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Natural Birth
Size of baby...
I'm wanting a natural delivery, but baby has been measuring ahead the whole pregnancy. Had my 25 week appt with OB today who said I *may* need a C-section if baby is too big. At how many lbs would you give in to your doctor and do the C-section? I'm thinking like 9 or 10 and even then I might want to still try natural unless the baby is in distress.
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Re: Size of baby...
It seems like babies are frequently estimated to be much larger than they actually are at birth. How are they determining the baby's size? I personally would want to have a trial of labor, and only resort to a c-section if absolutely necessary and obvious the baby won't pass through the birth canal.
Check out the blog becomingmamas.com, she has her birth center birth story there, where her daughter was around 10 pounds and was delivered vaginally with no meds. I'm sure there are a lot of other birth stories where big babies are born naturally as well. Do your research, and don't be hesitant to find a provider who will be supportive of your desire to have a natural birth. You still have time. Good luck!
big brother 5/30/10 * cp 4/27/12 * little sister 2/25/13
Honestly I wouldn't consent to a c-section unless a trial of labor failed. If my baby was nearing an estimate of 11lbs, I would consider an induction.
You should really read this:
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0115/p302.html
Size estimations can be off as much as 2lbs either way. Meaning, they really have no idea how big your baby is. It's uncommon (barring any outside factors, like GD or an oddly shaped pelvis) for your body to grow a baby that's too large for you to deliver vaginally. Unless I had real reason to believe that baby was "too big to fit" I would not consent to a C/S based only on the estimated size. Even IF baby is on the larger size, women deliver 9 and 10lb babies all the time with no issue. If that's what your body is meant to deliver then that's the size of baby it will grow. I really wouldn't put much stock in what the doctor thinks the size is.
It seems extremely common nowadays for them to overestimate size. I can't tell you how many friends have been induced early because of "big babies". A close friend of mine had a scheduled C/S with her first baby last year because he was "too big to fit". Doctor estimated baby at 10+lbs and after the C/S baby came out 8lbs2oz.
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I was about to reference this as well. Read the article, noting that several studies found sizes to be off about 11.6 oz, and that elective c-sections are discouraged. The only plus is the convenience to your doctor. Try labor first.
You might like to read this site.
https://www.theunnecesarean.com/
It's a little distressing to hear c/section talk at 25 weeks but it does depend on your situation.
PPs have linked some sites to check out. And I would agree that our bodies are pretty good at matching us up with babies that fit. Don't forget that a large birth weight doesn't necessarily mean a huge head and that's the hardest part. ;p
Good luck!
Sometimes, I'm hilarious.
I wouldn't consent without a real trial of labor either.
My bff had a 9lb12oz baby with a 15" head. Her labor was really smooth, but she waited 6 hours between being completely dilated and feeling the urge to push. She prayed through it all and decided that he must have just needed the time to align himself just right. She had no tearing or damage, and when she got the urge to push finally, he was out within a few minutes. Thank goodness she was at home, otherwise that most likely would have been a c/s after they forced her to push for 3 hours or something. She also delivered in a squatting position in the bathtub so that her pelvis was opened to the max and gravity was helping a lot.
Thanks for the shout out ;-)
Eleanor was 10 pounds and I didn't even tear. As everyone has already said, size estimates are notoriously inaccurate and women rarely grow a baby that is physically too large to birth. I would never consent to a c-section simply based on size alone.
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Find a new doctor if your current one is telling you your baby is too big at 25 weeks. This is a good post about suspected macrosomia: https://birthsen.tmdhosting930.com/?p=1531
FWIW, I had a 10.5 lb baby with no problems. My MW and I had no idea he was going to be that huge, as my first was 8 lbs.
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
9lbs is a pretty typical birth weight these days. I would never consent to a section for that. Personally, I wouldn't do a c-section for size ever without a trial of labor. I've personally seen moms with 12 pound babies have easy, natural labors - both moms who were quite petite and moms who had "birthing hips".
Simply standing, most women have a pelvic outlet that is 10cm in diameter (31cm in circumference), in a deep squat they have an outlet that is closer to 15cm in diameter (47cm in circumference), but in a semi-squat (chair pose in yoga) or on hands and knees, it's even bigger than that. Measure yours (tailbone to public bone) to decide what position you ought to be in. During the expulsion reflex, the tailbone also kicks out (which is why you don't want to be on your back), to open the pelvis even further. Make sure your care provider will allow you to birth in whatever position is necessary for you.
FYI - For a newborn, 32-38cm is the average circumference. 47cm is 50th percentile on the growth chart for a 15 month old...
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I thought this as well--baby might be "measuring ahead" per height of fundus or U/S estimates, but it seems really early to be talking c-section. Was the doc just mentioning the possibility as a long-shot (as in, "Wow, you're measuring pretty big! Worst case scenario on really big babies, we talk c-section") or was it "Let's start talking schedules." ? I would be really leery of someone talking seriously about a section on size alone (ok, well anytime, but) as early as you are if there aren't other factors (some women truly do have pelvises that won't accommodate the baby--but it's far rarer than the number of women who are told they need sections because baby is "too big.")
I know two women who have had 9.5-10lb babies (4 babies between the two of them) vaginally/naturally.
It's not a given that a 10lb baby won't fit out of a 5'6"-5'8" woman. If you're worried or might want to challenge your OB I'd read Ina May's info on size and how an OB uses the 3-P's while a midwife uses the spincter rules:
https://www.inamay.com/article/understanding-birth-and-sphincter-law
...baby #3 is here...