# OMG! Horrors! Not a 9lb baby vaginally! (sarcasm)



## doula and mom (Nov 28, 2005)

mini-vent:

I have a client who is 37 weeks and her mw just told her that she thinks the baby is already 8lbs (wtf?!?! If I had a nickel for every time a medical person suggests a baby is large, and then the baby comes out 7-8lbs, I'd be a rich woman) and that she doesn't want her to go a day past her due date.

I'm still rolling my eyes. Seriously! So what if the baby is 8lbs now? Then in 3 weeks he or she will be about 9lbs... big deal! It's not about the weight of the baby, it's about the freakin' size of the head/shoulders, which weight alone cannot predict -- not to mention the mw is just guessing based on LOOKING at my client. It's not even from a stupid u/s.

Sigh. <steps down off soapbox>


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Sigh. I hate how drs and midwives are afraid of big babies.


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## lilsishomemade (Feb 12, 2005)

I just delivered a 9 lb, 15.6 oz baby and he was easier to birth than my 7lb, 7 oz babies, soooo.....

I'm thankful my mw was a lot more laid back.


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## grace's voice (May 12, 2005)

Yeah, I rage over this too. My first baby was 9 pounds 4 ounces, she was born at home after only 3 hours of labor. No problem. I'm TRYING (via proper nutrition) to grow this baby even bigger than my last one, just to see if I can beat my record







People think I'm crazy, but if wanting a big healthy baby makes me crazy, then I'm darn proud of it!


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## Shelsi (Apr 4, 2005)

I just think it's odd. Since when did 8 and 9 lbs become HUGE? Seriously growing up all I ever heard about in my family were all the huge babies they have (and they weren't kidding, both my bro and me and my mom and uncle were 10+ lbs) and they were all vaginal. So that's the norm in my family. When I had Jake he was only 7 lbs 11 oz and they could not get over how tiny he was! lol. Then I go and tell other people and they all say, "wow! What a big baby! I can't believe you had him vaginally!" Well why on earth wouldn't I?

It just seems so completely odd to me. I know I already said that but I just can't stop shaking my head at it. It's just strange. I guess it's because they do so many inductions now that 5 and 6 lb babies are the new normal/average.

Oh and on a side note. My best friend, when she had her daughter, she weighed just at 8 lbs. She said as soon as she was delivered and weighed they nurses and doctors all exclaimed, "Finally a good fat healthy baby!"


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## dvons (Aug 2, 2005)

My #2 was 10lbs 1 oz... it is so amazing the looks of horror when I say his weight people give me. He was WAY easier than my 7lb 14oz baby probably because she was induced and he wasn't. I'm trying for a 12 pounder this time!! LOL!

Deb


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## birthjunkie27 (Jul 6, 2005)

my first was 6 12 (born at 36 wks)

my second was 8 12 (born at 38 wks)

my third was 9 14 (born at 41 wks)~ I was HOPING for a 10 pounder...came close!

If we have another, I'm going to work really hard for a 10 pounder! I like beating my records too.


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## Zyla (Nov 27, 2005)

My 8lb 8oz babies were harder to push out than my 9lber!

**rolls eyes**


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## doula and mom (Nov 28, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shelsi*
I just think it's odd. Since when did 8 and 9 lbs become HUGE?









:

Honestly. I am not "impressed" until I hear about a good 10lb-er.


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## NinaBruja (Jan 19, 2004)

it makes me bang my head against the wall when people say things like 'good thing you had a cesarean' when i say dd#1 was 8 lbs 2 oz...41 weeks 6 days
and i was soooo hoping to grow a truely massive baby and vbac her so i could throw it in thier faces. i know, how noble of me








and alas my vbac baby was a mere 7 lbs 14 oz... 39 weeks 2 days
im considering her a natural induction though, i dont think she was quite done. i ended up carrying and nursing dd#1 for hours. she was having a cranky day. and then dp and i had sex... next thing i know im having contractions and my water broke... ooops...
next time ill know better, and ill have my 'big' baby...bwahahaha


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## RosieTook (Sep 4, 2004)

It is so frustrating...dd comes from a long line of big babies...she was 8 13 and everyone is shocked how big she was. I was not. Big deal.

I get the c/s comment too, and it bugs me beacuse I wanted a homebirth and we needed a c/s for transverse lie. I get people telling me how big their babies are now at one month or so and they are like 7 lbs...yeah well mine was 8 13, and that's nothing really. Sheesh.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Everyone should start sharing the head size.

How big was your baby at birth?
Oh, 14 cm.
What?
Her head was 14 cm around <holding hands up> about like this.
No, I mean how much did she weigh?
Who cares? The head's the part that hurts.










(Is 14 cm a typical baby head size?







