Big Babies at birth!

Liz - posted on 09/30/2010

WOW thats huge for being early!

Louise - posted on 09/30/2010

Well I suppose I am the exception to the rule then. I am 5'5 and a Uk shoe size 4 and had no problem giving birth to my first son 9lb 12oz and second son 9lb 14.5oz I did however have problems with my daughter who was a huge baby born 5 weeks early and 9lb 3oz she was a c section. I was glad she was early as the doctors had estimated between 11-12lbs eye watering I think. So big babies and small feet!

C. - posted on 09/30/2010

Well, I do think that hip size helps or hinders. One of my sisters has big hips and is fairly tall (she's about 5'10 or 5'11) and her first 2 births were pretty easy, I guess. The first came out 10 minutes after they told my sister she was 8cm. Just a couple pushes was all it took. The second took a little longer, but not much. Her third baby, however, was 10.5lbs and he got stuck- similar to what happened to me when I was born, actually.

My other sister is very petite. I believe she's 5'3 3/4 or 5'4 3/4 (one of the two, can't remember). Her hips have always been small. Her first baby was around 8 pounds, but after pushing for 3 hours, she ended up w/ a C-section- and had 2 more Cesareans after.

But yes, I do think hip size does make a difference.

Stifler's - posted on 09/29/2010

I'm 5'4 and have a size 9.5 foot and didn't tear enough to have stitches and my baby was 8p 13oz (4015g). I've heard some different shaped uteruses and hips have to have c-sections or something but I agree if your hips are really small it probably does have an effect on the birth, but not the tearing, that's your vagina and it's pretty common to tear with a big baby.

Lisa - posted on 09/29/2010

Im certainly no small fry in the hip department lol My son was 9,11 and my daughter was 8,10. Forceps with my son because he was stuck but my daughter was an ordinary run of the mill dilivery. I had an episiotamy (sorry bad spelling im sure) with both children and a lengthy healing. I loved the post about big feet = big pelvis lol I have big feet so maybe that helped lol

Liz - posted on 09/22/2010

My mom had 6 kids and she is 5'2" with small hips and she had big babies, I was the smallest at 7 pounds 12 ounces. She never had any problems and had short labors and deliveries. I'm the same size and my biggest baby was 6 pounds 8 ounces. I've been told that the biggest cause of tearing is not pushing correctly. I've also been told (this one by my doc) that hip size doesn't matter because your body will release a hormone or something to help relax your joints so your hips can spread.

Erin - posted on 09/22/2010

The size and shape of the pelvis will affect how the baby descends through the birth canal, but it doesn't have any bearing on tears.

Jessica - posted on 09/22/2010

I also am not sure that pelvic size would have anything to do with tearing- it seems like that would be due to other factors. I mean I'm not a doctor or midwife but it doesn't make too much sense to me.

Tammy - posted on 09/22/2010

I think it all varies differently with different women. I am 5''2 and a UK size 8-10 (US 4-6 I think ) and my shoe size is UK 4 (US 6) and I ripped badly with both mine (Worse 2nd time) Ellie was only 4 Ib 3 ozs (She was 5 weeks early) but obv my body wasn't ready to birth her so the midwife had to cut me to deliver her. With my 2nd baby Leah I carried her to term and laboured naturally (6 hours) but I ripped inside and out and front and back (Ouch!!!) She was 7 Ib 3ozs. I dont think i'm built for giving birth without ripping to be honest lol so this time I'm gunna specify I want to be cut so I don't rip like that again. Back to the point of discussion though, I dont think its hip size its how elastic u r and how u can stretch etc. my Aunt is the same size as me and height as me yet she gave birth to an 8 Ib and an 9 Ib with no tearing or problems

Cathy - posted on 09/22/2010

I think one of my midwives told me about the shoe size thing too.

I was a UK size 8 (US size 4-6ish I think) UK shoe size 7 (US 9) and 5'7".
I have small hips. I tore with both my babies but much worse with my first. My first had been wedged down in my pelvis for weeks before giving birth so I was already swollen down there. I also had to give birth on my back. Second baby was smaller and gave birth in squatting position so gravity helped prevent to much damage.

I think there's a lot of factors and variables at play.

Erin - posted on 09/21/2010

My OB told me about the 'shoe-size' thing too.. I'm a size 10 and 5ft 10 so I wasn't expecting any problems (even though I knew I was having a big baby). WRONG!! I pushed for 2.5hrs, but ended up with forceps. Baby was 9lb 6oz and I copped a bad 3rd degree tear (from the forceps though, not necessarily her head). My mother, on the other hand, is only 5ft 4, was slim, and pushed a 9lb 10oz and 10lb 4oz baby out in 20mins with not even a graze.

As someone else mentioned, ease of delivery is more complicated than pelvic size. It depends how fast the baby comes and what position the mother is in.

Carolee - posted on 09/21/2010

I had never heard of the "shoe size" thing. It didn't seem to help me much, though. I tore REALLY badly with my son (first born), and my daughter (second born) broke her collar bone while coming out. Both of them were just under 9 lbs... I wear size 10 shoes.

