Did I do something wrong?

Janelle - posted on 03/26/2012

i live in colorado, and the elevation affects child sizes.

Charmaine - posted on 03/25/2012

She sounds like she was healthy... 40 years ago that was the norm... She's just a wee thing :)

Margaret - posted on 03/25/2012

If you had a healthy diet during pregnancy then no, you did nothing wrong, and no there need be no indication that future pregnancies will result in low birth weight babies. It depends on several matters including the genetics of both mother and father...don't worry, you have a beautiful baby. God bless.

Bonnie - posted on 03/25/2012

No, you didn't do anything wrong, your first baby was just small. Babies tend to get a little bigger each time you have them, unless they are preemie. I was my mothers first baby, and she's had 6, I was 5 lbs 5 oz. I didn't have any trouble gaining weight, nor was I overweight as a kid. I am now 5 feet 5 inches, at 38 yrs. Not telling you my weight though. Eeek. Anyway, your baby will be fine.

My two sons were 7 lbs 5 oz, and 7lbs 12 oz. Both born a week early due to cesarean delivery. Thanks gestational diabetes, and other issues out of my hands.

Karen - posted on 03/25/2012

it doesnt mean a thing i was 2 days early with my first and he was 7lb 1 my second boy was a day early and was 6lb7 and my 3 a girl was 9 days late and 6lb 11

Sherri - posted on 03/24/2012

Gladys that isn't necessarily true that because you didn't gain much your baby was small. I just had my 4th 5wks ago was not overweight before getting pregnant and only gained 6lbs my son weighed 7lbs 6ozs.

Amy - posted on 03/24/2012

I was the smallest baby my mom had, I am a middle child I was the smallest and worst labor she had my older brother was textbook normal and my sister the youngest was bigger than both my brother and I. Every baby is different, the next one could be over 10lbs. Who knows

Gladys - posted on 03/24/2012

Hi Anna, my first was 7 lbs and 10 oz, my second was 5 lbs . On my first pregnancy , I didn't actually watch what I ate, ate almost everything that is why I gained a whooping 40 lbs! Even after I had her. Then on my second, I was more careful on what I ate, I tried to eat healthy, that is why I didn't gain much and the baby is small. As long as the baby is healthy, that is all that matters. They will grow and gain weight as long as they eat well. Congratulations! Enjoy motherhood and treasure every moment of it. They grow fast!

Kerryn - posted on 03/24/2012

My 1st bub was 4 pound, my second 7 pound. The difference you ask? I took baby aspirin throughout my pregnancy with the second child. Apparently it helps thin the blood and help the placental bloodflow etc. My 1st bub had actually stopped growing at about 32 weeks - I had IVF babies and this can be a problem associated with that. So it could be any number of reasons - best to talk to your doctor and get professional input. Although at 5 pounds, I wouldn't be too concerned. Its more than likely your next child will be bigger - there is more room for bub to stretch in, and of course your body knows what to do. Congrats!

Joy - posted on 03/23/2012

You're fine. Due dates are estimated, not set in stone. My girl was 7 lbs 9 oz, but was 10 days late!



As long as your little one's healthy when she's born, its ok if she's smaller. And even if she isn't, its not that you did something 'wrong.'

Sherri - posted on 03/23/2012

I have 4 kids first was 6lbs 8ozs, second 7lbs 13ozs, third 8lbs 5ozs and fourth 7lbs 6ozs. There isn't always any rhyme or reason to it. Just because 1 was small doesn't mean any subsequent children will be unless there was a problem.

Liz - posted on 03/23/2012

My son was 6lbs 1oz and I was diagnosed MTHFR, causes small babies...you should ask your OB about it. Simple blood test & easy to fix with extra folic acid & baby aspirin. I'm on my second pregnancy after diagnosis and baby is predicted just be normal weight, 7.5lbs.

Lady Heather - posted on 03/23/2012

It's doubtful you did anything wrong. Having one small baby does make it more likely that your next will be small so your care provider might want to monitor growth more carefully.



My first was 39weeks and 6 days and weighed just 5lb 3oz. In my case we were expecting a smaller baby because we knew I had a bicornuate uterus. She also had other problems though that contributed to her lower weight - the placenta had stopped working properly so she wasn't getting proper nutrition or oxygen. Again, nothing I did.



My second baby was just shy of 40 weeks also and was below average at 6lb 8oz, but she had a good placenta that allowed her to grow a bit more.

Sandra - posted on 03/23/2012

Your due date could have been off and you could have actually had her a little early. Or there may be a few changes you could make in your diet or maybe some bad habits such as smoking that you should try to get rid of. But that weight really isn't bad. Anything under 5 1/2 pounds is considered to be low birth weight, so as long as there were no complications during your pregnancy and your daughter is otherwise healthy, you probably have nothing to worry about. You should also take into consideration how much weight you gained during pregnancy. I have five children, and they were all healthy weight even though I gained about 40 pounds more than is actually recommended.



