# 8 lbs = Big Baby?



## kris4chloe (Jun 18, 2005)

I keep seeing people on other boards and have heard people refer to an 8 lb baby as a big baby? Is it just me, but to me that is a nice good healthy sized baby? I consider anything 7-8 lbs average, and above and below smaller then or bigger then average.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Wild guess here, it wasn't MDC where you saw that, right?

Yeah I'd call 7-8lbs "average" and 5-10lbs "typical".


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## Honey693 (May 5, 2008)

I thought 8lbs was average. I know when my mom was pregnant with my brother she said her doctors kept rooting for a perfect 8lb baby.


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## ledzepplon (Jun 28, 2004)

Mine were both about 8.5 lbs and no one said anything about them being "Big," just a healthy size!


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## gaidinsgirl (Aug 15, 2006)

Mine was 8 lbs 13 ounces and I heard nothing but how HUGE he was. The nurses all said he was almost full grown at birth. *insert eye roll*


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## pantufla (Jun 7, 2007)

8 lbs is slightly above average, but not by a whole lot. Some docs won't attempt vaginal delivery if they think the baby will be over nine pounds. I won't say (out loud) what I think about that.

http://www.yourbabytoday.com/features/size/index.html

Quote:

Seven and a half pounds is considered the average weight for a healthy newborn, with variations on either side of a pound or a pound and half still considered well within normal limits -- meaning anywhere between six and nine pounds. Most newborns are between 19 and 21 inches long.


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## Limabean1975 (Jan 4, 2008)

Well, my little fella was 9 lbs 14 oz, so I certainly don't consider 8lbs to be big!


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## sunnymw (Feb 28, 2007)

I think it depends on gestational age too. My docs freaked out when I had DS1 at 38 weeks, at 8lbs 1oz... meaning he could have been (omg!) close to 10 at 40 weeks... personally I consider double digits big, and under 8 small. 8-9 average. Or maybe I've just been reading too many MDC birth stories


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## *Aimee* (Jan 8, 2007)

I think it depends on gestational age too. DS1 was 6lbs 14 oz and 21 inches born 4 weeks early and DS2 was 7lbs 3 oz and 21 inches at 3 weeks early.

8lbs does not seem big to me. DH was 12lbs 8 oz and THAT seems big to me His baby pictures look like his mom is holding a 4 month old


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## kris4chloe (Jun 18, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 







Wild guess here, it wasn't MDC where you saw that, right?

Yeah I'd call 7-8lbs "average" and 5-10lbs "typical".

Yes definetily not at MDC. This was on a work type forum. Two moms just had C-sections and one was glad she did because her baby was 8 1/2 pounds so big. ::insert eye roll::

I just wanted to make sure I was not crazy.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

My 10 lb. 2 oz. baby was kinda big. My daughter, who was 8 lbs. 4 oz. was TINY.


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## ~Megan~ (Nov 7, 2002)

With routine inductions at 38 weeks and women being told to limit weight gain 8lbs has gotten big for most people.

7 seems average and I think most people assume 6-8 as being normal. 9lbs makes jaws drop for some reason.


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## Barcino (Aug 25, 2004)

I think 7-8 as average.


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## barefootpoetry (Jul 19, 2007)

I think 8 is perfectly average. 6-7 is on the smaller side of average, 9 is on the bigger side of average. 10 and above would be "big" in my eyes, less than 6 "small." I was 6 lbs. even at birth and I was a tiny little shrimp!


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## frontierpsych (Jun 11, 2006)

My DD was 10 pounds (and I'm 5' tall and a size 0 non-pregnant)

8 pounds sounds like a good deal to me!!


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## momof09kids (Jun 2, 2008)

My last baby (now 7yo) was 11 lbs at birth. That's a big baby lol (especially considering I'm 5'2 and normally 125-130 lbs, and no diabetes). 8 lbs is just right.


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## aurora_skys (Apr 1, 2008)

Ive always thought of 8-9 lbs as optimal baby size. 10 lbs+ seems a little big but certainly not excesively huge or anything  Babies under 8 lbs just seem so small to me, like they shouldve baked longer or something, lol. Unless the mom is fairly petite, then I think smaller babies are propbably normal for them...


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## mama_y_sol (May 23, 2007)

ITA 8lbs in not "big" but average in my eyes.


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## nathansmum (Nov 13, 2003)

Mine were just under 9lbs and I considered them big - but that was mostly because I am a petite 5 foot lol.