I have nooo idea, it just sounded a bit bigger than 10 cm)


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## spsmom (Jun 19, 2004)

i hate hearing that! it is so annoying.

my 11 pound baby was a lot faster and easier than my 8.5 pound baby. all i can say is, "whatever!" (eyes rolling here)

i take a bow! yes, i homebirthed an 11 pound baby, and lived to tell about.

big fricken deal!


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## NinaBruja (Jan 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan*







Everyone should start sharing the head size.

How big was your baby at birth?
Oh, 14 cm.
What?
Her head was 14 cm around <holding hands up> about like this.
No, I mean how much did she weigh?
Who cares? The head's the part that hurts.










(Is 14 cm a typical baby head size?







I have nooo idea, it just sounded a bit bigger than 10 cm)










im going to have to use that one!

i dont know what the head average is but my vbac baby's head was 14.5 ...it didnt hurt anywhere near as much as i was expecting though...


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## Jilian (Jun 16, 2003)

When my clients start getting worried about having big babies I remind them that women usually don't grow a baby that is too big to birth vaginally. Bigger babies tend to be healthier too, they fit into their NB clothes better, overdue babies are fully developed and don't generally have immature lung issues, and chubby babies are just adorable!

Weight estimates are just that - estimates. My son was estimated to be 7 lbs 10 ozs when I was 32 weeks preg, they said he would be just under 10 lbs at birth. He was born at 39 weeks weighing 7 lbs 5 ozs, he never even weighed the 7 lbs 10 ozs that they "estimated" him at!!

There was a thread here a while back about birthing large babies naturally and some of the mamas here had babies 11 lbs and up! Born naturally! 9 lbs is a walk in the park


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## Anglyn (Oct 25, 2004)

I made my mw guesstimate, just cuz I was curious, but she was very careful to tell me it was JUST a guess and that we could both be laughing at how far off she was once the baby was born. She guesstimated about 8 and a half pounds..which didnt scare me, my first baby was 8'15, so I figured I could go nine, nine and a half no problem whatsoever (this was just a couple weeks before I was due). Well, my ds2 had to be the only one of my three to go past 40weeks (I was terrified they were gonna try to induce me, my mw said if he wasnt born by 42wks, I had to go get a stress test and all that).

Point is, I had a 10'6 lbs 22inch baby vaginally with no pain meds at all and went home two hours later. People look at me like I just fell off the moon when they hear that.

My dd was just 7'5 and I couldnt get over how tiny she was!

Now, when I see a newborn I'll say, "Wow,it doesnt seem like ds was ever that small!" and Dh says, "Um, he WASNT!!"


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## lilsishomemade (Feb 12, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Anglyn*
Now, when I see a newborn I'll say, "Wow,it doesnt seem like ds was ever that small!" and Dh says, "Um, he WASNT!!"

















I can't get over how much bigger Luke is to his brothers were...he's only a week and a half old and I swear he makes me think of a one month old!! My mom told me that a lady from church had called her to ask her about how we were doing, then she whispered, "That was a REALLY big baby!" To me, though, he doesn't seem HUGE, especially when I hear of the moms who had even bigger babies....


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## minkajane (Jun 5, 2005)

DS was only 6'8, so I never got the "Good thing you had a C-section" comments, but, strange as it sounds, I'm actually hoping for a big baby next time just so I can thumb my nose at the doctors and say "Nya, nya, I had a big baby unassisted at home after having a C-section!"


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## lovebug (Nov 2, 2004)

oh this makes me mad too! i have 4 friends that had c sec cuz the dr told them there baby was to big for them to del vag. one of them had a 6lb baby

i would like to know where they get this stuff


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## goosysmom (May 28, 2005)

I was guesstimated by my MW for dd to be around 7lbs...due to what she felt, my size, family history of babies, how much weight I lost first trimester, gained back towards the end.....She also thought I'd go about 5ish weeks early bc I started dilating and effacing so early but then just stuck around 4cm for weeks and ended up a week late...

DD was 8 pounds 15 ounces at birth.........the biggest baby on either side of the family by a good pound and a half (2 on my side).....I am still bewildered at how she got that big bc I lost so much weight and only gained back about 13lbs of it but she grew and grew and was healthy and that's all that mattered......She got stuck coming out, was facing the wrong way and turned a bit late and ended up with dystocia but is fine now.....MW was outstanding...

I love her to pieces but secretly envied all my friends with their "tiny" babies....All my friends who were 5"8 or taller had tiny babies and all of my friends who are shorter like me had big ones like me......LMAO....

The nurses didn't bat an eye....neither did my MW.....


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## goosysmom (May 28, 2005)

double posted.....


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## grace's voice (May 12, 2005)

Bigger babies ARE easier to birth... just wanted to point it out incase it wasn't obvious to everyone... when you're pushing there's typically a 2 steps forward, one step back pattern. The bigger the baby is, the less he/she slips back.

I know this dainty woman who was barely 5 feet tall. Both of her boys were born naturally and they were both over 11 pounds. After hearing that I was never worried about having a big baby. If she can do it with her tiny body, then my 5'7" 145 pound body can surly handle it!