Nikki - posted on 09/21/2010

We were pretty much the same I weighed 100lbs before i got prego and am 5`1 But i did gain alot i went up to 170 and my son was 7`10 I tore horribly got so many stitches:(

Jessica - posted on 09/21/2010

Its not hip size overall- its the size of the opening, which you can't tell by looking at someone. Just because someone looks like they have wide hips does not necessarily mean they can birth large babies without problems (or at all), and vice versa. And that opening can become bigger during labor and with different positions. Hence why you have small women who birth big babies. I myself am on the small side, around the same size as you- 5'3" and was 108 before got pregnant with my son. He was 8 lbs 3 oz at birth and I hd a fast uncomplicated delivery. But to look at me my hips aren't especially "wide" iykwim.



And, wasn't there just a conversation about this?

Kate CP - posted on 09/21/2010

I'm only 5'2", had a 7 pound baby and needed one stitch. But my whole family births babies fairly easily.

Lindsay - posted on 09/21/2010

It's hard to say. I'm 5'5, size 8 1/2 shoe and had two babies 7lb2oz and 8lb7oz very easily. My mother is 5'2, size 6 shoe and delivered all 3 of us without pain meds and zero tearing. My guess would be like what Jeniifer said, that you can't tell from an outside appearance.

Charlie - posted on 09/21/2010

im 5foot9 and gave birth to a 10lb and an 11lb without too much pain and i didnt rip i also have a size ten foot .

Jennifer - posted on 09/21/2010

its not your outside measurements that matter, its the internal size of your pelvis. some women are very "hippy" and can't birth normal sized babies, and women with seemingly no hips at all can deliver large babies. there really isn't a way to tell from looking at the outside.



taller women do have easier pregnancies, and labors though...i think because everything isn't so smooshed inside.

Jenni - posted on 09/21/2010

I'm 5"2 and struggled with both my births. Ended up having c-sections for both my 7.5 lbs children. My OBGYN attributed it to a small pelvic bone. My mom who is my body duplicate also ended up having the 3 of us by ceasarian after struggling for 24 hours to give birth to me.

My SD's BM is 5 foot and had no problem giving birth to her 9 lbs daughter.

So I think it's more to do with the size of the pelvic bone. Even some petite women can have large pelvic bones the same as some taller women can have a small one.

Jennifer - posted on 09/21/2010

I was told by my midwife that with me being 5 foot 11 my delivery should be easier as my pelvis was larger than average sized women. I'm a UK 9 or 10 shoe so my feet definately correlate to the size of my pelvis lol. My son only weighed 6lb12oz and I had 2nd degree tearing though so can't really comment on big babies!

Rosie - posted on 09/21/2010

i was little 5'2" at 105 lbs, and i gave birth to 3 big babies ranging from 8 lbs 5 oz- 9 lbs 5 oz. i have very little hips.
i don't think your hips have anything to do with tearing though. i'm not positive, but it doesn't make sense to me that hip size would have anything to do with how much you tear, i would think that would be vagina size, lol! and how elastic it can be? i don't know. all i know is i ripped very badly with my first and then with my last who was the biggest i didn't except for a little.

Jocelyn - posted on 09/21/2010

Shoe size really? Neat :)
I'm a size 9 in shoes, a size 9 in pants (hmm I see a trend forming lol) 5'5" tall, and had an 8lb 14oz babe and a 10 lb babe, both with no problems. I don't have overly large hips, so I stock it up to a good pelvis ^_^

Sara - posted on 09/21/2010

I think Mary N (who is an L&D Nurse) said once on this forum that there is a direct correlation between shoe size and pelvis size, and that women with shoes size 7 or larger tend to be a little roomier in the pelvis thus aiding them in delivery. My own OB also told me that taller women have an easier time with labor and delivery. I had a pretty good labor and delivery, I only pushed for 45 mintues and had a 8lb 9oz baby, tearing just a little. And i'm 5'11" and wear a size 11 shoe.

Joanna - posted on 09/21/2010

My hips aren't very large, and I'm normally a size 2/4, but I must have a good pelvis for birthing babies... I've had 2 almost 9-pounders and didn't have any problems.

Becky - posted on 09/21/2010

I'm sure your hips and pelvis do make a difference. I know that when there is a significant size difference between the dad and the mom - dad is quite a bit bigger than mom - it can make it hard for mom to deliver vaginally. I don't know that it makes a difference to whether you tear or not though. My first son was only 5 lbs. 3 oz, and I tore quite badly with him. It was because he came so fast - only 3 pushes - that I didn't have time to stretch, I just ripped. Although pushing for longer is annoying and of course, we all just want it over with, it's actually better because it gives you a chance to stretch naturally.

Teresa - posted on 09/21/2010

I think it really does depend on the hips/pelvis/etc... a LOT. I know a woman that is barely taller than me (I'm 4'11"). No clue on her weight, but she's not a heavy woman. She gave birth to a 9 pounder w/out any problems. I also know a woman that is several inches taller than me. Not thin, but not heavy either. Her son was 5lb 15oz and if he was any bigger... he wouldn't have come out w/out a c-section!