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## Onemagicmummy (Jul 27, 2007)

i have had 8lb+ babies and 1 7lb 4oz baby to me 8lb is average not big

kiz


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## Eben'sMama (Jun 29, 2006)

I think of 8 lbs as average. OTOH, my DSs were 10 lbs, 11 oz and 11 lbs, 0.4 oz, so 8lbs seems tiny to me!


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## tankgirlhi (Apr 2, 2007)

ds was 7lbs 13oz when he was born. dh asked the midwifes at the hospital what the average weight was and they said 8lbs. so no I don't think 8lbs is big 10 or so maybe but not 8.


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## ann_of_loxley (Sep 21, 2007)

I think 8lbs is pretty average. I say anything over 10lbs is a big baby lol....my DS was a big baby lol


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## tireesix (Apr 27, 2006)

I dunno, I say between 6 and 9 lbs is average with 10+being pretty big.

However, it seems to me, babies seem to be getting bigger anyway, or is it my imgination?


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## ann_of_loxley (Sep 21, 2007)

Actually - babies are smaller than they used to be. I think 10lbsers used to be the average size. Of course, we know now that you really dont need to eat for two lol. If they are getting bigger than say - 10 years ago...perhaps its the current food trends?


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ann_of_loxley* 
Actually - babies are smaller than they used to be. I think 10lbsers used to be the average size. Of course, we know now that you really dont need to eat for two lol. If they are getting bigger than say - 10 years ago...perhaps its the current food trends?

That argument would have our mother's generation with an average of 6 pounds or something since our grandmothers were told not to gain more than 10-15 pounds.

All eating too much (i.e. ignoring fullness cues) during pregnancy does is make *mom* bigger.


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## honeybee (Mar 12, 2004)

My boys were both right around 8 pounds. I seem to know a lot of people who have had a lot bigger babies, so I consider this average!


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## mightymoo (Dec 6, 2003)

Yes, slightly over average is not big. Now, my 10.5 and 11 pound babies, they were big - they outgrew newborn clothes in 2 weeks!


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## NatureMama3 (Feb 25, 2004)

8lb=nice normal

10lb 13oz=OUCH! big baby!!


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## JesseMomme (Apr 6, 2002)

I definitely thought my 10 lb baby was pretty big, my other babies were about 7.5-8.5 lbs each and seemed nice and average sized and were healthy too. I always say they all felt the same coming out, either way


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## KatyLinda (Apr 28, 2006)

When DD was born at 7 1/2 lbs I thought she was TINY. I even joked with the doc that she wasn't done yet, they better put her back.







I was 9lbs 15 oz and my brother was 10 lbs 1 1/2 oz. I was expecting at least 8 lbs. To me, anything under 7 is too small, 7-9 is normal. over 9 is big


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## mommy2maya (Jun 7, 2003)

ds was 8lb3oz, and was 50%, so I'd say that 8lb is very average, not big or small. My fullterm girls were 7lb3oz and 7lb6oz, and both 50% for birthweight for girls, so, again, average.


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## mommy2maya (Jun 7, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ann_of_loxley* 
Actually - babies are smaller than they used to be. I think 10lbsers used to be the average size. Of course, we know now that you really dont need to eat for two lol. If they are getting bigger than say - 10 years ago...perhaps its the current food trends?

Wow, when was 10lb an average baby size??? DH is 32, and was 10lb12oz and was considered HUGE. I'm pretty sure that on average nb baby weights have gone up in recent generations.


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## thismama (Mar 3, 2004)

Mine were 8lbs3oz and 8lbs14oz.. my second I pushed out in 13 minutes. With both I had a mild second degree tear, but the tear didn't really hurt (at the time or when healing). I dont think of 8lbs as big at all... just average.


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## Fyrestorm (Feb 14, 2006)

8 lb babies are considered HUGE now in mainstream land so that OBs can induce and do sections!

DD was 7.7 and seemed like such a peanut!


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

i dont think 8 lbs. is "big" for medical reasons but i have mentioned i have larger babies, over 8 lbs, in car seat forums b/c alot of babies are smaller and im not putting a 6 lb baby in a BV or MA, so i do mention the size of my babies in order to make the point that my kids are big enough for the convertible seats.









however, i hear of so many dr's saying "large baby" at 8 lbs. and thats just ridiculous. to me, a "big baby" woudl be 11 plus pounds..ive heard of many 10 lb. babies who were birthed naturally just fine. :


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## Beeblebrox (Apr 6, 2005)

I had always thought that babies in the 8lb range were average, but my midwife's assistant said it's above average and she's very non mainstream.


