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3rd Trimester
Jeilene
member
Baby Too BIG Experience
Jeilene
member
Hello ladies! It's been a while since I got on here which is why this post comes almost 9 weeks after my delivery. Just wanted to pass my experience along and hope it helps any of you whom are on my same boat.
I am 5'1" and at week 34 I asked my doctor if he would do another ultrasound to look at the size of the baby, specifically because my torso is so short and I felt my baby jammed up my ribs and back (it was a manageable pain that never went away) also, I wanted to have an idea of how big a "bowling ball" I was going to push out in just a few short weeks. Doctor said the only way my insurance would cover it is if they thought something was wrong, which luckily there wasn't. Long story short, I delivered at 39w 4d and my baby was going to be delivered by the doctor on-call. The moment that doctor saw me laying on the bed his first comment was "Are you sure your water broke? I don't mean to alarm you but that's one big baby you got in there." Once delivery time arrived and it was go-time, the doctor had me push twice to see how the baby moved, and as he expected I was going to need some assistance. He used two things first, both of which i have no clue what they were as i was in so much pain I did not care to ask (my epidural didn't work!), he had me push once with both and after each time realized they weren't going to work. Lastly he pulled out the vacuum and just a few pushes later my baby was born.
I walked away from the experience upset that my baby had to be vacuumed out, something that could have been prevented by getting that ultrasound when I requested it. Live and learn i guess, the upside is my baby was/is perfect and I get to share this experience so it doesn't happen to you. In the words of the wonderful doctor that delivered my baby: "Next time, DEMAND the ultrasound" although next time it WILL be covered as i already have this prior experience.
Hope you all are doing great and good luck!!!
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Re: Baby Too BIG Experience
Oh, I forgot to put this didn't I? He was 8lbs 13oz, 20" long and his head measured 14 & 1/4 inches around. He had the biggest rosy cheeks and never looked like a newborn!
How long were you pushing for before he attempted the vac assistance?
Did you only push twice before he started using equipment? And what would the u/s have prevented? I'd take a vacuum delivery over a c/s OR an early induction, personally.
This is what I'm thinking. What would you have done differently had you gotten the ultrasound? It wouldn't have changed anything. I think maybe the dr only letting you push once for each method he wanted to try then immediately going to vaccuum was a little premature.
oh, and FTR, ultrasounds aren't always correct. I had one 3 weeks before my son was born. We were told he was just over 6 lbs. Babies grow aprox 1lb a week in the last month, so I was totally expecting an 8-9lb baby. My son weighed 11lbs 7.5oz. Sometimes ultrasounds tell you nothing.
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All of this. Plus an 8-9 lb baby is biggish, but not enormous. My 1st DS was 8lb 9 oz at birth and I was induced at 38 weeks due to pre-e. Also because you successfully delivered vaginally I don't think your baby was too big for you. If he went into distress or got hopelessly stuck and you had to have an emergency c section, then I'd agree that the baby was too big. Most babies are not born in two pushes - If there was no other reason to go to the vacuum, I think your doctor jumped the gun.
What do you think a u/s would have done for you? u/s that late in the game are notorious for being inaccurate and inductions for "big babies" are not recommended by the ACOG because it is not a medical condition.
An 8 lb baby is not big and your stature has NOTHING to do with your ability to give birth. There are plenty of shorter women who give birth to bigger babies on a regular basis. There is no way for any doctor to tell before labor how much your pelvis can stretch and unless you have rickets it is VERY rare to grow a baby that is too big. Also, an actual macrosomia baby is 11 plus pounds and there.
I usually don't comment on birth stories because the birth is done and you can't change the past, but I am going to be blunt in your case because you seem to think that a late u/s will be the changing factor in future births...which is not likely.
Most likely the fact that you were giving birth on your back probably played a major part in why you had difficulty delivering. Giving birth on your back is the WORST position (for anyone by the OB or MW) and can actually make your pelvis smaller. If you had been upright (squatting) you probably wouldn't have had any difficulty. Also, it doesn't sound like the doctor gave you very much time to push. Slow and steady wins the race. I pushed for 3.5 hours and my MW said that is pretty normal for a FTM. It give your pelvis more time to open up and your skin more time to stretch. OBs are in way too much of a hurry these days.
The fact that he used the vacuum without your permission is unforgivable and unprofessional IMO. I am very sorry you had such a rough time and I wish you more gentle births in the future.
this
8 lbs is a pretty normal size...on the higher end of normal but still. I don't know what an u/s would have changed or what would have been preferable to the vaccuum...a c/s? two pushes and he went for interventions? that's ridiculous....sounds like a terrible doctor to me...and like he took one look at you having never treated you before (he was the onc all?) and made a fairly erroneous assumption about this size of your baby...moreover, my guess is his comment probably cause you to tense up (it would me) which mighthave caused you problems as well
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