My oldest was 9 days late according to the due date my doctor gave me, but if she would have taken into consideration that my menstrual cycle is a few days longer than the average 28 days, he would have only been born 2 days early. I gained 65 pounds when I was pregnant with him, and he was 7 pounds, 9 ounces. My next one was induced two weeks prior to the due date, and I gained 60 pounds with him, but he was 7 pounds, 11 ounces at birth. My second youngest was born on the due date and was 7 pounds, 2 ounces, and my youngest was born five days after the due date and was 8 pounds, 3 ounces. My only daughter, who is right in the middle of my boys, was 6 pounds, 7 ounces. I gained 40 pounds when I was pregnant with my daughter, and with my youngest two boys. With her, my original due date was on June 18, but the ultrasound revealed that she was pretty small, so the due date was changed according to her size, to July 3. She ended up being born June 24, so depending on which due date you want to use-- the one that was determined using my LMP, or the one that was determined by the ultrasound-- she was either 6 days late or 9 days early.



So as you can see, your baby's birth size could be determined by many factors: your diet and how much weight you gain during pregnancy; any use of drugs (whether illicit, OTC, or prescribed), tobacco, or alcohol; and whether or not your EDD is accurate.



And I'm not sure genetics really have anything to do with birth weight, but they do have a lot to do with how big your children are when they get older. I was 5 pounds, 7 ounces, when I was born; I was 2 or 3 weeks early. My sisters were each also a couple weeks early, but they were over 6 pounds when they were born.

Roberta - posted on 03/23/2012

Each baby is different, my first two were premature and they told me that I would never carry a baby to term. The last two were on time. I didn't do anything different.

Heather - posted on 03/23/2012

I am sure it is nothing you did---or didn't do! My oldest was 7 lbs 10 oz. My water broke with her 12 days prior to the "due date" and she was born that day. She was a scheduled c-section since she was breech but decided she wanted to make her own day! My second was a c-section taken at 39 weeks and she was 6 lbs 10 oz. My third was a c-section at 39 weeks and 5 days and he was 8 lbs 1 oz. They didn't take him at 39 weeks since his sister was "small"...and look at what he weighed! lol. And with our first, I gained 23 lbs, the second 18 lbs and with the little guy...only 13. he is now almost 10 months old and weighs 18 lbs 2 oz. My daughter who weighed the least is now 6 1/2 and is still little...35 lbs. I was also on nausea meds with him as I was so sick the entire pregnancy! Lost about 20 lbs in the first trimester...and only gained 13 back. I feel for you there!

Sarah - posted on 03/23/2012

You never know. Sometimes there is genetics that are involved. If you and hubby are not very tall then your child will most likely not be tall, BUT NOT ALWAYS! Also if they are born small they may stay small or they may grow to be on the taller side. My first was 7 pounds 13 ounces and grew VERY fast. He is 14 yrs old now and about 5' 10" or so. My second was 9 pounds 1 ounce and is on the taller side, but does have a few other kids in her class that are taller. My third was born at 7 pounds 13 ounces and has bounced around in the charts for her height.

Anna - posted on 03/23/2012

thankyou everyone for the reply's. she is growing really good she is around 15pounds give or take a few ounces. i had heavy periods too, but she was small. me and my husband both were 7 pounds and a few ounces. @stacey i just pretty much only ate potatoes and not much of them. the doctors had to put me on nausea medicine for chemo patients. i lost 26 pounds by the time i was 2 months pregnant and only gained 25 back

S. - posted on 03/23/2012

My 1st was 5lbs 11 oz, my 2nd 6lbs 10, my 3rd 6lbs 10.5 oz,neither me or my husband are big people so were not going to have big babies.

As long as your baby is healthy and is putting on weight fine, I wouldn't give it a second thought.

What is it you feel you have done wrong?

Toni - posted on 03/23/2012

It could just be you make small babies, as long as she is healthy I wouldn't worry. My first was 5lbs 6 1/2 oz my second was 7lbs 1oz.



Louise my periods were always heavy and I made smaller babies, I don't think periods have anything to o with it. Genetics play a huge role, I was 5lbs 1oz born :-)

Louise - posted on 03/23/2012

No it just means you have small babies! Normally the second baby is slightly bigger and so on. If your child is healthy then dont worry about it, you did a good job. The average weight is about 7lbs so she/he was not that far off normal. I beleive if you have lighter periods than other women you have a smaller baby. My sister in law had light periods and had 5lb babies where I have always suffered from heavy periods and had 10lb babies.

Michelle - posted on 03/23/2012

Your dates could have off or you you are just lucky to have small babies.



As long as she's healthy it's fine.