Would You Attempt VBAC Knowing Your Baby Is Going to Be over 9Lbs????

Yes why not , if this is the last child and you want to try then go for it , bigger babies doesn't always mean they are harder to get out , my first was 9lb 4oz and came out vaginally and I had no problems , second was 8lb and again was an easy delivery.

I would go for it. I had my by c and second vbac it was great! Both were 9lbs it is really the head size that makes a difference. You will have to push but it is worth it in the end. Good Luck!
J.

Without having read the other answers, I will say YES, YES, YES! There is SO much less chance of complications with a VBAC or ANY vaginal birth (unless there is real trauma!) than with a c-section.

Birth is natural and c-sections are MAJOR surgery.

I had both of my children vaginally- 8 lbs, 9 oz and 9 lbs, 6 oz and with very minimal tearing with the first and NO tearing with the second. For the first I was on my back in stirrups and thus the reason for the tearing. With the second I was in water and the CNM applied perineum counter-pressure so I would not tear. I *highly* recommended changing your care to a CNM if you can find one to do a VBAC. Remember, OBs are trained as SURGEONS, not in what is a natural birthing circumstance.

Also, as a last note, ultrasounds CANNOT predict the size your baby will be. Even with all the ultrasounds I had with my second (2 yrs ago) because I had a sub-chorionic bleed, they still guessed that she would be 6 lbs and she ended up 9lbs, 6 oz!! I had a friend who was just the opposite- she was a week overdue and had one of those 4-D ultrasounds and they told her her baby would be 12 lbs (this was just a few months ago, mind you- so very current technology!) and she ended up with a baby that was 6 lbs, 4oz. and they took him by c-section a week early (so so very wrong!!!!)

Safest is vaginal. It's also empowering. My waterbirth totally changed my life. I know that sounds "hippie" or whatever- but it is so true.

Editing to add- any baby's head can come through narrow hip bones IF you are with someone trained in positioning you AND the baby in the correct way to make this happen. Laying flat on your back in stirrups, it may truly never happen, but if you squat or kneel, that baby can slide right out. Let gravity work with you :)

I took a birth physiology course and the ultrasound can be off by as much as 3 lbs in either direction. So, your 32 week baby could be just 4 lbs. Or, could be 5 lbs and only 7 lbs at birth. There's no way to know for sure, particularly at a 32 week ultrasound. Also, your due date could be off. I've read birth stories at 37 or 38 weeks with 8 lb babies and the dr says "what if you had gone to 40?" But the fact is that they didn't go into labor at 40 weeks, because the baby was READY at 38. 38-42 weeks is considered to be full term! Those babies were full term.

I have met a lot of women who had VBACs for babies 9-11 lbs, so I wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure that if you start noticing decels that take a long time to come back up, that you don't put off the decisions to have a cesarean.

The weight is always a guess - it is never 100%, heck it's not even 50%. I know that probably doesn't help but I wouldn't base your decision on size alone...

I didn't have a VBAC, but my second son was 9.7 I had a drug free birth and it was SO MUCH easier than the first (epidural/pitocin). I was shocked he was so big, because he came right out ;)

J.

I would say that if a VBAC is important to you, and your doctor is on board, then go for it. There is really only one way to know if the baby is going to be too big to deliver vaginally, and that is to try it.
Women deliver big babies all the time, my 5'2" 120 pound mother delivered 3 babies over 9 pounds, and one who was nearly 9 pounds, all vaginally.
Good luck with your delivery!

I had a vaginal birth and my son was over 9 lbs. I have heard of tiny little women having huge babies vaginal birth. It all depends on how the structure of the women is.

I think it is amazing that some doctors "know" how big the baby is, while others say they can't tell, and whatever is guessed ahead of time, is usually off. I wanted to do a VBAC with my second, but wasn't able to since my c-section was for something physical with myself. I'm not sure I would care how big the baby was if I had a chance for a vaginal birth, but that is just for me. If there aren't complications, vaginal is a safe option, especially if you are in a hospital setting.

I delivered my daughter vaginally and she was 10lbs and her head was so large they measured it 3 times just to be sure!!!!!! She has her fathers head! I think if the doctor is ok with it go for it. I am 5'6' and no one could believe I delivered her vaginally. Until she was born I pretty much had no "hips" but let me tell you now I have hips. The body is made for delivery.

I have heard of people giving birth to 11 pound babies naturally, with no tearing. Our bodies are made to do this. But talk with your doctor about if there is any real added danger due to size.

I guess it depends on how you would feel if you opted for a c section without giving vbac a try. Would you feel like you missed out of something? Like you should have tried? Like you failed in some way (although ending up with a healthy happy baby and a mama who is alive and well is never a failure)? Don't go by their weight guesstimates since those are usually way off. Instead use your doctor as a resource, talk it over with those you trust and love, and then make your choice on what you would like to try for at delivery.

