Big Baby - Milwaukee,WI

They thought I was going to have an 11 lb baby. He was 8lb, 11oz. He just had a big head. So, they don't really know.

Please don't worry yourself about this yet. Those measurements are a best guess. I've had 4 pregnancies (5 kids) and they were never accurate. Are you talking about the fundal height measurements where they measure your belly? Those are ridiculous estimates with no basis in reality for many of us. Mine were so far off that after my first child, my doc never measured my belly again.

Even ultrasounds are inaccurate - I had an u/s the same day I delivered my first that said that he was 7.5 lbs and he was 9.2. When I had my twin delivery, both babies were at least half a pound under their estimates. I had a friend who had an "emergency" c-section 3 weeks early in part because her son was "huge" via u/s- the poor kid was 6.5 lbs and so clearly not ready to be born.

Definitely listen to your doctor, but don't panic yourself into agreeing to an early delivery. For most of us with healthy pregnancies, our bodies are more than capable of delivering whatever size babies we are carrying whenever those babies are ready to be born. Of course if you have other complicating factors there might be more to it but really, those measurements (esp. the belly ones) are just a guess. You won't know how big the baby is until he or she is here.

what is it with dr's scaring moms like this? EVERY time a friend is pregnant it seems we hear this. it's crazy.

they told me the same thing. mine came 1 week after his due date and was 8 lbs. i don't get why dr's are constantly telling people this.

know what i think? i think they'd rather schedule c-sections because it's more convenient for THEM. maybe not all dr's but i definitely see this trend of "OMG it's going to be a big baby we better schedule a c-section!!" i don't get why else i'd be consantly hearing this.

try to relax. most of the "big baby" scares turn out not to be. i don't know why they put moms through this. but it seems to be unnecessary most of the time...

I agree you shouldn't panic. A lot of things cause a high measurement - errors, baby position, and so on. I don't think the nurse should have panicked you, but they are so worried about malpractice that they often tell you too much info just so they can't be accused of withholding it.

There could have been an error early on with your dates too, so perhaps you are a little beyond 31 weeks anyway, and it's not just a huge baby.

If your lab results are normal, don't feel pressured to make a quick decision on early delivery. If there's no emergency, you have time to think it over and get another opinion if you feel it's necessary. But right now you don't even have all the facts - try to hang on until Friday when you will have more data.

GOod luck!

I always measured 3 weeks ahead with my first DD. She was born at 36 weeks and weighed 8.1 lbs. My second measured right on time and she was 8.15 lbs at 38 weeks. No diabetes for either pregnancy. I carried a lot of extra fluid.

My insurance must have been billed a fortune for the very high tech, detailed, lengthy sonogram to get the measurements of my baby bc of potential complications. They said 10lbs - 12lbs and she was born at 9lbs. The measurements were about week before I delivered btw. So I also wouldn't put a lot of stock into these things...

They are not always accurate. At my 31 week ultrasound they told me my sons head was measuring 38 weeks and that he was a little big overall. He ended up not being that big. He was born at 38 weeks and weighed 9 pounds exactly.

Our daughter was born 2 days after my appointment.. The doctor told me, " you could go into labor any day." The baby looks small and right now weighs about 6 lbs...

I went in to labor a few days later, she weighed 6 lb 1 oz and was 19 inches long.. This was in 1990... I never have understood why some doctors say they cannot tell, but my doctor was spot on... But then.. I am not a doctor...

Due dates are not an exact science, they are just trying to make the best guess, nothing more.

I don't remember how close I was to my due date (son is now 23), but the doctor told me I was going to have a 9-10 pounder.

He was 6 lbs, 6 ounces.

As near as I can figure, the doctor was feeling his head and thinking it was his butt, because he was breech. They did an ultrasound when I got to the hospital after my water broke, and discovered it then, prompting a C-section >.<

My dr never gave estimated weights for that reason. They are so inaccurate.

I measured like I was having quadruplets. Wasn't. I just grow beeeeeg placentas. My son was only 10 pounds (up to 12 pounds is normal in my family).

There are certain gestational ages ghat are easy to read ghe age accurately. In between those golden reads, it can be 2 weeks in either direction. So if your date of conception is off, its possibly you're actually at 35-38 weeks (some women count implantation bleeding as a period, which can throw the date another 2-4 weeks off).

PROBABLY, though, you're at 31 weeks.. And are just carrying 'big' (baby pointed funky, narrow abcominal cavity, etc), or have extra fluid, or a bigger placenta.

It's possible, though ghat you're further along than you think.

And ease of delivery has a LOT more to do with positioning than size-- my aunt had an 8 pound baby and a 10 + pound baby-- the 10 pounder was a LOT easier to deliver because she was positioned better (the little one insisted on being born sunny side up and looking over his shoulder....)