger they are - the more you have to push against! :) Three of the 4 were induced, and all 4 were very quick when it came time to push.

I would say for now - just relax and enjoy your baby where you are. Wait to see what the Dr. has to say and if you have a good Dr, I'm sure you won't be mislead in what way to go. Most Dr's don't like to let us go over more than 12 days anymore. If they think the baby is getting big, they wil either induce or talk about C-section with you.

You still have 5 weeks and I'm POSITIVE the Dr won't deliberatly go over any weight that would put either of you in danger.

Try to relax and enjoy this baby - they come quick and grow even quicker!! :)

K.

The doctors will not induce labor in fear of the lungs not being developed enough, unless there is a serious problem with you or the baby. The lungs do most of their developing in the last weeks, so everyday that baby stays in your tummy is a bonus day for his/her development. The doctors told me that my last one was going to be really big, they even had an office pool going to see who could guess the weight right. My doctor told me the largest baby he had ever delivered was 12 pounds and he was hoping to beat his record with me. I had a scheduled c-section (due to the size of the baby)the day before my due date. The doctor was guessing 12.5-13 pounds so he was very dissappointed to not break his record when my daughter came out weighing 9 lbs 13 oz! Still a big baby but not what everyone was expecting.

My neighbor had to have a c-section because they told her that her baby was almost 10 lbs. But he was only 8.5 lbs. And was I was pregnant with my first child, they did and ultrasound right before I delivered and they told me she was 5 lbs, and she was 7 lbs 6 oz. So they give a pretty good guess on the data they have. They could be pretty right on, or they could be off. If you ever have fears or concerns, call your OB and he/she should be able to make you feel more at ease. Good luck, having a baby is the most wonderful experience in the world! That is why I had four!!

Ultrasounds can be as much as a whole lb off, I wouldn't worry about it. really, It isn't the #'s that matter but the size (circumference) of their head.
Hang in there, you should be fine.
C.

First of all, calm down! I've had three babies, 1st one Girl,almost 9lbs. 2nd- Boy almost 11lbs. And 3rd- Boy almost 12lbs. All to term. All Natural child birth. The third one was a little tricky because he came down the birth canel with his shoulders square, but with a little minulation he came out fine. The labor and dilevery was not bad either,#1 6 hrs. #2 1 1/2 hrs. #3 3Hrs. 35 Min.
So, Big Babies are not always a bad thing!!
Just let nature take it's course.
Stay Healthy, Walk if its O.K. with your Dr. and enjoy being pregnent. This is such a privlage for us as woman to carry a child. And before you know it it will be over, and you will have a wonderfull little baby in your arms.

Hi H., the doctors kept saying after my ultrasounds that my baby was going to be big. I was originally due on Feb. 27th and I went in to be induced on Feb. 18th evening. Arrived at the hospital at 9:00p.m. had him on Feb. 19th at 2:00 a.m. He weighed 7pounds 1 ounce and was 18 and 3/4 inches long. I do not consider that a big baby. The way they were talking I was scared I was having a 10 pound baby. Good luck to you and enjoy your new baby.

Congrats H.!

I had a 9lb 3oz baby vaginally, and then a 9lb 5oz baby c-sec. There are ups and downs to each and I cant say one was any better than the other. Just do what is right for you and your family, nobody can decide that for you...go with your gut and be confident in your decision-making skills. After all, considering where that baby is going to come out of...there isn't much difference between 6lbs and 9lbs! :)

Hi H.!
First I want to say that most doctors let the baby go full term and even overdue when it is your first. My first was 8lbs 4oz which was really big for me, being pretty petite, but I did give birth to him normally. My sister in law was dialated to 4 at her due date and the doctor never induced her. She ended up going about 9 days over and had a 10 lb 2oz baby but she only was in labor about 6 hours! She also had had c-sections with her other babies, so this was amazing that she did it naturally with such a big baby. You will do fine and that baby will come when its ready. Ultrasound techs are only guessing the weight at best so don't get too hung up on that. Pray a lot and you will have a smooth labor! Blessings
L.

Hi H. and Congrats!

My ultra sounds were also showing a LARGE baby a few weeks before I was due and all they did was monitor me closely. I ended up having him on my due date naturally and he was 9lbs 7oz. You shouldn't have anything to worry about and I'm sure your doc will say everything is fine as long as your not having any complications. They don't usually induce labor early unless there are problems or the baby is gonna be HUGE; like over 10lbs or so. I'm not a doctor or anything so this info is just from experience. Good luck!

Don't fret H.! My son was always measuring 2-3 weeks ahead by size, and was 8 lbs 13 oz at birth (and 9 days late).

A girlfriend of mine was told she'd be having an 11 or 12 lb baby based on her ultrasounds and he came out at an even 10 lbs (and is now smaller than my son and he's 2 weeks older!)

Your body CAN do this! Perineal massages help, as well as the mental preparation that your body will do what it's designed to do! Women have been having babies for years without someone warning them about the size of their baby (and many grandmothers are still here to talk about it!)

Good luck!!!!!!!!

Not to be rude, but I think Rebecca's response was a bit over the top. Nothing like making a new Mom feel extra anxiety about an already nerve wracking experience!

Though there may be downsides to every option, you need to do what is best for you and your baby in your particular situation. If you have a good relationship with your OB and trust his/her judgement, I would say to go with what they suggest. Though doctors are not always right, hopefully you are confident with the decisions yourd has made thus far.

I had complications that caused my Dr. to want to do an early C-section for the health of me and the baby. I had to have an amnio (35 weekss) and was a wreck about the whole thing, researching and not wanting to have to make a decision about it at all. I never even wanted a C-Section. But after 5 different Dr. opinions with the same answer and countless hours of research, I realized that was what was best for my baby and I...not ideal, but necessary.

Sorry I do not have advice to give based on the same experience, but I do have encouragement, that whatever you and your Dr. decide, everything will work out perfectly :-).

Good luck!

Those ultrasounds aren't always correct with the weight of the baby. It is possible that it could be off. My doc did my ultrasound the day my son was born and it was two pounds off. Congrats on your first baby.