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## chic2chic (Jan 10, 2007)

here's a link to an academic source on birth weight (which, incidentally, varies around the world):

http://www.futureofchildren.org/info...m?doc_id=79940

from this article:

_In the United States, in 1991, the median birth weight of white babies was 3,410 grams (7 pounds, 8 ounces), and of black babies, 3,160 grams (6 pounds, 15 ounces)._

so 7.5 lbs is about "average," for caucasian babies anyway.


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## mommy2maya (Jun 7, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PassionateWriter* 
i dont think 8 lbs. is "big" for medical reasons but i have mentioned i have larger babies, over 8 lbs, in car seat forums b/c alot of babies are smaller and im not putting a 6 lb baby in a BV or MA, so i do mention the size of my babies in order to make the point that my kids are big enough for the convertible seats.









however, i hear of so many dr's saying "large baby" at 8 lbs. and thats just ridiculous. to me, a "big baby" woudl be 11 plus pounds..ive heard of many 10 lb. babies who were birthed naturally just fine. :









My 8lber was no where NEAR tall enough to fit into a Marathon at birth, not til close to 4-5m.


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## Ninnifer (Oct 17, 2007)

i've had a 7lb 12 and a 9lb.

i'd be perfectly happy with an 8lb baby in sept!


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## Past_VNE (Dec 13, 2003)

Fascinating thread, really.

DH was 11 lbs something. No GD in his mom. I was 7 something. Our son was over 9, but we don't know by just how much...about half a pound we think, as that's how much we realized the MW's scale was off a little later. He didn't seem big at all. I know my view is skewed, but when I see "normal" (by mainstream) babies, I think they're soooo tiny. My son was never that small, not when I could see him, anyway.

Oh, and you know what....fat squishes...big babies aren't so bad. You know what sucks? Birthing a baby whose head won't conform in the birth canal, because the skull joints are fused prematurely. OUCH!!!!


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## ColoradoMama (Nov 22, 2001)

My first was 6lb 15oz. She was 20 inches though, she was just really lean. She's almost 9 now, and she has never had an ounce of baby fat on her - ever. My second I thought of as big. He was 7lb 13oz, but he was 17 days early!







The next two were 8lb 11oz and 8lb 2oz.


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## paquerette (Oct 16, 2004)

Is the "median" calculated including data on all preemies? If so, I think that would skew the results as to what a healthy full term baby is supposed to be.


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy2maya* 
My 8lber was no where NEAR tall enough to fit into a Marathon at birth, not til close to 4-5m.

my babies arent just over 8 lbs..they are also tall enough to fit into a MA and BV.







i only mention it b/c there are sooo many small babies and sometimes ppl like to say that newborns wont fit..but mine did and perfectly.









Paq, im sure it does.







and the fact that so many babies are born induced/ via c/s nowadays, thus making them smaller.


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## maybebaby (Dec 24, 2001)

Okay, I had to admit I smiled when JesseMomme said they felt the same coming out...because while my 9lb 10oz'er seemed to slide right out, but the 11lb 8oz one definitely felt different coming out









But I agree, 8lbs seems like a nice sized baby







I'd like one of those, please, if I ever do have another baby








And I also agree that it's the medical community making moms freak over average sized babies; even on the birthing shows they make a big deal over 9 lb babies, as if they just won't fit.







I think especially here on MDC where many moms are having homebirths and/or are very educated about birthing (and won't allow frivolous inductions) you're going to see larger birth weights because they wait for their bodies and babies to be ready.


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## NatureMama3 (Feb 25, 2004)

yea, my 10lb 13oz-er did NOT feel the same coming out as my 8lb 10oz-er did for sure! fat may squish, but it hurts like HELL when doing so. All the same, I pushed him out 5 minutes faster than my smaller boy.


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## bri276 (Mar 24, 2005)

8 lbs is normal to me.

my dd was over 41 wks but only 6lbs11 and that's because of her genetic condition (so I don't always assume if someone had a smallish baby that it was premature or undernourished).