I'm sooo worried this baby will be small (i.e., under 8 pounds). I was 8.4 when I was born, but dh was only 7 something, and so were both of his brothers. Like I said before, Juels was 9.4, but she has a different biological father. Also, dh is half asian, so I'm scared I'll have this puny asian baby, and I want a buddah!

Buddah Buddah Buddah!!!!!


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## vespertine (Mar 24, 2006)

Babies grow to the perfect size for their Mamas pelvis! I birthed my 10 lb 1 0z boy without a problem. Maybe you should print out some of our stories and give them to your client for encouragement. You can't guess a baby's weight by looking at the Mum anyway, we all carry differently! It saddens me this misinformation and instilling fear is happening, especially to 1st time Mums.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

I'm 4'10" and pushed out a 10 lb. 2 oz. baby in 15 minutes. Fat is squishy and does not make it hard to push them out.


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## KatSG (Aug 11, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *doula and mom*
"....not to mention the mw is just guessing based on LOOKING at my client. It's not even from a stupid u/s.


Gah! And by those reasons of deduction (snark) she would have me cut open because I AM SO BIG I'M OBVIOUSLY HAVING TWINS. There is a woman on my DDC board who is having triplets and I swear we're the same size.

I hope your friend isn't too worried. My last MW told me that women are always better at predicting the size of their babies than any OB, MW or u/s. In my case, she was right. The OB (that I left) said 8 lbs when I was 36 weeks, but I said 7.5 lbs, and she was 7lbs 7oz. And she was actually shorter than I expected (19 in vs 20 in).

But in the end it so doesn't matter...


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## Peppamint (Oct 19, 2002)

Ya know, I always thought my 6lb 2oz and 7lb 7oz babies were SMALL. I mean, most of my friends have 8lb babies and one friend had a 9lb ?oz baby (horrific episiotomy turned 4th degree tear), a 10lb 9oz posterior baby (no tears!







) and then a 7lb 11oz baby (again, no tears) just fine.

It's sad that even many doctors and some midwives don't have faith in our bodies anymore.









I truly believe I could birth a big baby no problem, but since my mom's only 8lber was a 43 weeker and my MIL only had 6-7lb babies I don't really expect to grow a big'un.


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## MamaRabbit (May 26, 2005)

Ugh. What gets me living here is the little Thai women married to big foreign men and having C-sections because the baby is going to be too big... like 9lb instead 7. Huh? People think mixed races causes a problem like that? A couple like that just had a baby on Saturday and the baby was 8lb12oz born by C/S because breech (well they say breech but I know she really wanted a C/S). They say to me, wow isn't that big??? Good thing we had a C/S. Well, to me, it looked like that weight was in the baby's feet because he was a good 22in. long.

And I totally agree that bigger babies are easier to push out.


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## mirlee (Jul 30, 2002)

Puhleeze! My friend gave birth to a near 11 pounder vaginally. No problems. Well, she did make the joke that sex for a while was like throwing a hot dog down a hallway......


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## doula and mom (Nov 28, 2005)

Quote:

Well, she did make the joke that sex for a while was like throwing a hot dog down a hallway......
Ha. I spose that's better than putting a knife in a jar of mayonaise...


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## huggerwocky (Jun 21, 2004)

How does the midwife know? Does she have a crystal ball? Would she please look into it and tell me whether I'll be rich?


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## LadyInfidel (Jan 23, 2006)

I *just* had this argument with my neighbor! Her OB- a very, very interventionist OB- told her that she will probably have to be induced before her due date because they baby is already very large. She's only 27 weeks! And the idiot that she is, she believes it. She says the women in her family can't deliver large babies and that they all have CPD. By the way, her two sons were delivered vaginally with no problems and they were around 7lbs.
When I told her that I thought it was so insane for her doc to say those things that if he were MY doc, I'd fire him, she said, "You can't _fire_ a doctor." She's already talking of scheduling an induction at 37 weeks to "avoid" a c-section.

UUUGGGHHHHHH!























My own babies were on the big side. My first two were well over 9lbs and I was old for SURE that #2 was small, no more than 7lbs. Then my last one was 8lbs even and everyone was expecting him to be closer to 10lbs.

It really burns me up when I hear this crap. ANy excuse to intervene...ANY!


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## LadyInfidel (Jan 23, 2006)

I *just* had this argument with my neighbor! Her OB- a very, very interventionist OB- told her that she will probably have to be induced before her due date because they baby is already very large. She's only 27 weeks! And the idiot that she is, she believes it. She says the women in her family can't deliver large babies and that they all have CPD. By the way, her two sons were delivered vaginally with no problems and they were around 7lbs.
When I told her that I thought it was so insane for her doc to say those things that if he were MY doc, I'd fire him, she said, "You can't _fire_ a doctor." She's already talking of scheduling an induction at 37 weeks to "avoid" a c-section.

