Hi there.
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Hi there.
why is it that everyone that had a big baby had no trouble
was i just the only one or was it cause my baby was too big
Depends on the birth and the position of the baby amongst other things. Also if you have pain relief... I read that posterior babies were more common where epidurals were used. I am sure you are not the only one... lots of people out there are having bad experiences, sadly... and none at the fault of their own body or the baby - but the birth environment and situation.
thanks girls, thats all so interesting hearing all your stories. I am no longer worried or concerned at any stage if we have a "big" (so to speak) baby....
So if your belly is bigger than someone elses belly it doesnt mean you are going to have a bigger baby or more pain or have to push harder etc? is that right? just confirming what i read! :)
yeah the size of your belly or the way you are carring it isn't a fact of what your baby will be. I was tiny with my first & had an average size baby.
Awww Jessabel,
Many women who have babies have some difficulty - not only if they are big babies...
As Kelly said the position the mother is in, the interventions applied, the support and care given to the woman are all factors in birth outcome. We have a lot of fear in our society over size of babies. U/S often unsuccessfully measures a babies size and women are told "mmm this baby is big" with furrowed brow and worried expression. (very often this prediction is wrong!) This straight away puts fear into a woman and fear works against our bodies... Also, many care providers are afraid and this is transfered to the birthing Mama too...
I dont' want to lay blame because blame doesn't help us. But knowing these facts can help women birth their babies more gently (I believe).
So, don't feel alone - many women have a tough time but I think the object of this discussion is to highlight that a large baby doesn't necessarily equate with a difficult birth. Of course sometimes it does but it is my belief that there are sometimes other factors at play... :hug:
I'd recommend to anyone worried about big babies and their pelvis to get the pink kit below because the feedback I often hear is that because they have learnt the skills and about how their pelvis works (and how they can help their pelvis) they are no longer frightened of big babies, posterior babies etc. They are excited about birth and confident as they have skills and tools to work with whatever situation arises.
The Pink Kit - Learn Birth Skills In Your Own Home
Have a look... and don't be afraid of birth... it's designed to work, you just have to work with it. Even small babies get shoulder dystocia, just ask Lucy! Her next, bigger baby didn't.
What a great thread.
I too believe that It is not the size of the baby but how a woman feels about her body that makes a vaginal birth possible. Yes sometimes a baby is in the wrong position but more often it is the ob's wish for a c-sect that makes it happen.
Jessabell, my two biggest babies were my hardest births - the third one because I was induced and she was posterior and the fourth one because he was so much bigger again and also posterior. I tried everything to get Alister to turn before the birth but he just wouldn't so I had to work with what I had. I think I did a pretty good job to birth him vaginally and at no time did my midwife or my Dr suggest that I needed a c/s - they worked with me while I was pushing and together we all did a good job to get him out even though the cord was around his neck and he had shoulder dystocia. It really does make a difference if you have a great team around you while you birth regardless of the possible size of the baby.
Olivia (only 7lb2oz) got very stuck with shoulder distocia. I had a great OB who managed to manouvre her out without any broken bones, and I managed to give birth to her vaginally and drug free.:
Even small babies get shoulder dystocia, just ask Lucy!
In hindsight I think the postiion I was in was the problem....reclining on a bed. She was my first, and I maybe didn;t have the confidence in my body which I do now? That, for me, is the trick. I know what my body is capable of. I know it is designed to give birth regardless of size, so I have been able to be confident, IYKWIM?
Charlie and Lexie were both bigger and born fast with no distocia issues at all....they were easier and faster births......again, vaginal and drug free. I gave birth to both Charlie and Lexie in a standing up position.......which helped me no end. I felt totally in control.
(Charlie was predicted to he a huge 13lber BTW.........not so, LOL!)
Bodhi was a 9.5lb baby(not quite 10 i know). He was due to be induced 4 days after he was born, so i reakon he would of come pretty close to 10lb. I delivered his naturally, no drugs......i was prettty pleased with myself as i dont handle pain very well & i was pretty freaked out. I had no trouble with it. I got to the hospital at 4:30pm he was born at 6:31pm. Nice & quick.
It really is amazing what our bodies can do:D
My aunt had 2 10lb boys with big heads, both 16+ hour labors, all with gas. The last was 9lb lol she said he was easy.
My bub was just over 9lb and she came out rather easily. I only had two 1st degree tears and those were due, i think, to the position i gave birth in (semi-recline) and me pushing her out too fast.
I have had 2 9lb'ers, not 10lb i know but still big. Both were completely different births though. DD was 9lb 5oz and was born with shoulder dystocia which i am guessing was due to the fact she was born with vacuum extraction. Because i birthed DS who was 9lb with no problems at all and i birthed both of them on my back on the bed. DD took 2hrs of pushing and DS only 33mins of pushing and after his head was born he shot out in one go. I also had an epidural with DS and not with DD plus he was born posterior and he was still easier to push out. So for me it was more to do with the better care and support i had the second time around.
I was also told by a midwife that bigger babies seem to have a more effective labour because the uterus has something more to push out where as with a smaller baby it has to work harder to push it out, IYKWIM.
my midwife also told me this. but all in all, every birth is different and it all depends on the position of the baby, ect. I don't think size really has much to do with the labour. My bubs was WAY OFF 10pound :D hehe! He was 3lb 4oz. And he still friggen hurt!! lol. I was in labour for just over two weeks. I entered stage one when my waters broke on the 10th feb 07 and the drs kept me on drugs to stop the labour after 48hrs they let me go and I had many many trips into the labour ward to find out that I was only a cm or two.:
I was also told by a midwife that bigger babies seem to have a more effective labour because the uterus has something more to push out where as with a smaller baby it has to work harder to push it out, IYKWIM.
But anyway I'm here about my mum.... My lil bro was born weighing in at 10lb 10oz!!! Due to an incompenant dr there were many complications. After giving birth Vaginally to my brother, she was no longer able to have any more children, if she could even concieve anymore. It was the dr's first delivery, and he didn't "catch" my bro just let him kinda "fall out" which resulted in major tearing of both the cervix and through into the anal passage. The actual labour though was quite short and she had said that I was the hardest (I was the smallest and the first at 6lb 5oz) My other bro, mum's 2nd, was the BEST birth ever.... mum didnt feel right so she went to the hospital upon checking her she was already 10 cm dialated (had no contractions at all) the dr was called and when the dr walked through the door mums waters broke and Alan was born all within approx 15 mins. He was 7lb ??oz. My point being that all births are different and none are any "harder" than the other. It all depends on the position of the baby.
Thanks :)
my baby was 10pnds3 and i had him vaginally. hurt like hell though :)
My sister and brother were both 10lb 4oz, and both delivered vaginally. I'm not sure, but I think my mum didn't have any pain relief. She had pethadine with me (I was first), and I came out a bit stoned, so she avoided it with the 2nd and 3rd.
Did anyone suffer urine incontinence after birthing their big babies? I did after birthing my 9pound 12 ounce son I couldn't feel the need to go to do wee's was very embarrassing. He had a 37cm head so I dont know if that could have caused it.
Even after birthing my big bubby I am still scared of birthing a big or bigger baby. It is an annoying mentality to have, I know it is how effective a birth is.
I do get a bit envious though seeing newborns down the street and how tiny they are with their cute tiny little heads, when I know that my baby was that size at 34 or 35 weeks in utero and that by birth he would be double. Not fair!!!