Everyone comments how big that is for my first baby and that I will have bigger babies if I have more.
is this quite likely? is that the general pattern?
I had a 3rd degree tear and 3 hour pushing stage, I'm hoping I don't have a 10 pounder next time!!
also, is it common to get a 3rd degree tear again? the physio at the hospital said due to me having a big baby and a 3rd degree tear, I should maybe think about a cesarean next time!
It a question that has no answer really. Some women have bigger babies each time and other don't. Some women have all their babies that are roughly the same weight, sometimes if the next is a boy it could be bigger, but if your next is a girl they could be smaller. If you go early or go late that can affect bubs size. So see how you can't answer? There are too many variables. My first was a smidge bigger than yours and my next was a girl who was smaller, but my next two were significantly bigger each time.
And I think your physio is talking out their arse quite frankly. There could have been a lot of reasons why you were pushing for long and tore as bad as you did and not many of those reasons would have anything to do with the size of your baby.
My first, DS weighed 9lb 3oz. My second, DD weighed 9lb 1oz. So they don't always get bigger. I had a long hard labour the first time, ended up having a episiotomy as I needed help getting him out. The second time was a breeze. I did get a second degree tear but the pushing stage was 13 minutes compared to ages with DS (don't know how long but too long).
Can I just say I was in your position while PG with DS. The Drs were pushing me for a CS for the same reasons (DD was 8lb 13oz) they said subsequent babies are usually bigger & boys are generally bigger than girls (my second was a boy). I also had a 3rd degree tear with DD.
I chose another vag birth. DS was born at 39+2weeks PG & only weighed 7lb 3oz & I only tore a tiny amount. (DD was 41+1weeks)
Thats just my experience. FWIW I will always choose Vag over cs in the future. If I need an emergency cs then such is life, but I'll try vag first.
my first born ds was 10lbs3oz and then my second ds was 8lbs4oz...so they don't necessarily get bigger, despite everyone telling me to expect a 12pounder second time around!
My obstetrician certainly subscribes to the theory that babies get bigger with each pregnancy, and has already told me it would be advisable to watch my diet and to make sure I get tested for gestational diabetes this time around...even though I ate well in my previous pregnancies and have never had gestational diabetes.
However...with regard to the actual birth, I had a second degree tear and a forceps birth with DS but DD, who was a whole pound bigger, was a completely natural drug-free birth, much faster labour and I only needed 3 tiny little stitches. A much easier birth.
Instead of scaring you with the thought of a bigger baby, people should be telling you how much easier labour should be next time around!!!!
It definitely doesn't sound like it necessarily happens. Each of mine got bigger though.
DS1 - 8lb 3oz
DS2 - 8lb 13oz
DD - 9lb 5oz
But it honestly made no difference or made things worse the bigger each baby got. DD was a much quicker labour than her brothers were and I only had a tiny tear.
There was a whole 45 grams between DD2 & DS. He was a bigger baby in length & HC, but she was chubbier, lol. Had they all been born around the same they probably would've gone smaller to bigger.
With their births, position made a difference. DD1 had pretty basic labour. DD2 was longer coz she was head down, but sideways. DS was quicker. I had grazes with DD1, 1st degree with DD2 & no tears at all with DS as (I put it down to this) they said to stop pushing as he was crowning. Slowed his head down a bit iykwim. I didn't have stitches with any of them.
Last edited by ~clover~; November 29th, 2009 at 06:59 PM.
its good to see that babies don't always get bigger! (but I don't mind anyway as long as they are healthy)
I found the contractions not too bad at all, the pain, but I hated the pushing stage (I only had gas and air for an hour, but the midwife took it off me before the pushing stage as it was making me sleepy!)
FWIW - I put the tearing with DD2 down to my birth position - I was on my back - NOT where I wanted to be but I was on my back for other reasons & then it all happened very quickly.
I suspect if it had been done differently I wouldn't have torn as badly.
Jen you will more than likely find that the pushing stage with this baby is a lot quicker and easier than your first one. I went from a 1.5hr second stage with my first bub down to about 15 minutes with my second and she crowned while I was on the toilet. It only took as long as it did to get her out because I didn't push, I breathed her out to slow it down a bit. Even with my last two being much bigger (4.32 and 4.56) they both 1/2hr to get out and only then it was that long because they were both posterior and DS2 got stuck. Otherwise their second stages would have been a lot quicker too.
The first baby kinda 'paves the way' for any subsequent babies to come out. Plus this time you have the benefit of having been there, done that, before so you will know what works better for you and also it may be easier to focus on getting them out. The first time around you are a bit clueless with that kind of thing and it can be harder to know what to do kwim?
birth weights. do they get bigger?
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