UUUGGGHHHHHH!























My own babies were on the big side. My first two were well over 9lbs and I was old for SURE that #2 was small, no more than 7lbs. Then my last one was 8lbs even and everyone was expecting him to be closer to 10lbs.

It really burns me up when I hear this crap. ANy excuse to intervene...ANY!


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## Cheshire (Dec 14, 2004)

I don't remember what month it was, probably 7 or 8, I asked my mw how big she thought my son would be. She asked how big I was (7lbs) and my dh (8lbs 8oz) and after looking at my gigantic belly she said around 8 pounds.

Well, five days past my due date I gave birth to Charlie, all 10lbs 11oz of him and pushed for 45 mintues. The mw said his head size was in the 75th percentile so his head was big but not huge.

I knew he would be bigger than 8 pounds. I thought he'd be around 10 but I didn't want anyone to say anything for two reasons. First, I didn't want them to try and scare me with his size. Second, I didn't want to scare myself thinking he would be too big. I just trusted what my body was doing and knew it would be okay.

Best wishes to your client.


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## ~~Mama2B~~ (Mar 9, 2006)

You know what really amazes me? Women have been giving vaginal birth to their babies forever. Our great grandmothers didn't have the option of inducing or having a c-section and somehow all of us are sitting here today. Westerners are big weenies, IMO. We should all aspire to do it the natural way and save the medical interventions for medical emergencies.

Kristi


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## cappuccinosmom (Dec 28, 2003)

I love making people's eyes pop. Ds 2 was 9lb 15 oz.







Even better, he was 42 weeks and a few days. And 4 hours labor, 15 min pushing. I say he was easier to birth than my first one who didn't even hit 7 lb. People think I'm nuts.


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## JBaxter (May 1, 2005)

Another 9 lb 8oz here ... 3 pushes


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## wednesday (Apr 26, 2004)

I'll vote on the side of "smaller doesn't mean easier to birth." My son was born at 37 weeks and was 6lb14oz. Labor wasn't too hard but pushing took 4 hours. It didn't hurt but it was hard work and got pretty exhausting. There's this idea that a smaller baby will just slip right out, but that was not my experience! Next time I will know to move around more and not end up just lying on my back in bed. I am not at all worried about having a "big" baby next time around. I truly hope I go a full 40 weeks and birth a more mature baby as DS had quite a few issues those first few weeks (jaundice, nursing problems) due to being on the early side.


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## angela&avery (May 30, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mirlee*
Puhleeze! My friend gave birth to a near 11 pounder vaginally. No problems. Well, she did make the joke that sex for a while was like throwing a hot dog down a hallway......

















thats awesome.....

i had a 7, 11 baby and a 8, 9 baby.

My second baby, the 8, 9 was easier, but i figured it was bc of her being my second. No problems, and I was actually surprised how big she was bc I couldnt tell having her.


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## CalebsMama05 (Nov 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *grace's voice*
Yeah, I rage over this too. My first baby was 9 pounds 4 ounces, she was born at home after only 3 hours of labor. No problem. I'm TRYING (via proper nutrition) to grow this baby even bigger than my last one, just to see if I can beat my record







People think I'm crazy, but if wanting a big healthy baby makes me crazy, then I'm darn proud of it!

haha me too! my first was 9lbs 10oz i'm hoping ds#2 will be over 10lbs. I've already been told that he'll be *only about 7-7.5lbs* but I was assured that ds#1 would possibly get to 8lbs but it would be a stretch.


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## CalebsMama05 (Nov 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *vespertine*
You can't guess a baby's weight by looking at the Mum anyway, we all carry differently!

I agree with this 100% I was told many times I would be lucky if my son was 7lbs cuz I carried so tiny. It was nice tho after he was born I didn't have any belly within 3 days! it was all skin tho which was ick but oh well LoL lost 30lbs in the hospital


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## CalebsMama05 (Nov 26, 2005)

oh yeah i wanted to say that i've started feeling that Cayden is gonna be at least 9lbs (i have the same feeling with Caleb that he's just big) and I told someone that (and that i'm hoping he'll be 10lbs+) and she was like "oh rite...you're having another c-birth right?" I was a lil confused at first then I was like "oh no I had Caleb vaginally and since they think Cayden is going to be tiny I'll be able to have another one"

I was just suprised they thought i had a c-sect...he wasn't even 10lbs???


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## Mavournin (Jul 9, 2002)

My first was "officially" 9lbs 4oz. But they didn't weigh her for at least an hour and a half and at that point she has pooped literally all over me. So much so that the nurses couldn't clean us up completely. The mw and I joked about what her real birth weight would have been. Her birth was hard, but I think mostly because I was flat on my back...









Ds was 9lbs even. My posterior, born in the caul, 20 minutes of pushing, squatting homebirth. His birth was so *easy*! All of the mainstream moms around here still can't believe I had a 9 pounder at home. Heck! I wish he would have been bigger.


