9 lb baby and small frame

[Ar1el]

I am 38 weeks pregnant and I had my doc appointment today. He said I was measuring small and sent me to the hospital to get an ultra sound to measure the baby and the fluid around the baby. I was told that this was not a small baby but it was a large baby...........9lb. I have to other children, DD was 6 lbs 10 oz and DS was 7 lbs 14oz. 9 lbs sounds so big and I am not a tad bit nervous. I have a very small frame. I am about 5"4 with no hips really. I am scared that this baby will get stuck on my pelvic bone or something. I am now considering a c-section. I have had 2 very easy deliveries with my other 2 but I am scared that this one will not go so well bc of the size of the baby. I have not spoken to my doctor yet, I plan to call tomorrow.
What would you all do? I am sure 9lbs is not uncommon but my frame is just so small. Before I got pregnant I wore a size 0 or 1. I have no pregnancy pants bc even the xs are to big on me. I just wear my sweatpants and yoga pants I wore before I got pregnant. Just do not know what to do. I really did not expect to hear that this baby is 9lbs.

 

[Graciesmom77]

The weight is really just a guesstimate. My doctor swore up and down that my 2nd child would be well over 10 pounds and that I would never be able to get her out. They had me so scared that i scheduled a repeat c section though I had planned on a V-bac. My daughter was 8lbs 5 oz, no where near over 10. I was pretty aggravated.

Think carefully before a c section. For most people it is WAY harder to recover from than a traditional birth. There is a lot more pain, longer recovery time, more hospital time and you bleed for longer.

Whatever happens I hope it all goes smoothly and safely and you can soon hold your beautiful baby in your arms!

 

[tink1969]

Can you 'request' a C-section?
Your body has already given birth to two babies. Sure they were smaller, but it's amazing what the woman's body can do!
Your doctor won't let any harm to you or baby. Don't worry!
Good luck!

 

[Ar1el]

Thank you for the replies. I appreciate them. I was just caught so off guard when she said 9lbs. That seems like such a large baby!

 

[RMulieri]

It is really only a guesstimate..They swore up and down my daughter was over 9lbs..She was born at 6lbs 9oz..Seriously, don't worry

 

[Ar1el]

It is really only a guesstimate..They swore up and down my daughter was over 9lbs..She was born at 6lbs 9oz..Seriously, don't worry

Wow that is a big difference in pounds. I hope that is the case for me! I mean I have only gained 20 pounds.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

I have a friend that was scared into her first csection. Doc said the baby was going to be 10 lbs. She was 8lbs. She's been pregnant twice since and for some reason loves this doc. He won't allow her to vbac so she's in a position where she has to have repeat csections.

From a VBAC'er (I vbac'd little Solomon in my siggy) it is SO worth it! They monitored me more than they did with my first ******l delivery and the recovery was amazing! I waivered for a bit at the end of the pregnancy with anxiety but it was so worth it!

 

[bumbershoot]

It's just a guess.

But if you think of Asian women, and their general small size, and when you see pictures of big round, big-headed babies (especially if they are from where hubby's mom is from, Korea), and know that those women were having babies just fine...you can calm down.

My MIL is 5'2 and generally very small, and she grew up in occupied Korea living in a small village. Her first son was over 10 lbs. And I know that MIL had nutritional deficiencies from how little they had to eat while it was occupied by hostile forces... It took her quite awhile to work my brother in law out, but especially since there were no doctors in her village (she didn't know the term "midwife" either...in her village it was just the other women!), no one pressured her in anyway, and it all worked out.

Even with a big baby, most of that weight is in chub. The head is all you need to worry about, because fat squishes.

The fear of big babies, IMO (and in the opinion of many others) is absolutely ridiculous. Pelvises are pelvises, and pelvises have very movable bones!


Having major abdominal surgery on the day you meet your baby is NOT the optimal way to do it, trust me. And while some people have no problems, many others DO, and you never know what camp you'll fall into until it's too late.

Don't let the OB scare you!

 

[cseca]

Maybe you could just notify your OB that unless there's an issue during delivery you'd rather do ******l. If they put it in the note everybody could be prepared for a just in case situation.