Regarding your last responder's comment about the 1st baby tending to be closer to the mother's birth weight, that may hold true as a general rule, but naturally, it doesn't always hold true (which she didn't say it was gospel). I was 6 lbs 10 oz, and my son's father was 9 lbs, 4 oz. My first (and only) child weighed 9 lbs, 9 oz. I had a c-section due to preeclampsia and being past my due date, no luck with induction. And when the doctor pulled my son out of me, he laughed and said, "You would have NEVER pushed this head out!"

Just food for thought.

First - be careful with ultrasounds. They are not as accurate as you would think. Docs thought my first baby was gonna be 10lbs and he was 8.5 lbs. Second - I fundamentally believe that nature would never allow you to grow a baby too big for your body to deliver (exceptions if you have some type of physical deformity - like from getting scurvy as a child or something.) I think a trial of labor always makes sense - but trust it enough to take it all the way. :-)

Oh and btw, I had a successful VBAC of a 9lb 2 oz baby boy despite having been told (and reason for my first c-section) that I had CPD and a flat pelvis (baby too big for my birth canal.)

Good Luck, either decision you make !
-A

Well, I don't know if I would personally give this a go (although if I had had a c-section first, I would have tried for a VBAC IN THE HOSPITAL w/ my second), but a friend of mine recently gave birth at home (on purpose). It was a VBAC, and this baby weighed 11 lbs! They were all just fine. I think particularly because your c-section was due to a breech presentation and not an issue where you didn't dilate or the baby was distressed or something else that they think will definitely happen again -go for it!

Same story here. I had 2 VBAC's, one at age 39, then also at 41+ yrs. old. I don't know how accurate their weight guessing is. They told me my babies were over 8 lbs, close to 9. I almost think to scare me into a C-sect again. But both babies were right at 7 lbs. And my babies also positioned themselves head down early.

With that said, as long as everything goes smoothly for you during labor, you might need an episiotomy to provide that extra exit space during delivery. But those are not as painful to recover from as a C-sect.

Also, since this is your 2nd baby, your body remembers what to do, and that experience will help with both labor and hopefully an easy delivery.

I'd be happy to answer any concerns, anytime. You are definitely not alone. Many women have successfully attempted VBAC's at our ripe maternal age. There always seems to be a lot to worry about towards the end of your pregnancy, and your doctor's question makes it seem more alarming and dangerous than it should be. You don't mention your own size. If you are on the petite side, with little narrow hips, birthing a 9 lb baby will be more difficult, yes. But if your uterus has completely healed from the previous C-Section and your delivery OB did not notice anything concerning while cleaning and sewing you back up, then breath, relax and enjoy your your last labor and delivery.

I would be worried but then again I am short and that is big for me.

I only have one son. We knew he was going to be big, but estimates are notoriously off when it comes to guess the babys size.
I had him vaginally and he was 9 lbs 1.5 oz.
I've got large hips and pelvic bones and my doctor knew I wouldn't have any trouble at all.

absolutely not.
I had a hard delivery for my first baby and my second was 9lbs 4oz, 9 days early, and resulted in an emergency csection when he got stuck.

And no not every woman's body is built for birthing big babies naturally.
It's ignorant to make these claims.
No matter how hard or long I pushed there was no possible way to get a baby with a 15 inch head through my hip bones.

If the baby's weight estimate is done by ultrasound, the margin of error is +/- a pound. So, the baby could be either 1 pound more or 1 pound less than they estimated. I also question the accuracy of an estimated birth weight done so early (usually they are done around week 38-40).

Also, I'm not sure about 2nd babies, (except that they tend to be bigger than first babies) but the 1st baby is usually much closer to the mother's own birth weight then the dad's. So, for example, I was 6 lbs. 7 oz when born, and my son was 6 lbs. 10 oz when he was born, vs. his dad who was 7 lbs. 14 oz.

Frankly, if you're healthy and you're staying that way, I say do the VBAC if you're comfortable with that idea. Or, at least wait to decide until closer to your due date: the estimate is going to be more accurate at that point (though the +/- 1 lb rule still holds).

Good luck & safe delivery, whatever choice you go with.

Well, first of all Drs are never sure how big a baby is. With my first son I was told over and over again that he was about 10lbs. When he was born is weighed in at 7lbs13oz. He WAS almost 23inches though, so that may have made him "seem" bigger. So, just because they say he is going to be big doesn't necessarily mean he will be.
Second, women vaginally birth 9lbers a lot. You can always attempt and if it's just not going to work they can take you in for a C-section. I am on my third child...my last weighed in at 9lbs7oz (emergency c-section), but I am definitely trying to VBAC with this birth....recovery for me was SO much easier with a vaginal birth.
L.