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## rebeccalizzie (Apr 1, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CalebsMama05*
I agree with this 100% I was told many times I would be lucky if my son was 7lbs cuz I carried so tiny. It was nice tho after he was born I didn't have any belly within 3 days! it was all skin tho which was ick but oh well LoL lost 30lbs in the hospital









Me too. I carry *very* small--with my DD, I didn't really look pg until she dropped a few weeks before she was born, and I gained 35 lbs and she was 8 lbs 1 oz. Lost it all within a week. With this one, I'm 19 weeks, have gained around 6 lbs, and have a little beach ball--nothing major. I'm small too (like 120 lbs and 5'5 when not pg), so I don't know where the heck I'm carrying these babies, but DD was normal sized and healthy, and I'm hoping for a bigger one this time!









BTW...I think of 8 lbs as being normal. Babies aren't "big" to me until at least 9.5 lbs!


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## lilsishomemade (Feb 12, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CalebsMama05*
I agree with this 100% I was told many times I would be lucky if my son was 7lbs cuz I carried so tiny. It was nice tho after he was born I didn't have any belly within 3 days! it was all skin tho which was ick but oh well LoL lost 30lbs in the hospital









My belly was gone quickly like that! Like you, it's all skin right now, which is kinda gross, but I can see my legs, so I'm happy


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## BetsyPage (Mar 5, 2004)

Y'all are encouraging me right now!







My dd was 9 lbs 5 oz and I really had no problems pushing her out (I was actually induced at 42 weeks 2 days, so she *could* have been bigger I guess!). However, as I am 39 weeks now everyone keeps asking me about dd's birth and then when I say how big dd#1 was and that I'm doing a HB they kind of "look" at me like I'm crazy. It's not like I really want this baby to be huge or something, but it's what I'm used to... my only concern is the getting her out part. But I did it once, so I can do it again!









And I have told people dd#1's birth weight before and they *assumed* I had a c-section because of it. Isn't that sad?


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## Emilie (Dec 23, 2003)

my good friend just had her first baby- 9 1/2 lbs- 15 inch head.
Yes ladies- 15 inch head. NO TEAR.
You can have a baby vaginally. People have done it for awhile now.


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## tmhorn (Jun 9, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CalebsMama05*
oh yeah i wanted to say that i've started feeling that Cayden is gonna be at least 9lbs

My midwife told me, when I went for an ultrasound at week 41 to estimate weight, that among the 3 groups: practioners, ultrasounds and pregnant mommies, it was the MOTHERS who had the best record with estimating the weight of their babies in utero.

The ultrasound said that Alex was 8 lbs 15 oz. I said no, he's just 8 lbs. When he was born he weighed 7 lbs 13.85 oz. I think that I can be forgiven for being off .15 oz! The ultrasound, though was off more than a pound!

Mommies know.


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## CalebsMama05 (Nov 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tmhorn*
My midwife told me, when I went for an ultrasound at week 41 to estimate weight, that among the 3 groups: practioners, ultrasounds and pregnant mommies, it was the MOTHERS who had the best record with estimating the weight of their babies in utero.

The ultrasound said that Alex was 8 lbs 15 oz. I said no, he's just 8 lbs. When he was born he weighed 7 lbs 13.85 oz. I think that I can be forgiven for being off .15 oz! The ultrasound, though was off more than a pound!

Mommies know.

yep. with Caleb I *knew* he was going to be big. I was terrified my whole pg and kept freaking out about it and when he came out so big and healthy.














I can't wait to do it again!

any other mama's with big babies afraid of having small ones? I had a couple of nightmares that Cayden came out weighing 5-6lbs and its scary. in my dreams he was all sticklike and when i picked him up I broke him in half!


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## CalebsMama05 (Nov 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Emilie*
my good friend just had her first baby- 9 1/2 lbs- 15 inch head.
Yes ladies- 15 inch head. NO TEAR.
You can have a baby vaginally. People have done it for awhile now.

wow Caleb's head was only 14" but I had to have an episiotomy and i pushed for an hour and a half







: it was because I was ON MY BACK having a huge posterier baby!


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## grace's voice (May 12, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CalebsMama05*
yep. with Caleb I *knew* he was going to be big. I was terrified my whole pg and kept freaking out about it and when he came out so big and healthy.














I can't wait to do it again!

any other mama's with big babies afraid of having small ones? I had a couple of nightmares that Cayden came out weighing 5-6lbs and its scary. in my dreams he was all sticklike and when i picked him up I broke him in half!


I'm terrified this one will be small! I've totally been obsessing over it, dh doesn't get it, he thinks I'm totally crazy. Though, even with dd I kept saying I'd be disappointed in myself if she wasn't at least 8 pounds. But when the mw said she'd guess her at about 9 pounds when she was born I was totally shocked!

