# baby measuring big at 20 weeks--questions



## melon (Sep 16, 2008)

I had my 20 week u/s yesterday (20 weeks, 2 days), and the tech said the baby is "big". She was nonchalant about it, not like he's huge. When measuring his feet she chuckled and said, "wow, he's got big feet!", and then she told me he weighs 14 oz, which is larger than average. (I asked and she said 12 oz is average....everything i read says 9-10 oz at this stage)

Does anyone think this means he'll come early, or will he just be big? How big were your babies at 20 weeks?

(I was 10 days late, and 10 pounds! My mom had to have an emergency C because i didn't fit, and her bones are too small or something like that. Then with my brother she had a scheduled C and he was just over 8 lb)

i don't want to give birth to a 10 lb baby!!


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Relax. This is one of oh-so-many reasons I hate the practice of "routine" u/s.

It is incredibly incredibly rare for a woman to grow a baby too big to birth. I'd bet dollars to donuts that in a supportive environment your mom could have birthed you just fine.

Women here birth 10lb babies all the time. Mine were 8 12 and 8 11. No problems.

-Angela


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## painefaria (Jul 4, 2007)

At my post dates ultra sound they told me that my son was going to be more than 9 lbs. He was born 30 hours later at 7lbs 14oz. Don't stress and don't let them talk you into a CS of you don't want one!


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## dogmom327 (Apr 19, 2007)

I agree with Alegna, it is extremely rare for a woman's body to make a baby that is truly too big to birth. If that was common, a great deal more women would die in childbirth around the world and the world's population wouldn't be anywhere near as high.

Doctor's love to tell women their "too small" to give birth to "large" babies. Really, doctors generally to a horrible job of giving women the freedom they need to get the job done. For example, if you squat while giving birth, your pelvis opens 30% wider than if you give birth on your back or semi-reclining (doctor's favorite position).

Since it sounds like babies on the larger side are normal in your family, I'd encourage you to spend lots of time reading up on the topic and then find out what your doctor or midwife thinks. Maybe approach it by asking them what they will do to help you give birth vaginally since there's a family history of larger babies.

FWIW, don't put too much stock in that ultrasound. DS was 12 oz. at 20 weeks and turned out to be 6 lb. 2 oz. at birth


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## Mrsboyko (Nov 13, 2007)

Fat squishes, that is my motto for the big baby scare. Please read around in the boirth and beyond or even birth stories about all teh "big baby" scares that are just SO not big deals.

If your dates are even a little off (are you SURE when you got pregnant? Do you ovulate exactly on day 14 of your cycle? Many people do not) that could account for the differances. I know in this pregnancy I ovulated on day 9, putting my baby about 5 days larger than "average". I have been consistantly measuring 5 days up to 2 weeks ahead since the beginning. At exaclty 18 weeks my baby was estimated at 9 oz. By 20 weeks that would put him at about 12 oz, so your is a bit bigger, but he could just have a long legs. Little differances make the measurements off, that is all.

And 10 lbs is not that big. I would much rather a 10 lb'er than a little 5 lb'er


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## Mamaperk (May 15, 2005)

Ok so this is the newest trend I'm hearing lately ... people being told that ultrasound shows their baby to be big at various times during pregnancy. Ultrasound is NOTORIOUSLY wrong for estimating baby's weight and size after the first trimester, from everything I've read.

I'd ignore the 2oz overweight baby and enjoy him/her.

I had a 10lb baby at home in the water and he was probably my easiest birth overall ... my hardest was my first and he was also my smallest at 7lbs 12oz.


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## boscopup (Jul 15, 2005)

My 20 week u/s said my second baby was 1 lb 1 oz (so 17 oz







). He was measuring 2 weeks ahead. I'd had a dating u/s that coincided with my charting date, so knew my dates. My babies just grow quickly. He came at 36w6d weighing 7 lbs 4 oz. If he'd gone to 40 weeks, he probably would have only been about 8.5 lbs, maybe less.

My first son, I didn't have u/s until I had PPROM at 29 weeks. He too measured 2 weeks ahead (no dating u/s, but I did chart with him, so my dates were correct). He measured 3 lbs 10 oz on the u/s. He was born 3 days later weighing 3 lbs 13 oz. So the u/s was correct for his size, but again, if he'd gone to 40 weeks, he would have likely only been 8.5, *maybe* 9 lbs. Not huge by any means.

I found an intrauterine growth chart (can't find the one I usually refer to... still looking) that said babies usually weigh about 10.58 oz at 20 weeks, and 12.70 at 21 weeks. So your 12 oz is not huge. It sounds like your baby is pretty much average size, and I wouldn't be worried about having a 10 lb baby (well, I don't worry about it anyway, because as others have said... fat is squishy!







).

And to further reassure you... my 7 lb 4 oz baby was less painful to birth than my 3 lb 13 oz baby.


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## boscopup (Jul 15, 2005)

Found the chart I usually refer to, but it starts at 28 weeks, so isn't useful for 20 weeks.







:

http://www.ob-ultrasound.net/weight.html


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## dogmom327 (Apr 19, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mrsboyko* 
And 10 lbs is not that big. I would much rather a 10 lb'er than a little 5 lb'er









: (and I'm planning a home birth!)

Mine was 6# and personally I found that to be scary. I was terrified if he was eating enough, etc. I think I could have relaxed more too if he'd been more substantial









Also, small babies sometimes do weird things (like put their hands on their head) to come out. Speaking from personal experience...this is not fun. Bigger babies generally don't have space to pull such acrobatic maneuvers.


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## melon (Sep 16, 2008)

wow, thanks for all your quick and informed replies!

My doc isn't concerned about the size--they never said he's "too" big, just casually mentioned that he's big. The doc actually said everything looks "perfect" and "healthy".







:

I guess my biggest question is if he is likely to come early.

edit: i'm positive of my last period, but not my ovulation.


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## ainh (Jul 27, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *melon* 
I guess my biggest question is if he is likely to come early.


Absolutely not. Size is no indication of when they come out. It's not like once they hit pounds they come out or something. Some big ones come early...some come late (like mine). And on the flip side, some small ones make an early entry and some small ones stay put. No corrolation that I know of between size and when they make their entrance.


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## mama to 2 girls (Dec 11, 2006)

Just wanted to add that I had 10lber at home and it wasn't his squishy body that I had trouble getting out, it was his big ole' noggin I had trouble with!







and I can thank dh for that one! (he had a big head at birth and still does!)

ETA: oh yeah and they had him measuring 12oz. at about 19 weeks but I had to have a follow-up u/s for low lying placenta and he was only measuring 1 day ahead(it was actually his head that was measuring 1 day ahead) and my m/w's (and myself) were only expecting a 8 1/2 - 9lber. based on palpation.


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## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ainh* 
Absolutely not. Size is no indication of when they come out. It's not like once they hit pounds they come out or something. Some big ones come early...some come late (like mine). And on the flip side, some small ones make an early entry and some small ones stay put. No corrolation that I know of between size and when they make their entrance.

Amen. Nor is Mama's belly size any indicator of birth timing either. I'm a very small person and last pregnancy I cannot tell you the numbers of jerks who made comments to me about, "Oh you'll NEVER go full term -- you're so huge already"







:

FWIW, my SIL is just a little bigger than I am (she's 5'3" and weighs probably 110, PP), and her second baby weighed over 10 pounds. She went into spontaneous labor, he was born vaginally, on his due date.

So in addition to the size thing being no indicator of them needing to come early (at least not in singletons), and dating u/s past the first two months are notoriously inaccurate, Mama's size is also not an indicator, just in case you were wondering.


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