Help!! Big baby

Ultrasounds are very inaccurate like over 80% inaccurate. Your body won’t make a baby you can’t birth xx

Mine was born on the 99th centile...and was born naturally with no pain relief other than gas and air which didn't do much for me in the final stages... She was my third and so established labour was 53 mins in total. Is this your first pregnancy?

@Annie💜🌻🍄 with respect, none of this is true. Ultrasounds aren't perfect but if they were as much as 80% inaccurate we wouldn't bother using them. Babies can absolutely grow to be too big for the mother's pelvis which used to be a major cause of mortality for both mothers and their babies before modern medicine. OP, if your healthcare providers are concerned they will discuss it with you and offer C-section or early induction. It's likely you will be monitored more closely during labour but if you feel like anything isn't right, do speak up and ask for help. Good luck, I'm sure you'll smash it! X

I was told at 36 weeks I needed a growth scan because he was measuring small. Had the scan and was told he would probably be 7lbs at birth… he was born 9lbs 5. 😬

@Julie we are clearly reading different resources and your unwavering belief in the medical system is clear. However, taking the specific data aside, most people who have been caused worry over their baby size or early induced who I have spoken with and on this app have had a perfectly ‘normal’ and healthy baby. Also, logically speaking the head circumference is the biggest thing that impacts difficulty of birth in terms of size as that is the relatively ‘fixed’ element of the baby. The rest is pretty flexible and moveable. Having birthed we know it’s the head that is more resistant than the body when descending. Birth is not a medical emergency it is a beautiful part of nature and we can trust the process, as apples do not need specific guidance to grow on trees, and mammals have been birthing in the wild since the beginning of time. I appreciate some people are more medically minded and that’s their safe space. As others are more natural minded and that’s their safe space. X

I would also urge people to look at all of the risks and mortality rates around c sections that hospitals keep very hush and look into actually their lack of reporting around these too. They are not the ‘safe’ option as they are made out to be.

To be clear, I didn't mean to scare you OP nor upset you Annie. I agree that being told your baby is big doesn't always mean they will be, there are some inaccuracies in the measurements (just not as much as 80%, otherwise some babies predicted at 9lb would be born at term at less than 2lb or over 15lb, which doesn't happen). Likelihood is you will be fine, but I just meant that it is not unheard of so it is reasonable to be concerned. All medical procedures carry risk, and nature has its fair share of risks too. Natural doesn't always mean safe, and neither does medical. However, medical professionals are best placed to advise you on your specific risks based on your specific circumstances, as they can see you and monitor you and have a lot of experience in similar situations. I agree with Annie that it is best to consider all options and decide what is best for you. Apologies that the comments have taken an argumentative turn, I think we can all agree that we wish you the best xx

@Julie I don’t mean they are 80% inaccurate in size but in 80% of instances they will not be measuring correctly. Which honestly I think is totally realistic given the apparatus used and the amount of variables to get accurate measurements. I agree, there are risks and a place for medical intervention but nowhere near how much it is offered and used, this is backed by recommendations and feedback from WHO. Good luck OP and honestly you are amazing and can absolutely birth your baby in your power however feels safe for you!

I just wanted to add not to be scared! Growth scans CAN be inaccurate. But it’s the best we got. I would say try to go natural and they can always switch to a c section if necessary.

@Annie💜🌻🍄 ah, I see. Yes I can see that in 80% of cases the measurements aren't entirely accurate, as you say we can't physically get the baby out and measure them accurately so there are limitations. It's still the best prediction we have though so it's better to be prepared for intervention and not need it (in my opinion) than to not know what to do if something should go wrong. Unfortunately modern medicine suffers from the fact that when it works well most of the time it looks like we don't need it. It may well be that many people don't need it as much as it is offered, but for those who do it makes all the difference. As with all recommendations in pregnancy, there's an abundance of caution "just in case". I hope you do hear from more people who have birthed big babies so you can feel more confident whatever you decide OP xx

My baby was measuring in the 96th percentile and was born at 38+2. He was only 7.3 lbs. I think you shouldn't put to much faith in the ultrasound.

My “big” baby came early at 37 weeks weighing 7 pounds and was 19.75 inches long. I had a scan a day before I went into labor and it measured him weighing 6 pounds 14 ounces. It was an estimated weight because they couldn’t get a full scan of his head because he was fully engaged in my pelvis. I’m 5’2”. My doctors were not concerned about his size but the one who delivered him did say “imagine how big he would have been at 40 weeks”. No matter how big or small your baby is, vaginal birth feels how it will feel, it hurts lol