I have this feeling, or maybe just fear, that this baby will only be 7.5 pounds. I'll be so sad, I really want somewhere near 10. My babyies have different dad's though and dd's dad was bigger when he was born. Dh is asian, and his parents were telling me how tiny asian baby's are. So sad for me.


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## CalebsMama05 (Nov 26, 2005)

awww holly














i'll send you big baby vibes


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Holly, just remind yourself "they grow more after they come out, they grow more after they come out". You might start out with a tiny 8 pounder, but you'll be able to fatten him or her right up.


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## Brisen (Apr 5, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan*







Everyone should start sharing the head size.

How big was your baby at birth?
Oh, 14 cm.
What?
Her head was 14 cm around <holding hands up> about like this.
No, I mean how much did she weigh?
Who cares? The head's the part that hurts.











I haven't read past here in the thread, I'm sure others have quoted this and laughed, but I had to too!


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## Wugmama (Feb 10, 2005)

Wow, how crazy. My midwife posts the names and weights of recently born babies in her office. There are usually about 10 up there. None were under 8 lbs, most were 9 something one was 10 lbs some odd ozs. I was leaving when that mom was coming and she made a comment about how big her baby was. My midwife said nonchanlantly it was no where near the biggest baby she's ever caught in her homebirth practice. I agree with you OP, hat is the big deal about an 8 or 9 lbs baby???

I've been telling people when they ask the birthweight of my new ds, "Oh, he was just a little guy at 7 lbs 4 oz" and I am so surprised when they seem to think that is a good size baby. He was born at 37.5 weeks.

~Tracy


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## Peppamint (Oct 19, 2002)

Am I the only one fine with my little babies? Dd *did* seem really tiny at 6lb 2oz but ds seemed just normal at 7lb 7oz.







I mean, even my friend's almost 11lb baby seemed little to me... all newborns do!









Of course I think it would be kinda funny to walk around telling people I birthed a big baby since I'm a petite 5'2" but my dh is not big either 5'8" so we just don't seem to grow big'uns...


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## Lizzo (Jul 26, 2005)

I had a 9lb 1oz baby, but he wasn't weighed untill an hour or so post birth and this was after he's pooped inside me and I wasn't permitted to eat all day (MEDWIVES







: ) His birth was smooth as buttah.
I hope my next one is bigger.







I love em big. When they're little, I worry they'll break








It was funny b/c my one medwife was like "well, this one sure wont be 6 pounds!" and then a couple days before I had him the other medwife was palpating and said "Oh! What a nice little baby!" And I said "It doesn't feel big?" "Nooooo...this is a nice little baby." Hmmmm.....


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## AngelaB (Nov 20, 2001)

Its gunna be alot of work for a womans body no matter what the size of the babe is. I am more concerned with positioning then size.
~Angela~

just wanted to add that I never felt like I was gunna break 10 pound ds2, It was cool to really squeeze and hug on him when he was born and massage him, where as 7 pound 10 oz ds1 seemed much more fragile!


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## bri276 (Mar 24, 2005)

ok I was just about to post about this.

if I see another c-section on one of these TV shows for an "abnormally" large baby- who almost invariably turns out to be an average or slightly above average sized baby- I'm going to SCREAM.

seriously, where on earth are all these OBs getting the idea that women can't possibly push a 9+ lbs baby out vaginally? is it all about the shoulder dystocia? shouldn't all OBs be required to know how to deal with that anyways, because theoretically a 6 lbs baby could get stuck in a very small pelvis! this makes me SOOOO mad! not all fat babies have huge broad shoulders!

look, I had a 6lbs11oz baby (41wks, just a peanut), so I'm not minimizing what you mamas of big babies had to go thru. but at least you did it! at least you tried first before saying eh, just cut it out. grrrrrrr!!!!!


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## CalebsMama05 (Nov 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bri276*
ok I was just about to post about this.

if I see another c-section on one of these TV shows for an "abnormally" large baby- who almost invariably turns out to be an average or slightly above average sized baby- I'm going to SCREAM.

seriously, where on earth are all these OBs getting the idea that women can't possibly push a 9+ lbs baby out vaginally? is it all about the shoulder dystocia? shouldn't all OBs be required to know how to deal with that anyways, because theoretically a 6 lbs baby could get stuck in a very small pelvis! this makes me SOOOO mad! not all fat babies have huge broad shoulders!

look, I had a 6lbs11oz baby (41wks, just a peanut), so I'm not minimizing what you mamas of big babies had to go thru. but at least you did it! at least you tried first before saying eh, just cut it out. grrrrrrr!!!!!

doesn't make your opinion less valid! at least you admit there's nothing abmornal about it...and if i hadn't have my boy(s) with my dh they would be small too







the big babies are all on his side not mine!

that does bug me about shoulder dystocia b/cuz a lot of those i hear about they were smaller babies...


