Baby Size - Meridian,ID

I can't really identify with you, but I think you should get mentally prepared for both. My first was 8lbs 7oz and I'm pregnant with my second and am terrified this baby is going to be bigger than my son. They say that second babies come faster and weigh more.. O M G! That might not be true for everybody, but my mom's weighed more with each pregnancy. You might be able to first try the VBAC, but I know there are certain health risks to be concerned about(ie tearing old scar tissue). Mentally you have to be prepared for trying VBAC, VBAC and ending up having a c-section or just going straight to c-section. Don't get set on one over the other... keep an open mind. Keep saying "Whatever is best for my baby's health and my health is perfectly fine with me". I was told with my first that in a few days I was scheduled to be induced and went into panic mode, but then accepted it.

Congratulations and Good Luck! Let us know what happens

My first daughter was 7lbs and my second daughter was 10lbs. Yes I could tell the difference. With my second daughter I put on more weight and by the end my ribs were killing me. I did not have a c-section with either one. They said afterwards if they would have known that my second daughter was so large it would have been a c-section. I am glad they did not realize her size since her delivery was easier then my first..

I felt exactly the same as I did in my first pregnancy and gained the same amount of weight during my second...my first was 6lbs14 oz and my 2nd was 8 llbs! I was so surprised, I didn't feel any bigger.

I could not tell a difference in how I carried each one. I will say however, that each of my babies were bigger than the one before. My first was 7/5, second was 7/14, thrid was 8 even and fourth was 9 even! Ironically, I gained much less weight with the last one than with any of the others. I never noticed a difference in how I carried them, but everyone commented on how I was "all out front" with my last and he came out our 1st boy! (We chose to not know also...super exciting when it was time to deliver.)

I also had all of mine via C-Section and would not have chosen the alternative even had I been give the chance. Just my preference I guess. I'm a huge baby and labored with my 1st one for 27 (documented) hours and still had the section in the end. Not something I would EVER choose to do again :)

Wow, i did 5 hours of unmediated pushing with my first and had no bruising, and then I only pushed for 30 minutes with my son (again unmediated, at home), and he was one giant black and blue mark. Son was 9.2. First, daughter, as 6.15. I couldn't fell no difference, only gained one more pound with my son.

If you are mentally prepared for another c-section, I would choose to do that because it may be safer for you and the baby. I had to have a c-section with my first because she was breach. I chose to have a c-section with my second. Although, the risks were very small that something could go wrong with a VBAC, it is still a risk. That's why I chose not to risk it. The chances for having a breach baby were pretty small too and I still had that occur. My recovery for my second c-section was so much easier than the first. You know what to expect and you will be surprised how much quicker you are able to move around than the first time. And...with the second c-section, you get to plan the date and you will be much more relaxed than when you were in the emergency situation. I hope this helps and I wish you lots of luck! (my two girls were the exact same weight both 6 pounds 10 oz and my pregnancies felt the same).

my first girl was 6 15 my second boy ws 8 8... I did feel bigger with my son. there were 3 drs in the practice.. the young dr said average size baby.. but the old experience dr.. felt my tummy and said that is a big baby in there.. so go find an old dr .. to feel your tummy and tell you how big the baby is..

ultrasounds are pretty accurate..

I woudl try the vbac.. much easier recovery..

OBs are notorious for scheduling a C after a C when a VBAC is a MUCH better option in most cases. (they make more money on a C!) I had my first child as an emergency C-section (18 hours of labor, baby and mom in distress) and my second 2 children as VBACs. My third child was the largest (9 lbs), the C-section had been 8 lbs 2 oz and my second child was about 7 lbs. My midwife delivered the second two children. The pushing was long (2-3 hours pushing), but the recovery was SO MUCH easier with a vaginal delivery. I personally would get a second opinion from a midwife.

My first was 7 lbs, my second was 8lbs4oz. I honestly couldn't tell the difference. I showed earlier with my second, and I think I felt a bit bigger, but that is not uncommon with a second pregnancy so I didn't think anything of it.
My third felt a lot bigger. It ended up that he was longer - but skinnier - than my second.

Since you're fist c-section was from failure to progress down the birth canal, it would probably by the head size vs birth canal size that was the issue. I would guess that they can measure that with ultrasound. Listen to their advice. My gut reaction is that a c-section will be the safer option for both of you, but I am far from being a medical expert.

The size of your baby is only ONE factor involved with the baby making the journey through your pelvis. Position is also important, but also how effectively your uterus is working and whether the process is supported and allowed to unfold as it needs to. The reality is that you can't really know until you give labor a chance whether a baby will fit. Many, many, many women have had c-sections for their first babies who didn't want to come through the pelvis but have then gone on to have even larger babies vaginally. (just visit ICAN on the web and you will find them.)

Keep in mind also that ultrasound can be very inaccurate in measuring full term babies size, they are estimates only and babies have been known to be as much as 5 pounds different than what was predicted by ultrasound. Again, I don't think it really matters, because it is quite possible that you actually could give birth to an even bigger baby than your last one.

One last point. C-section may not necessarily be safer for your baby than vaginal birth. Babies born by cesarean have higher rates of breathing difficulties and NICU admissions, later on in life they are more likely to have allergies and asthma.

Please, please, please do your research, visit ICAN on the web, and give your body a chance!!

With love,
H. (a birth doula)

Loved labor? Good grief you must have had a different labor that me. = ) Sorry, just got caught up on that.

Regardless, I think you should just ask your doc. I would say that your chances are pretty high for another C-Section so just go with it and schedule. Why stress yourself and the baby. As you have found out, your first baby is just fine since coming into the world C-Section, there is not reason in the world another one wouldn't be just fine. As they go through life, it makes no difference whether they are VBAC or or C-Section, It is only important what wonderful little people and blessings they are.

