Is my baby girl too big?

Question

I'm 38 weeks pregnant and the estimated fetal weight from my last ultrasound suggested that my baby weighed 8 pounds. My doctor told me that my area was a bit uncomfortable for such a big baby to come out of. He suggested a c-section, but told me I could wait 'till I go into labor and see what hapens. But what if my baby decides to come out at arround 42 weeks, how much more could she grow. What should I do?

Answer 1

usually after the 40th weeks, when the baby is fully formed and ready to be born, they actually stop growing. the placenta will have reached its maturity and that is why they don't give you much more time after full term. i would go with what your doctor suggests though since he will know what's best

Answer 2

Please don't worry about this because ultrasound is not a perfect science and a doctor can be a pound or more off with his/her weight estimate.

I know...this has happened to me twice...but I had the opposite problem.

They told me my son was too small and would be about 5 pounds. He was born at 37.5 weeks and was 6 lb. 4 oz. and was perfectly healthy.

They also thought my daughter (third baby) was going to be small. She was also born full term at 38.5 weeks and was over 7 pounds.

Remember, the doctor is not only making assumptions based on limited ultrasound, but he is going by the arbitrary due date calculator that is applied to every pregnant woman no matter what time in her cycle she actually conceived. This can throw your due date off by as much as 2 weeks.

Even if your baby is 8 pounds, that's no cause for concern. It's a cause for relief! You've got a healthy, thriving child and she will come out when ready. Furthermore, most women cease to gain weight after 37-38 weeks so 8 pounds may be as big as your baby gets.

Many women have been told they couldn't deliver a larger baby vaginally. That's ridiculous. It's very rare that God makes a baby too big for its own mother to deliver, and in the rare event that delivery is difficult, there are lots of ways to help it along.

You might really want to do some reading up on this to get other viewpoints. Remember, your doctor is first and foremost a doctor. He will be clinical and by the book. He was taught in medical school that a "big baby" can be a hazard to the mother.

Ridiculous. Please educate yourself so you will be prepared to make a more informed decision and not worry needlessly. C-section is MAJOR surgery and comes with many risks, so you should NEVER get it "just in case" and based upon a doctor's guess of your baby's size.

I would also not let them do any more ultrasounds b/c they are pointless right now - there's no medical necessity - and you don't want to needlessly expose baby to ultrasound waves. They are still doing studies on the effects of this.

Congratulations on your healthy baby. Best of luck!

Answer 3

My daughter was born at 41 weeks and 6 days and weighed in at 9 pounds 14 ounces and was 22 inches long. I was also told around the 38th week that I would be having a large baby and I am a very small boned woman. Complete strangers came up to me in the hospital and couldn't believe I had given birth to such a LARGE BABY. I had no problem giving birth to my baby and she was actually the easiest of my children to deliver. I think that with all of the technology they have at the hospital you should be safe trying to give birth normal and the doctors can tell during the delivery if they need to go ahead and perform a c-section. I would only preschedule the section if the doctor can tell you for sure that you would be unable to deliver normally!

Answer 4

I would tell the doctor that you did not want a c-section. The recovery is horrible! Dr. can only GUESS the babies weight. They do not know for sure. My mom was told I was 9 pounds... I came out weighing 6.5 pounds! Its only a guess. If the baby is too big to come out, they can do an episotomy. (probably spelled it wrong!) Which yes, is probably painful (but in what way is childbirth not painful!!? lol) but just tell him you would rather try with a natural and if she is too big then opt for a csection. He should induce you before you reach 42 weeks, especailly if he thinks she is 8 pounds. Maybe mention getting induced to him. Good Luck

Answer 5

Those late ultrasounds can be way off as far as weight goes. I'd wait til labor starts to decide about a c-section. Babies grow about 1/2 or 1 pound a week towards the end.

Answer 6

7-10 pounds is normal where I live for term babies. 8 pounds at 38 weeks isnt a big deal in my opinion. Your baby will gain a few ounces per week. My son was born 5 weeks premature and weighed an even 7 pounds {thanks to steriod shots and high calorie diet tryin to make sure he was big enough if he came early} Furthermore late term ultrasounds are not accurate first trimester ultrasounds are the most accurate it also depends on the person taking the measurments. 3 days before I had my son I had my last ultrasound I was told my son weighed 5 pounds and I had been having ultrasounds weekly due to being so high risk and his weight was going up and down he came out at 7 pounds and is perfect {though didnt look it they reweighed him 4 times}

My good friend was 110 pounds 5'2" when she got pregnant her son weighed almost 11 pounds when he was born and he was born vaginally

Answer 7

You'll be fine - the sonograms are not exact either - they could be off by a pound either way. Try to birth the baby - there is a lot more recovery to a c-section and to do it unneccasarly doesn't make sence. If memory serves babies at this stage gain 1/2 a pound a week.

Answer 8

Thats big but theres always bigger! I knew this girl who had three 10-12 lb babies that she pushed out, and they induced two weeks early. She wasnt a big girl or diabetic. The last 4 weeks of pregnancy your baby gains 1/2-1 lb a week! If you hit 40 weeks, your doc might do a stress test on you. If baby or you have no signs of coming out soon he should want to induce, or suggest the c-section again. If you feel that you can push it out and baby looks healthy enough to go thru labor then go for it, but if doc suggests the c-section again for baby's health reasons, remember its always for the best, just a bit longer recovery. Good luck!

Answer 9

Wait a couple of weeks. Maybe your baby will come sooner than you think. And it's not the weight of the baby that is important - it's the diameter of the head because it is baby's biggest part. Discuss it with your doctor when you go into labor. He seems to know what he is doing.

Answer 10

Just let me tell you that the ultrasound estimations are not always correct. They told me that my son was over 10 pounds and he came out at 8.4 pounds. I wouldn't worry too much. Like I said, they are not always accurate with the weights. When the time comes, your body will know what to do.

Answer 11

Do not be pressured into a C-section. Doctors like them because they can schedule them and there is no waiting around. Wait and see what happens. My mother in law is 5ft tall and had 5 over 10lbs babies.
Plus, C-sections are harder to recover from. You aren't able to connect with the baby as well in the beginning., and you get to carry a scar around for the rest of your life.