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## Kellie_MO4 (Jan 14, 2006)

My first was about 8 lbs 5 oz, and yeah, all the nurses commented on what a big girl she was... my next was 11 lbs 1 oz (diff hospital, diff state







) and HE was a big baby.. didn't fit the newborn dipes or the 0-3 mos clothing... my last 2 have both been 9 lbs 5 oz born 2 weeks early (induced for various (albeit ridiculous) reasons)... This one I plan on letting come on his or her own time, so we shall see how big he/she ends up being


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## chic2chic (Jan 10, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *paquerette* 
Is the "median" calculated including data on all preemies? If so, I think that would skew the results as to what a healthy full term baby is supposed to be.

data from 1997: _The median birth-weight for U.S. singleton, full-term (forty weeks of gestation) births is nearly 3,500 grams (7 pounds, 11 ounces)._


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## _betsy_ (Jun 29, 2004)

According to the OB's office with my first 7 ounds, 14 ounces on US on EDD was a "HUGE" baby.

She was 6 pounds, 13 ounces and came out just fine, thanks...


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## Phoenix~Mama (Dec 24, 2007)

That is so weird... I would definitely say 7-9 is average size these days. I wouldn't freak over an 8 lb baby anyway. *shrugs*


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## mamaspirit (Jan 8, 2008)

My baby was 6 lbs 12 oz and I thought she was really small! I had a friend who birthed a 12 pounder vaginally with no issues. With my first baby the doctor told me that he was over 9 pounds. He was 7 pounds even when he was born.

I don't think size is as important as health. If you have a healthy baby it doens't matter how much they weigh.


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## mytwogirls (Jan 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Limabean1975* 
Well, my little fella was 9 lbs 14 oz, so I certainly don't consider 8lbs to be big!









Ha ha I hear ya! My girls were 9lbs 2oz and 9lbs 8oz vaginally and no 8lbs is not big to me either! I am a small person (100 lbs) so yeah those were BIG girls I had. My friend had a baby boy at 7lbs even and she gushed at how HUGE he was...I just laughed to myself inside.


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## balancedmama (Feb 16, 2007)

I don't consider 8 lbs 'big'. It's all kind of a semantics issue though. I consider 7.5 about average, 8 lbs I might say more like a 'nice healthy weight'. 7.5 lb babies LOOK really small to me though. DD was 9lb 4oz after a nice big poop.







I think of her as 'bigger' but not huge. But compared to my friends' babies, she looked very big. I notice moms on MDC tend to have larger babies than the average population.


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## KBinSATX (Jan 17, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Limabean1975* 
Well, my little fella was 9 lbs 14 oz, so I certainly don't consider 8lbs to be big!









Same here. 9 pounds 13 ounces for my first baby and that's what I use to gauge others by. If it's bigger it's a big baby. If it's smaller, it's a small baby.

Just like with age! Now mid thirties is perfect, anything younger is 'young' and anything older is 'old'. LOL

Seriously though. I've seen so many birth annoucements lately with babies in the 6-7 pound range that would have probably grown nicely into slightly heavier babies if they wouldn't have been induced at 37/38 weeks...
Maybe that's why 8 pounds all of a sudden seems big?


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## GooeyRN (Apr 24, 2006)

I see 8 lbs as average. 6-10 lbs is normal. The nurses and midwife kept saying what a nice big baby ds was. Maybe b/c I am only 5'4"? I thought he looked like a normal baby with extremely chubby cheeks. He was 8 lbs 7 oz. He did look BIG compared to my dd at birth, though. She was 5 lb 13 oz. It's funny, my bigger baby was a MUCH easier labor and delivery. And MUCH less painful. I didn't tear at all with him, and with my peanut baby I tore a little. I was glad he had some extra chub, since he got sick and lost a lot and had trouble gaining.


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## 3boobykins (Nov 21, 2001)

Mine were all tiny, so 8 lbs would seem big to me, personally, in comparison, but I think that sounds pretty average. Mine were 3lbs.5oz (39 wks, IUGR), 5'11 (36 weeks) and 6 even (38 weeks). They were all (especially our little iugr guy!) pretty scrawny at birth but filled out quite quickly, especially dd1--she was 18lbs. by 6 months. Actually, when I see a newborn who weighs 8 lbs, now that it's been awhile since mine were babes, he/she appears TINY to me.


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## Sioko (Feb 3, 2007)

8lbs+ would seem big for me to personally have. DD1 was 5lbs 3oz (HG,IUGR), DD2 was 6lbs 10oz and I ate ALOT with her! I hope this babe is somewhere between 5 and 7 pounds too, healthy of course







.

But when I hear of other's birth weights I only say "Wow!" when they are 10lbs+


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## Celticqueen (Feb 17, 2007)

My mother in law had an 11 and a half pound baby. Now *that* is a big baby









-Caitrin


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## thefragile7393 (Jun 21, 2005)

I'd never consider my 8 pd son big....his head kinda but really he wasn't...just...average!