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## blessed (Jan 28, 2006)

I love that scene in 'Courage Under Fire' in which Meg Ryan is accidentally (sort of) shot by one of her own men during a threatened mutiny.

A sympathetic soldier cries out 'Captain! Please let me help you! You're in pain!'

She continues to hold them at bay with her rifle and calmly snarls "I gave birth to a 9 pound baby, ass****. I think I can handle it."


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## Peppamint (Oct 19, 2002)

I think I remember that scene!


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## erin_brycesmom (Nov 5, 2005)

Quote:

if I see another c-section on one of these TV shows for an "abnormally" large baby- who almost invariably turns out to be an average or slightly above average sized baby- I'm going to SCREAM.
word up.

Even ACOG doesn't support it. "Birth Day Live" on DHC about had me screaming the other day. Poor unsuspecting mothers believeing their OBs who tell them they "can't birth vaginally" without even trying...just by judging their height? And then baby is tiny, not "big" as predicted.

Both of my babies were over 9lbs and I tore with the first who had a regular sized head. I believe this is b/c I had the epi and was pushing per nurses orders. With number 2 he weighed the same but had a giant head (15 inches) and I pushed at my own will and had no interventions and this time NO TEAR, woo hoo!!! I was even told before hand that I'd "probably" tear in the same place as I did with number one but nope, nothing









~Erin


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## CalebsMama05 (Nov 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *blessed*
I love that scene in 'Courage Under Fire' in which Meg Ryan is accidentally (sort of) shot by one of her own men during a threatened mutiny.

A sympathetic soldier cries out 'Captain! Please let me help you! You're in pain!'

She continues to hold them at bay with her rifle and calmly snarls "I gave birth to a 9 pound baby, ass****. I think I can handle it."









lol totally. esp if it was back labor eek!


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## NinaBruja (Jan 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CalebsMama05*
lol totally. esp if it was back labor eek!

i had back labor with both, but was induced with the first...
ow








i like to think that after induction and back labor no pain can touch me!


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## AnneCordelia (Nov 29, 2004)

LOL! My son was 9lbs 13oz at birth with a 16"/40cm head, vaginal.

My daughter had a 14"/35cm head, and was 9lbs 4oz, born at home.









~Emily


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## CalebsMama05 (Nov 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AnneCordelia*
LOL! My son was 9lbs 13oz at birth with a 16"/40cm head, vaginal.

My daughter had a 14"/35cm head, and was 9lbs 4oz, born at home.









~Emily

holy crap! 16"!!! Caleb's was only 14"...wowza.

maybe something is wrong with me or him but his shoulders hurt a LOT worse than his head. his chest measured nearly a full inch bigger though would that have something to do with that?


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## heathenmom (Mar 9, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *doula and mom*
mini-vent:

I have a client who is 37 weeks and her mw just told her that she thinks the baby is already 8lbs (wtf?!?! If I had a nickel for every time a medical person suggests a baby is large, and then the baby comes out 7-8lbs, I'd be a rich woman) and that she doesn't want her to go a day past her due date.

I'm still rolling my eyes. Seriously! So what if the baby is 8lbs now? Then in 3 weeks he or she will be about 9lbs... big deal! It's not about the weight of the baby, it's about the freakin' size of the head/shoulders, which weight alone cannot predict -- not to mention the mw is just guessing based on LOOKING at my client. It's not even from a stupid u/s.

Sigh. <steps down off soapbox>

I feel for your client.







Commence venting:

I'm a *fluffy* mama and saw medwives (I didn't KNOW they were medwives until later ....







: ) through my pregnancy. Everything was hunky-dory until I hit 36 weeks. Then all of a sudden I had this HUGE baby inside me that I'd never be able to push out, and I needed to schedule an induction or c/s RIGHT NOW. WTF?!?! We were both perfectly healthly, with absolutely no indication of problems. They insisted that I start seeing both a mw & ob at each appointment, and when I continued to refuse induction/c/s they told me that they didn't "let" any of "their" mothers go past 40 weeks. How lovely for them. When I again refused induction/c/s, they insisted that I had to come in every other day for either a u/s or a nst (it was a 40 minute drive each way to the office). Why in the hell I didn't just fire them I'll never know.

Regardless, I fended them off and gave birth to dd -- all 10 lb. 9 oz. of her -- at 40w6d. My first words to the mw after dd was born were, "I TOLD you I could do it."







I found out later that one of the l&d nurses said she'd never seen a baby that big born vaginally. Again, WTF?!?! I know she wasn't tiny, but they treated her like she was a circus freak the entire time we were in the hospital. AND, the icing on the cake: the only midwife in the practice that we *really* liked, who seemed to be so supportive of our decisions, came to see me the day after dd was born. She told me she was so proud of me ... that NO ONE IN THE ENTIRE PRACTICE BELIEVED I COULD HAVE DD VAGINALLY. I was (still am, can you tell







) furious and decided right then and there that any future babies WILL be born at home.

