big baby = possible c-section??

harkeyl86 · September 2014

Hi my name is Laura, i haven't posted in this board yet but im due sept 24th. We just had an u/s at 37 weeks and they said he currently weighs 9lbs and is measuring in length at 40w1d...that was 5 days ago. My doctor is saying that a c-section is a possibility so that his shoulder doesn't get stuck in my pelvis. I am very worried either way, FTM. i read about how shoulders getting stuck can lead to possible fetal demise =/ just wondering if any of you have had experience with this? I know that the weight isnt always accurate. they said it could be off give or take around 1lb 6 oz so that could mean he's only 7.5lb or 10.5lbs already! Just looking for people who have gone through this or have any insight? Trying to decide whether to schedule the c-section or risk the vaginal which may end up in an emergency c-section.

mb314 · September 2014

Weight estimates can be off. I've have at least 2 friends where they were told they have a "big baby" and were encouraged to have a c-section, and in the end, after the c-section, the babies were in the 8 lb range (which I would not call "big").

Another friend of mine has given birth, vaginally, to a 9 lb, 14 oz baby and a 10 lb baby, without any complications other than tearing.

I personally would be hesitant to agree to a c-section for the "big baby" excuse.

harkeyl86 · September 2014

thank you ladies. i thought so but i just wanted to know some input. ive had 5 major surgeries in my life so no i would not elect to have another major surgery, but i do want him as healthy as possible. when i saw the word possible fetal demise that was what scared me most

maybebride · September 2014

I will tell you my story. I had a bigger baby and had to have a C-section, but that wasn't the whole story.

DS was a big baby from the first. He measured almost a week big at our first u/s at 8 weeks. We knew there was no question on how far along I was, so we just accepted big baby - DH chose that moment to tell me he had been a big baby.

I consistently measured two and three weeks ahead once they started measuring my belly and finally we had another u/s (besides the anatomy scan) at 32 weeks, which confirmed he was a big baby. At that point, my doctor was 100% confident I would have no issues delivering on my own.

I had two more sonos. after that to again check his size as I was still measuring big. The last one was at my 39 week appointment (I was really 3 days away from my due date, though). At that point, baby was predicted to be weighing in at 9lbs 2oz. and I was showing no signs of labor. Baby wasn't dropping, I was not dilated even a little, nothing was happening. My doctor kept us late to have a discussion of options. In addition to weight, baby's shoulders were measuring very wide (just like his daddy) and my doctor explained to us the potential risks of trying to deliver him vaginally. She was concerned about letting me go past my due date with his size (and this is NOT her norm; she waited nearly two weeks past a friend's due date to induce and only then because her fluid was getting low) because the risk was he would only get bigger. She was concerned about inducing because we would be starting from nothing, which does not always have the greatest success. Our options were to try to wait it out but knowing that the second she felt baby was in distress or stuck, she would take me straight to the OR or to schedule the C-section to get him out.

She sat with me while I cried because it was a horrible decision to have to make because you will never know what would have happened either way. In the end, we chose to schedule the C-section because based on the information we had at the time and the complete trust I had in my doctor's opinion, it was the best choice we could make for our child's safety. It was an agonizing decision that we had to make in a pretty short time. DS was born two days later, weighing in at 9lbs 6oz (so our predictions were right on, which is NOT the norm). Once out, my doctor said there was no way we would have been able to do it any other way.

All that to say, I still agonize over the choice we made and wonder what might have been. I've seen two people close to me give birth to bigger babies than mine vaginally, one did have shoulder issues (thankfully, not long-term or life threatening) requiring OT. But, my doctor waited until the last possible time to make the decision to discuss our options with us because she truly did not want to put me through a c/s without cause. One of the biggest keys for me was having a doctor I completely trusted and whose history of births I was very well aware of, so I knew she did not advise us out of convenience or jumping the gun.

I don't know if my (long, sorry) story helps you at all, but I wanted to give you perspective from someone who has been there. And I am sure there are people who will disagree with the route we went, but until you are actually in the position to have to make that decision, you can't really judge.

maybebride · September 2014

I also want to add that I completely agree that a big baby is NOT a good enough reason to have an elective c-section. My doctor even said that at every appointment until that last one. We both literally cried because it is one of those impossible decisions to make.

soulcupcake · September 2014

I absolutely would not opt for a c-section due to suspected macrosomia. My list of issues that warrant a c-section is actually pretty short, and big baby isn't one of them.

"Failure to progress" and "arrest of descent," statistically, are due to how labor is mismanaged (unnecessary interventions) than baby being too big. I don't consider a baby "big" until 10 lbs, which I'd love to have.

A friend of mine recently vaginally birthed an 11 lb 12 oz baby boy at 39 weeks. Her first.

dogsombrero · September 2014

My son was "measuring big" and it was estimated he'd be 9 1/2#. He was 10# 14 oz and was a normal vaginal birth even though his head was also transverse he has no issues or shoulder dystocia and I only had a 2nd degree tear. Even "big" babies can be born vaginally as long as the pelvis can accommodate them no need to rush in to a surgery unnecessarily.

waldothewiener1 · September 2014

Damn @Kimbus22‌, I can see why you're done having kids! lol

rockopera · September 2014

My OB offered me the c-section, for this exact reason baby was measuring 10 lbs and he was worried about shoulder dystocia. I declined the elective. I was going to try to go epidural free, but OB recommended I reconsider in case I did have to have an emergency c-section, if we did have to deal with any maneuvers for a shoulder dystocia, and/or painful repair. I agreed to that. We induced at 39 weeks, mostly because I was having blood pressure issues. I showed up at 4-5cm dilated, so I only needed pitocin.

The agog guidelines posted above and reading Ina May's child book birth helped me immensely. I had an uncomplicated vaginally delivery. I did have 3rd degree tearing, but recovery was not bad at all. Baby was 9lbs, 9oz in the end.

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