My friend delivered her first a few weeks ago, no induction (actually born the day after he was "due"), no drugs even, and he was 9 pds 19 oz. everyone keeps saying how he's "Huge" and while I haven't gotten to see him in person yet, I've seen pictures and he looks healthy and normal to me! I think double digits is on the bigger side, 10, 11, but that alone wouldn't frighten me provided everything else is okay. I too sense that with all these inductions there are smaller babies being born...the lower end of average IMO.


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## JBaxter (May 1, 2005)

I was thinking 8 was about average but I guess that depends on the mom also. My 92lb sil had a 8lb10zer and that was HUGE for her. My 3rd ds was 9lb8oz and he was "good sized" for me but Im 5ft8 and a size 12


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## Logan's mommy (Jan 19, 2007)

My brother was 12 lbs 1 oz, and 24 1/2 inches long... mom's doctors tried to tell her that my brother was coming too soon and wanted to stop her labor for a few weeks. I guess it's a good thing they didn't. I would say 7-8 (even 9) would be normal. My mom is pretty tall for a woman, though, she's 6'2". My brother is now 6'9". I hoping this babe isn't nearly that large.


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## NatureMama3 (Feb 25, 2004)

nah, I don't believe it has anything to do with mama's size. I'm only 5'2" and just had that 10lb 13oz boy. I have another good friend who is about 1 inch taller and VERY skinny who had a 10lb 6oz baby.

our pelvises are made to stretch!


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## box_of_rain (Mar 16, 2006)

Both of my guys were 9.5 pounds. I didn't think they were huge... One was 28 hours of labor, 5 hours pushing, the other was 4 hours of labor with 5 minutes of pushing. You never know!









A good friend of mine (who is a pretty tiny gal) had her 11 and a half pounder in 3 hours on her porch. Size doesn't always matter.


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## ryansma (Sep 6, 2006)

My ds was 8.8. I am hoping for that size or maybe bigger this time around. My midwives said 8 lbs is about average now.


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## Limabean1975 (Jan 4, 2008)

I see there has been some discussion of size of mom, GD, etc..I posted earlier that I had a 9'14 baby.

Here's the stats:

Start of pregnancy, me: 119 lbs
Full term, me: 139 lbs
Baby: 9lbs 14 oz
No gestational diabetes. NOthing like that.

eta: and born vaginally, no drugs, NO TEARS, no pubic symphysis separation, no diastisis recti, etc etc etc.


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## Limabean1975 (Jan 4, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thefragile7393* 
My friend delivered her first a few weeks ago, no induction (actually born the day after he was "due"), no drugs even, and he was 9 pds 19 oz. e.

Is that a typo? 16 oz = 1 lb so "9 lbs 19 oz" is actually 10 lbs 3 oz.


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## soso-lynn (Dec 11, 2007)

DD was 7 and a half pounds and I thought she looked on the smaller side of average. She was 22 inches though.

My sister had a 9 pound 2 ounces baby and it was a huge deal in the hospital (she was 15, so everything was a big deal). They immediately put an IV in the baby's forehead and were all worried about sugar levels. I thought it was really weird. They were all acting as thought she was the biggest baby in the history of babies.

I got there shortly after the birth, the baby was with the doctors in some other room getting the IV and there was a big yellow container with BIO-HAZARD written in huge letters. I asked the nurse what that was and she said it was for the placenta. That is when I decided to never birth in a hospital.

Interestingly, my niece was in the lower average percentiles after a few months while my DD went from being 7 and half pounds to 20 pounds or so by 6 months. I really don't think that a healthy baby's birth weight makes that much of a difference.


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## letniaLynne (Jun 2, 2006)

I had what seemed to me like a peanut, she was 6lbs 11oz and 2 days later she was down to 6lbs 2oz. She looked sooo small to me. She was perfectly healthy and came almost exactly on her due date. When I hear of an 8lb baby I think normal, 10+ I start to think BIG and over 11 I have to say WOW. The bigger they born are the less they look like newborns since they already developed some nice cute fat rolls







.


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## knucklehead (Mar 12, 2008)

My son was 10lbs 3oz with a 15 1/2 inch head. I think in my case his birth was so hard because of his head. He was born vaginally and came out with a round cantaloupe head. I swear it didn't mold. Vaccum extraction didn't work. Finally after an episiotomy he popped out like a champagne cork.


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