birth weights. do they get bigger?

[Jen27]

Hi

my dd was born weighing 9lb 3 oz (4.16kg)

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!

thanks

[Trillian]

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.

[AwesomeFoursome]

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).

[Arimeh]

DS was 8 pound. 2.5 oz
DD1 was 8 pound 11.5oz
DD2 was 8 pound 10 oz.

[westy]

DS1 was 7lb 2oz
DS2 was 8b 2oz

[~breeze~]

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.

Good luck with your pending birth

[Lisa]

For me it has definitely not been true.
Here are my children's birth weights;
DS1 - 9lb 7oz
DD1 - 7lb 9oz
DS2 - 7lb 10oz
DD2 - 8lb 13oz

[Ginger]

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!

[~*Niadalla*~]

1st- DS was 8lbs14.5oz 2 tears- 1st degree in my urethra and 2nd degree along my perenium.
2nd - DD was 7lbs12oz - no tearing.

[aussienic]

I don't really agree with this myth..

DS1 8lb 13oz
DS2 9lb 14oz
DS3 8lb 9oz
DD1 6lb 12oz

My MIL had the opposite.. Her kids got smaller each time

[Becs_bubs]

I had:

DD: 7lb 13oz
DS 1: 9lb 5oz
DS 2: 9lb 9.5oz

so mine have definitely gone up in weight, but as for tears/stitches etc, they got easier each time and did less damage, and #3 was a massively easier birth compared to the first two, and he was the biggest. Just because they're heavy doesn't mean they're 'big' or chubby, either - all three of mine were really skinny little things, but just really long.

[misty]

so mine have definitely gone up in weight, but as for tears/stitches etc, they got easier each time and did less damage, and #3 was a massively easier birth compared to the first two, and he was the biggest. Just because they're heavy doesn't mean they're 'big' or chubby, either - all three of mine were really skinny little things, but just really long.

agree with this.

mine were:
DD - 3.5kg - 3rd degree tearing.
DS1 - 3.6kg - slight graze no tearing.
DS2 - 4.3kg - nothing in regards to tearing at all.

[Jen27]

Thanks so much everyone, its really reasurring to read your replies!. I quite enjoyed the active stage of labour, I dialated very quickly (think I was 6cm when I got to the hospital) and found it not too bad at all, its the 3 hours of pushing I didn't like... very painful, as though dd was totally stuck and never going to come. her head was 36cm and she was chubby. the midwife said ''oohh wow look how chubby she is. she has rolls of fat on her arms and legs'' haha. Its great to hear that next time around the pushing stage may be reduced dramatically! yay!

[Inertia]

*points to weights in my signature*

I've never met anyone whose babies just kept getting bigger and bigger.

On the tear. I only had a tiny 1cm long/deep tear with my first - then I never tore again. In fact, my near 10 pounder was the easiest labour I remember. Miss L was the hardest/longest and Miss P easily blitzed them all as most painful.

[nicjay]

DD1 was 7lb10oz
DD2 was 7lb2oz

I had an epi and 2nd degree tear with DD1 and a 2nd degree tear only with DD2 but I healed much much faster the second time around though. Don't know if that's a lot of help, but good luck anyway.