\This is me, too. Although I think 6 lb. babies are on the smallish side...it seems like most of our friends/family have been in the 7-8 lb. range w/the occasional 9 lb-er.
I consider less than 6 lbs as small and above 8 lbs as large. Middle of the pack is 7 lbs. you'd Also have to consider if baby was early, full term or late.
I think of less than 6 lbs. as small, 6 to around 8.5 lbs. as average, and over 8.5 lbs. as big. I think the 50% mark is around 7 lbs. 4 oz. Much more than a pound on either side of that seems pretty small/big to me. Anything over 9 lbs. is definitely big. Over 10 lbs. is a fairly enormous baby.
My kids were 7 lbs. 4 oz. (DS1) and 6 lbs. 6 oz. (DS2). DS1 seemed very average to me. DS2 seemed pretty darn small. Both were higher on the weight chart than on the height chart and stayed that way until they were around 2 years old, when it flip flopped.
Guess my family is in the fucking enormous category. I was 12lb 4oz, my sister was 11lb6oz and her son was 11lb 2oz.
Her doctor didn't believe her when she warned her we had big babies. She had a vaginal birth no problem, but we're pretty sure the doc was kicking herself after.
Post by badtzmaru22 on Jun 25, 2012 19:30:04 GMT -5
I'm in the <6 is small, >9 is big camp. I was 9lbs 9oz, and planned on a big baby my whole pregnancy. The day before DD was born, I had a growth u/s that predicted her to be 8lbs 11oz. I told the doctor I was not afraid of pushing out a 9lb baby, and she looked at me like, "You go with your bad self". And then I pushed out my 8lb 7oz-er in 20 minutes. Woohoo!
Guess my family is in the fucking enormous category. I was 12lb 4oz, my sister was 11lb6oz and her son was 11lb 2oz.
Her doctor didn't believe her when she warned her we had big babies. She had a vaginal birth no problem, but we're pretty sure the doc was kicking herself after.
Yes, 11-12 lbs. is officially fucking enormous. I don't know anyone who has had a baby over 12 lbs., and I only know one person who has had a baby over 11 lbs.
Guess my family is in the fucking enormous category. I was 12lb 4oz, my sister was 11lb6oz and her son was 11lb 2oz.
Her doctor didn't believe her when she warned her we had big babies. She had a vaginal birth no problem, but we're pretty sure the doc was kicking herself after.
Yes, 11-12 lbs. is officially fucking enormous. I don't know anyone who has had a baby over 12 lbs., and I only know one person who has had a baby over 11 lbs.
My mom had me vaginally with no epi, because she was too far along when she got to the hospital. :S
She loves that she always 'wins' at childbirth. What a one upper. Lol
I think we must just have really large interior pelvis dimensions.
Guess my family is in the fucking enormous category. I was 12lb 4oz, my sister was 11lb6oz and her son was 11lb 2oz.
Her doctor didn't believe her when she warned her we had big babies. She had a vaginal birth no problem, but we're pretty sure the doc was kicking herself after.
my vagina just twitched. Holy hell, your poor mother. That was like two babies at once!
Guess my family is in the fucking enormous category. I was 12lb 4oz, my sister was 11lb6oz and her son was 11lb 2oz.
Her doctor didn't believe her when she warned her we had big babies. She had a vaginal birth no problem, but we're pretty sure the doc was kicking herself after.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Jun 25, 2012 19:42:05 GMT -5
Also, I had one big (9lbs 1oz) and one medium (7lbs 6oz), and it warped my perspective. Even though DD was objectively average, she seemed so small to me because DS came out looking like a one-month old.
Guess my family is in the fucking enormous category. I was 12lb 4oz, my sister was 11lb6oz and her son was 11lb 2oz.
Her doctor didn't believe her when she warned her we had big babies. She had a vaginal birth no problem, but we're pretty sure the doc was kicking herself after.
Post by SusanBAnthony on Jun 25, 2012 19:58:35 GMT -5
DS and DD were 8-8 and 9-0 and they flew out of me.
So it is all relative. You have to hit 10lbs before I would say definitely a big baby.
And it has nothing to do with the height or weight of the mom. Whatever size your pelvis starts, it stretches some amount and I don't think you can generally predict how much, in advance. Our bodies are pretty good at growing the right size babies for us, despite what the crazy-high c/s rate in the country seem to indicate.
Guess my family is in the fucking enormous category. I was 12lb 4oz, my sister was 11lb6oz and her son was 11lb 2oz.
Her doctor didn't believe her when she warned her we had big babies. She had a vaginal birth no problem, but we're pretty sure the doc was kicking herself after.
DS and DD were 8-8 and 9-0 and they flew out of me.
So it is all relative. You have to hit 10lbs before I would say definitely a big baby.
And it has nothing to do with the height or weight of the mom. Whatever size your pelvis starts, it stretches some amount and I don't think you can generally predict how much, in advance. Our bodies are pretty good at growing the right size babies for us, despite what the crazy-high c/s rate in the country seem to indicate.
Yes, and in terms of birthing difficulty, weight isn't the only thing that matters. My 7 lbs. 4 oz. baby had a head circumference in the 99%, and I tore the shit out of myself getting him here despite the fact that he was a totally normal, non-scary sounding weight. Conversely, a 9 lbs. baby with a normal size head and shoulders but some extra meat on his arms and legs might not be all that hard to deliver. Once the head and shoulders are out, it doesn't much matter how chubby the rest of the baby is.
DS and DD were 8-8 and 9-0 and they flew out of me.
So it is all relative. You have to hit 10lbs before I would say definitely a big baby.
And it has nothing to do with the height or weight of the mom. Whatever size your pelvis starts, it stretches some amount and I don't think you can generally predict how much, in advance. Our bodies are pretty good at growing the right size babies for us, despite what the crazy-high c/s rate in the country seem to indicate.
. Granted we now know that we can't trust our ld nurses (joke) but every one that saw me asked how tall I was and how big the baby was measuring and then raised an eyebrow. After two hrs of pushing, lots of cutting and a vac, kid finally made it out. Granted her head was sideways, but I don't see that I would have gotten her out any time soon on my own.
Even without my specific case, I hate it when people say this. Lots of women throughout history died during childbirth.
My son was ten pounds for ounces. I did not have any growth ultrasounds and my doctor predicted a seven pound baby. I have to say, labor and delivery was awful. Pushing was the hardest thing I've ever done and I was as physically fit as you can be while pregnant, ran half marathon etc. I pushed to the point that my vision was blacking out for two hours. Oh and he was born on his due date.
He was 99.9% for height and head, 91% for weight so he looked enormous.
Also I don't believe you can't grow a baby too big. I was mainly induced (labor stalled) so of I had continued cooking him for even a few more days I could not have done it. I really wanted to quit pushing! Then I bled out and needed blood transfusions. Not a good experience.
Post by Willis Jackson on Jun 25, 2012 20:52:19 GMT -5
Slightly off-topic:
What happens when a great dane impregnates a chihuahua (or other small dog)? Does the mother go into labor when her body can't handle it anymore, whether or not the puppies are fully developed? Does the pregnancy kill her?
I realize this is probably a dumb question. I've always wondered.
Post by hilwithonelary on Jun 25, 2012 21:27:14 GMT -5
I think less <6.5 lbs is small and >9 lbs is big. DS was 7 lbs 3 oz and 19 inches. DD was 9 lbs 14 oz and 21 1/2 inches. When I went to my hospital's breastfeeding clinic a few times, she looked gigantic compared to the other newborns.