If you had a very long pregnancy....

[Crystalwings]

Pretty much yes

First: Born 40 weeks at 4300gm
Second: Born 41 weeks at 4730gm
Both were natural births.

When I first booked into the birth centre with the second I was told I wouldn't have to see an OB to be approved as "low risk" given my previous natural labour. But then when an OB had to sign off they flagged my file that I had to have an OB appointment before being approved. I never went to that appointment as I was planning a homebirth anyway but I suspect the OB wanted to talk about my "big baby" and I do wonder if they would have wanted to cap my allowed gestation under "low risk" and not let me birth in the birth centre past a certain date due to "big baby" risks... whatever those risks are??

I think there are risks associated with big babies. things like shoulder dystocia are a huge risk to baby and mother. My 10lb7 bub had shoulder dystocia, got stuck, inhaled fluid on her breathing problems and fluid on her lungs and ended up in SCN on a drip, chest xrays etc. Obs said she could have died etc. it was scary stuff. I sustained a third degree tear and am still recovering almost 6mths on. yeah sure tearing can happen with any size baby but i think it is naive to say there aren't more risks with big babies.

[meow]

Shoulder dystocia and tearing do happen with any size baby. I think they have more to do with position of mum and baby during birth.

[Fleur]

All mine were roughly 40+10

3.9kg / 8lb10
4.4kg / 9lb13
4.1kg / 8lb13
4.7kg / 10lb8

I can't fit enough of the little dude in here to convey how I feel. She truly believes that this baby will be big. She truly believes that big baby = bad birth. She WILL go dutifully into that hospital on B-day and succumb to the cascade of interventions again. She will blame the midwives/hospital/birth experience/size of the baby again. She will end up in tears over it later, again.

She's not my friend. She is a member of the family I married into. The one who punched my husband in the face over our parenting choices. This baby's imminent arrival is stressing the pants off me. Part of me wants to save her from this, to shake her by the shoulders and say "it doesn't have to be that way!" But if she gets violent over me breastfeeding twice in an hour, I don't think that will be received favourably The other part of me says "Fine. Go. Follow orders, and get what you deserve."

I'm sure that makes me sound horrible. But I have to get it out.

It sounds really frustrating for you.