 

[Ar1el]

Thanks again all for the replies. Big babies and small frames just do not seem to go hand-n-hand but I do hear what all of you are saying.

 

[SydandPaige'sMom]

Thanks again all for the replies. Big babies and small frames just do not seem to go hand-n-hand but I do hear what all of you are saying.

As many posters have said I would take everything with a grain of salt. I had numerous ultrasounds with my youngest and was told at the last one (38ish weeks) that she was already measuring about 9 lbs. This wasn't a surprise because my oldest was born 2 weeks early and was 8 1/2 lbs.
They use measurements of certain bones to try and determine the weight of the fetus.

My youngest was born almost 2 full weeks late and was 7'10 when she was born...a far cry from the 9 lbs they had measured her almost 4 weeks prior. She had a really long legs, and was very slim which led to the inaccurate weight estimation.

Good luck!

 

[bellarella]

I had two 9 lb babies. I have a small frame. One of my 9lbers was a two push delivery. Totally a breeze. The other one was longer, but that was a labor issue, not a delivery issue -- delivery was about 10 minutes.

My sister, OTOH, has a larger frame and had to have a csection to deliver a 5lb baby. It's not the size of your frame, but how your hips are aligned. The width of your hips can have something to do with how comfortably you can carry a big baby, but it is the opening of the pelvic bone that is the factor in delivery. Having a small frame doesn't mean you'll have a hard time with a big baby.

I also agree that the measurements are guesses. Mine were totally off (although in the opposite direction).

 

[sksjasams]

I was told that ultra sounds are accurate within 2 lbs plus or minus the estimate. Thats a big range. Try not to worry about it. If your labor is not progressing, they will help you make the decision at that time. Chances are this baby will be about the same size as your other two.

Congratulations on your new little blessing!

 

[Chelley00]

Another one told I was having a big baby (10 pounds) and instead delivered a 6lb 3 oz baby. I was even induced early because of her "size"

Good luck with your new little one.

 

[jakoky]

HI there, first, i am also small framed..i am 5 ft 4 inches, and wear a size 3....I have 3 kids...two were well over 8 lbs and one was 2 months early and weighed almost 6 lbs...by far the worst to have was my smallest baby (my last)...OUCH!!! lol, my biggest was my easist....

and definately dont go by what they are guessing...they told me was son was gonna be small, no where near the size of his sister...they actually got quite concerned about his small size and feared he wasnt growing...yah, well, 8 lbs 6 oz later (and bigger than his sister...)

good luck to you....

 

[redshoe]

I'm 5'1" and a size 4 in most brands. My moose of a child was 9 lbs, 3 ozs and 23 inches long with a 37 centimeter head. I had him not only ******lly, but with no drugs and no episiotomy (I tore just enough to need one tiny stitch). I'd absolutely do it again, too. Your mileage may totally vary, but it's not an impossible situation at all!

 

[mjkacmom]

My dd was supposed to be 7 pounds - did the u/s 2 days before she was delivered. She was almost 9 pounds. They can be off 2 pounds either way, and since your other kids were small, it's might very well be off. As someone who had 3 regular deliveries, and a c/s with twins, I'd do anything to try to push a baby out than recover from a c/s!

 

[POOHDRMR]

Another one here that thought I was having a 9 pd-er with a big head.He was 6-11 with a small little head.They told me on monday he was big and I had him Sat(thinking the whole time his head was going to hurt) but wound up with a c-section due to his heartrate dropping and he was a tiny little thing.When they showed him to me I looked at my dh and said-He is small what does he weigh?My dd was also 6-11 and they thought she was only going to be 5 something(I was induced early with her)

 

[hsmamato2]

I don't think you should panic,women around the world have big babies alll the time and do just fine......I'm the same height,and my last was 9.5 pounds.....(short and FAT) no problems.....
I have friends who have had mutliple children at over 10 pounds each,plus my tiny SIL had twins a few years ago that weighed 8 pounds EACH and she is FINE she's about 5'2" and teensy skinny......

 

[hsmamato2]

hahaha....this makes me think of my last ds,my little fatty,his head was so darn big, the little hospital hats kept popping off!