Can your baby be too big for a Natural Birth?

I also had a gynae that tried to push the CSection subject, because of my bubs size. The ultrasound is estimated as inaccurate up to 10% either way, which I was told by the doc.
I kept telling the doc that I would decide whether I would birth naturally or via CSection closer to the time, which he was fine with.
However at 37 weeks I developed pre-eclampsia, for which I had to have an emergency CSection done. The doc was not willing to risk an induction.
After the Csection he told me that baby would have been too big for natural at 4.12kg. Whether this was just to justify what he was pushing for all along, or actually legit - I don't know.

Thank you for the link Firefly! I wish I read it when I expected my first.

I know this is a bit late into this thread but for anyone who still needs info on this, this website is great, www.evidencebasedbirth.com. She looks into all the research regarding particular issues. Here is her article on big babies: evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-for-indu...ection-for-big-baby/

The bottom line is:

What is the bottom line? In summary, for non-diabetic moms:

- Ultrasounds and care providers are equally inaccurate at predicting whether or not a baby will be big. If an ultrasound or a care provider predicts a big baby, they will be wrong half the time.
- If a care provider thinks that you are going to have a big baby, this thought is more harmful than the actual big baby itself
- The suspicion of a big baby leads many care providers to manage a woman’s care in a way that triples her risk of C-section and quadruples the risk of complications.
- Because of this “suspicion problem,” ultrasounds to estimate a baby’s weight probably do more harm than good in most women.
- Induction for big baby does not lower the risk of shoulder dystocia and may increase the risk of C-section, especially in first-time moms
- A policy of elective C-sections for big babies likely does more harm than good for most women
- It would take nearly 3,700 elective C-sections to prevent one permanent case of nerve injury in babies who are suspected of weighing more than 9 pounds 15 ounces
- For every 3 permanent nerve injuries that are prevented, there will be 1 maternal death due to the elective C-sections

For diabetic moms and moms with gestational diabetes:

- Ultrasounds are slightly more accurate at predicting a big baby, but only because these moms are at higher risk of having a big baby to begin with
- Elective C-sections may be more cost-effective in women who have Type I or Type II diabetes
- Treatment for gestational diabetes drastically lowers the chance of having a big baby and shoulder dystocia

Hi Ladies.......thanks so much for your views. I only want the best for my baby and know that a natural delivery would be exactly that.

aaargghh. i was just going to leave it there, but now find that i cant.

I just get so angry when i hear of women being coerced/forced into a C-section for what really seems to me, completely BOGUS reasons.

Ive absolutely no problem with any doctor coming right out and saying (preferably at the BEGINNING of pregnancy) that he/she prefers to do do C-section for whatever reason. convenience, safety, personal preference etc etc... thats their choice. and I do love that we have the choice in this country. Then as the patient you're empowered to do your own reading/research and switch doctors if you're still keen on a natural birth (or turn to midwives).

... but to attempt to influence a mother's decision, right at the very end, when she's at her most vulnerable... and use the babies apparent size to do it, is shocking.

First, as i said earlier, any size prognosis is a an estimate only. Second, the babies 'head bones' are soft and designed to 'slide over eachother' so as to facilitate birth. and third, the mother's height (and frame size) is absolutely no indication of the size of baby they can birth naturally. Nature doesnt give us babies too big for us to deliver (unless of course there are other medical factors involved, including gestational diabetes).

My son was born 9 days post due-date. if I'd have been scared into a section at 38 1/2 weeks he would have been born a full 18 days earlier than he was (ie. almost 3 weeks early). Now I have no way of knowing whether he'd have been perfectly fine to be born then... but intuitively I just feel that he needed to the 'extra time', and in fact came when and only when he was ready.

*sigh* sorry for the rant. its just that I hear this time and time again. Women near birth are extremely easy to influence. its a scary time and most of us have been brought up to 'listen' and not challenge. and its sad to think that many of us are effectively getting our choice taken away from us.

Mummyabby thanks for explained...

Wow justine... sound it wonderful. Glad they did support you all the way.

Goggatjies, that awesome. My mom gave 5 naturally birth n I was heavies baba was 4.8kg....

Im glad doc support me and im going for natural birth. They don't put me down or negative.... 3docs are males.

Awe love the story...

Good morning

My first gynie told me that I will not be able to birth naturally, because baby will be to big. I am 1.68m
I birthed naturally and he weighed 3.3kg
My daughter came and she was 4.07kg

The doctors just do not want to come out in the middle of the night

I LOVE my midwifes