The system is designed to make it difficult for ALL mothers to birth the way they want, but it is especially antagonistic towards heavy women.

End venting.

I wish your client the very best. It sounds like you are integral to her having the birth she wants and deserves.


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## pamamidwife (May 7, 2003)

I like to freak people out by giving some stats on babies in my practice...many first-time moms in my practice give birth to 9+lb babies. I've had an 11.5 lb baby in my practice, as well as a 13lb, a 13.6lb and an 11.6oz baby born frank breech vaginally at home.

Size is irrelevant. Most of these bigger babies sport the same size head as their smaller counterparts. 13-14" is pretty average for most babies. As one poster said, fat squishes.

Plus, it's those smaller babes that have a tendency to get in all sorts of funky positions with their hands up by their heads and posterior/asynclitic, etc.









Yeah, and the fatphobic atmosphere of most OBs/midwives is pretty severe. It's sad, really...definitely not evidence-based.


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## NowOrNever (Sep 4, 2003)

Yeah, exactly that, pamamidwife! My babies are over 10lbs, and I've never pushed more than five times on any of my babies. In fact, my first homebirth was 10.6 and two pushes. My last entire birth was 26 minutes and a half of a push.

Your body knows what it's doing!


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## JesiLynne (Aug 25, 2004)

A midwife said that OP,









That midwife needs a good talkin to from my midwife
She'd set her straight real quick


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## Pynki (Aug 19, 2002)

I read the OP to my husband and told him that's stupid. That'd be like me looking at a guy and saying... I bet you have 5lb balls. It's ridiculous.


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## CalebsMama05 (Nov 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pynki*
I read the OP to my husband and told him that's stupid. That'd be like me looking at a guy and saying... I bet you have 5lb balls. It's ridiculous.

i totally agree.


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## NinaBruja (Jan 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pynki*
I read the OP to my husband and told him that's stupid. That'd be like me looking at a guy and saying... I bet you have 5lb balls. It's ridiculous.

i dont know...id think youd be able to tell by looking at a guy clothed if his testicles were anywhere near 5 lbs! dont they make bowling balls in that size?


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## Momof3Girlz (Aug 18, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *birthjunkie27*
my first was 6 12 (born at 36 wks)

my second was 8 12 (born at 38 wks)

my third was 9 14 (born at 41 wks)~ I was HOPING for a 10 pounder...came close!

If we have another, I'm going to work really hard for a 10 pounder! I like beating my records too.









I thought I was the only one who did this...I have secretly been hoping for a 9 pounder this time around. Kinda for some shock factor, LOL...I'm a small-boned 5 ft. 1 inch woman...I wonder if it's even possible for me??? Any tiny women here give birth to a bigger baby (9+ pounds?).

This is my 4th baby and hoping it's the biggest. My children were all born roughly the same gestation (within days of my EDD) and were 6# 15, 7#11, and 7#9. Going for at LEAST 9#5 this time....Gotta be more strict with my Brewer diet!









PS: I was going through depression with my 3rd child and barely ate. I wonder how big she'd have been had I been better about my diet.


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## grace's voice (May 12, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Momof3Girlz*
I thought I was the only one who did this...I have secretly been hoping for a 9 pounder this time around. Kinda for some shock factor, LOL...I'm a small-boned 5 ft. 1 inch woman...I wonder if it's even possible for me??? Any tiny women here give birth to a bigger baby (9+ pounds?).


You can do it! As I said above "I know this dainty woman who was barely 5 feet tall. Both of her boys were born naturally and they were both over 11 pounds." I'm really not sure this woman was even 5 feet, probably just under... she was VERY small boned... I'd be shocked if her waist was all of 22". So, it is physically possible!


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## Mama8 (Mar 6, 2006)

I gave birth to a 9lb 6 oz baby at home VBAC,with a 14 3/4 in head. Time from first contraction to delievery- 1hour 1 minute.


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## KayasMama04 (Feb 4, 2006)

I was told dd wasn't going to be more then 7lbs haaha hmm she was 8lbs 9oz but who cares I love chunky babies lol


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## Pynki (Aug 19, 2002)

My OB is NOTORIOUS for being incredible off with weights WITH an u/s. OUr 1st was a c/s for transverse lie. 7lbs 9 oz. Our next pg I asked her how big this one was going to be since we were doing vbac. She asked how big ds1 was. I told her. She said. Oh about the same.

Well, that would have been true if he was 3 weeks early as well, but he was only 3 days from my due date. DS2 was 8lb 13 oz. Over a lb bigger. Ds3 I asked her again. Do you think this one will be as big as ds2? Oh no no way. :LOL Ds3 was born 2 days from his due date at 8lbs 10 oz. So, I think... It's entirely within the realm of possibility to have a 9 lbs baby for my 5 ft 6in usually about 120 frame.

I tell people ds 1 was a c/s. They say, oh was he too big.







NO! He was the smallest one of them all!


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