Good luck and congrats!

Sounds to me like your going to have another big baby. Be prepared for the C-Section. With my children I was awake the whole time. I just go the epidural (was frozen) from toes' to tummy. I felt everything, knowing what they were doing but feeling nothing. I even felt it when they pulled the baby out. It was great. I find that you feel better much more quickly than being put under/out. Most times if you are carrying all out front its a boy, however if the weight is all around its normally a girl. I may be wrong so don't get your hopes up. I do feel that if you feel the same, have the feeling of the same weight etc. have gained as much as, maybe a little less/more you know where you are headed. I wish you all the luck in the world and Congratulations to you and your family!!

This won't be very encouraging, but they actually have no idea how much baby is in you. My first was 7lb 10 oz and with my second, I was SO MUCH smaller. My body, my weight gain, everything. My doctor looked at the ultrasound and said she would be around 6 1/2 lbs. She came two days later at 8 1/2. With my fourth, (all were girls) my body was almost exactly the same as the second, but she was 6 1/2 lbs.

There is nothing wrong with having a c-section! In 5 years, it won't matter how your child came into the world, I would rather be safe than sorry.

I just had my third boy. My first was a week late and 9 lbs. I was induced and had only dilated to a 3 when his heart rate dropped and they couldn't get it back up. They did an emergency c-section.

He had a big, very round head, and hadn't even begun to drop.

So with my second, I wanted to try a VBAC. But at 35 weeks, I was HUGE! I'd outgrown all the clothes I'd worn at the end of my first pregnancy, and I still had 5 weeks to go! So they did another ultrasound, and estimated that he'd be 10 lbs by his due date. They scheduled me a week early, and he was 8 lbs 12 oz. He could have been almost 10 lbs a week later, but he really wasn't as big as we'd been expecting. The one measurement I thought would be more reliable was the head circumference, but the u/s said that it was measuring very big, 41 weeks big at only 35 weeks. But his head really wasn't very big at all, especially compared with my first. But the u/s was a great predictor of his general size, because he's a big, big kid! He's above 97th percentile for height, while my first is ~75%.

With my third, who is 4 months old now, I had a totally different pregnancy, so I was sure it was a girl. NOPE! I didn't feel any different about my size until near the end. I just didn't feel as big, and I definitely wasn't as HUGE as I was with my second. Still, we were quite surprised when he only weight 7 lbs 7 oz! He's tall, though, at 90th percentile for height.

Okay, so those might all sound big to you, since you're hoping for something in the 6's. But yes, I could tell the relative size of my babies, but only in the last 2-3 weeks. You should expect to look a little bigger with your second, even if they're the same size, because you're all stretched out already.

And you can also guess a little bit by the percentiles of your son. You're not likely to get one child well below 50% and one child well above 50% (although it could happen).

Good luck, this is always a difficult decision to make. I really wish I could have had a VBAC!

I'm a little sad to see that most people are for cesareans. I don't know the exact medical situation for every single person, but I absolutely admire you for being willing and wanting a vbac! Cesarean save lifes, I am all for that. But I really feel that it is so beneficial to have a vaginal birth. C-section rates have jumped so high in the last little while that one third of births are delivered this way, when only about 15%, according to the ACOG, should be.
So your last baby was 8.12? It could have been that he was positioned incorrectly with the head a bigger size that just couldn't make it through the birth canal. That happened to one of my clients. That weight shouldn't be too much of an issue. But to let you know, my sister in law had her first baby cesarean because his arm came down first. Then she went for a vbac and she pushed out a 10 pound 14 ounce baby. So pushing out a big baby in the correct position really can work.
If I were you, I would check out the website www.ican-online.org. You will feel so empowered! If you become educated in everything you can do then if you have to have another emergency c-section you will feel completely fine about it.
You can also visit the website www.spinningbabies.com to show you exercises you can do every day to encourage your baby to stay in the right position. You can get help from chiropractors that specialize in pregnancy so that your pelvis is all lined up and able to open correctly for baby to come down.
It sounds like you probably know a lot and did a lot to prepare for your last birth if you when unmedicated. Kudos to you! That is so awesome. So you probably know that another beneficial thing is to keep moving. Change positions every 1/2 hr during labor. Find support people and doulas to come help you, remind you, and keep you as comfortable as possible. This can help baby be in the correct position too.
Also, about ultrasounds, I don't believe they are very accurate. When they guesstimate correctly, I believe it's lucky. They are correct, give or take a pound, which can be a big deal. They told me my second baby was over 9 pounds and he was 8. They told my sister in law with the 10.14 baby that he was 8.5 pounds. So I don't believe in the accuracy toward the end of pregnancy. The time that they are most accurate is clear back at 19 weeks. :)

So good luck! Feel free to email me with any more questions. I love love love childbirth!

I will be in a similar position if/when I have a second baby, since I also had a c-section after 3 hrs of unmedicated pushing. I am really hoping to have VBAC too! Who told you that the baby would have to be 6 lbs to try a VBAC? Personally, I'd get a second opinion on that. C-section is a major surgery, and like other surgical procedures, there are associated risks.

I'll be looking into the ican website mentioned below. Best of luck to you!

I had the SAME problem with my first, and felt the same with my second. In the end I opted for a c-section and went into labor a few days before the scheduled date on my own (stupid water breaking). I made no progress, none at all, with my second for the 5 hours after my water broke and, in the end, am very glad I went with a repeat section. Only you know what is right for you, and if you are scared about having to do what I called the double recovery (labor and pushing plus a section) I would go with what you know will work. Good luck and congrats on #2.