Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Feb
5
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“It Will Be A Cesarean Section If The Baby Is Big, Right?”
“It will be a cesarean section if the baby is big, right?” - Ultrasound tech to mother.
There are 36 comments to this post.
My friends husband, who is a NICU nurse, said something similar to me when a 34wk ultrasound measured large. To which I asked “Why?” And his reply was “Well, you don’t want to hurt yourself.” … Yeah, cuz getting cut open doesn’t hurt. Makes perfect sense to me! *sarcasm* Of course I would have a c-section if it were needed, but as a previous poster said, how about we wait and see? Ftr, all natural water birth at home with minor skid marks, tyvm.
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Bonita Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 9:52 pm (Quote)
As a mom of 2 10lb babies, I would have to say I’d take my 2nd degree tears anyday over slicing my bowels open and rearranging my organs and then recovering while taking care of a newborn.
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paula Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 7:46 am (Quote)
Had to laugh at the NICU nurse comment, but you have to understand what he calls ‘big’. My DD was a preemie (1 lb 14 oz), so after a while in the NICU, 3 and 4 lbs were “normal” and 7-8 lbs WAS huge! I would imagine the perspective is even more skewed for an NICU nurse who sees 1-3 lb babies every day. Of course, the nurse SHOULD know that his perspective is not the same as most people’s, and not compare apples to oranges…
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Uh…not if I can help it.
To me, bigger baby equals bigger hole they’d be slicing into my belly which is not something I particularly desire. I figured it was worth giving my body a chance to do what it was made to do.
Lo and behold, my body worked. Even with a 10 lb 8 oz baby!
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Jadzia@Toddlerisms had this to say,
Feb 6, 2012 @ 4:42 am (Quote)
This is almost certainly a stupid question (where “almost certainly” = “definitely”), especially since I’ve been through this five times, but how do you know if the baby is “big” or not prior to his/her arrival? In other-than-extreme cases, that is.
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Margaret Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 6:04 am (Quote)
Well, see, it’s like this. Any baby over 8 lb is “huuuuuuuuuuuge” and not safely delivered vaginally, and ultrasound measurements for size are incontrovertible. Always.
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Margaret Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 6:07 am (Quote)
And the above was sarcasm. 
What I find truly hilarious is that even in extreme cases, they can be so, so wrong. I remember reading one of the articles about the lady who vaginally delivered an almost-14-lb baby recently. Her previous baby was 12 lb. They thought (via ultrasound) that the latest baby would be smaller than that. ha ha.
She’s very lucky they were wrong. I can’t imagine what a surgical delivery and recovery would look like with a kid that big. Scary.
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Michelle Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 1:09 pm (Quote)
They guess based on ultrasound, is my understanding. Which I’ve always thought strange, since in five pregnancies I’ve *never* had an ultrasound in the third trimester. Although, I did have a friend who had one at every visit, even though she and her baby were totally healthy. It was just how her doctor did things.
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Heidi Reply:
March 17th, 2012 at 7:53 pm (Quote)
They guess based on ultrasound, but the ultrasounds really aren’t accurate. My second child WAS big, but the ultrasound didn’t predict that correctly either. I had an U/S at 38 weeks because I thought he was breech. The U/S estimate said he would be 8 pounds, 4 ounces, GIVE OR TAKE 19 ounces. “So you’re looking at a 7-9 pound baby,” the tech said.
Five days later, he was born. 10 pounds, 2 ounces. I am glad I didn’t KNOW how big he was, because I would’ve given up in a heartbeat and had a C-section.
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My babies were
9lbs. 14 oz.
10 lbs
11 lbs 2oz
10 lbs 2 oz
10lbs 4 oz
I gave birth to all of them vaginally. first was born in the hospital, where they gave me an episiotomy. The second one was born at home and I tore a little because I had had the episiotomy before. The third was born at home with no tears, and so was number four. Number five was born in the hospital and she was born vaginally. Most of my babies had a little help getting their shoulders out, but a little nudge from just above the pelvic bone was all they needed. I was a very slender woman.
Sooo… I wonder… What exactly is considered “big”?
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April Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 6:56 am (Quote)
Go Lisa!! I have similar experiences except #1 was a tiny little 7 lb at hospital with episiotomy. I tore a little with 10 lb second baby because of the scar. Glad to know subsequent babies don’t always = tearing! You gave me hope!
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Kristin Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 2:04 pm (Quote)
HA! This is why I laugh (and cry) that my sister and I both had episiotomies from the SAME doctor. My son was 9lbs 8oz, but her daughter was only 6lbs 15oz! And he cut us both. She was okay with it. I most certainly was NOT. Home birth for my next one.
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Another big baby mama here (9 lb, 12 oz). My doc had a wait and see attitude. Baby arrived vaginally five days before my due date. No c/s necessary!
FWIW, I did have a growth u/s at 38 wks (waste of time/$ – won’t do it again). Perinatologist estimated an 8 lb, 15 oz baby. I think he was just a little off unless my kiddo gained almost a pound in about 10 days! LOL!
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Laura Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 9:50 am (Quote)
They told me a half pound a week is normal at that part of pregnancy. But also that the sizing ultrasound can be off by as much as 20%. (My second was at the high end of possible, assuming a half-pound a week gain. Glad they didn’t push for a c-section!)
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Nica Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 10:42 am (Quote)
Yes, the perinatologist himself told me it could be +/- 20%. I said to myself “well, then why am I even here??” LOL. Definitely going to skip the late term growth u/s with my current pregnancy, if faced with the situation!
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Carolyn Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 3:32 pm (Quote)
I had a scan at 37w which gave an estimated wt of 7lb13oz and baby came 25 days later at 40w4d weighing in at 9lb9oz (via necessary emergency section, unfortunately, so I think mine was actually pretty accurate.
My OB had said, because he knew I was planning on a natural, med/intervention free birth, “macrosomia is not an indication for induction or cesarean.” If I had known about this site two years ago, I would have submitted a month’s worth of Thoughtful Thursday quotes. Love that man. He is not allowed to retire or move until I am done having children. (He is unaware of this requirement.) I was a NICU nurse at the time, and I’d say 90% of the Womens’ Services nurses (L&D, NICU, Nursery, Antepartum, and Postpartum) went to him or someone else in his practice. I refer everyone I know to him. He is a very busy OB.
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Nica Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 7:02 pm (Quote)
Oh, I already told my OB she can’t stop practicing obstetrics until I’m done. LOL! I knew I found a good doc when I found out in the hospital after the birth of my son that 90% of the L&D and maternity nurses also went to her and she had delivered many of their babies. She’s awesome.
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Well, I would have loved to have given birth to my big baby (9 lb, 12 oz.) vaginally but she became very, very sick during labor and had to be born with a c-section. However, I would love to point out to this tech that I COULD have given birth to her vaginally with full “go-ahead” from the OB who knew she was a big baby. Yes, there are even (some?) doctors out there who are all for vaginal compared to c-section and I was lucky enough to have one who only did c-sections when truly necessary (and p.s. **size does not count as ‘necessary’ most of the time**).
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Kristin Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 2:05 pm (Quote)
I was told “8lbs, tops” by the doctor in the office known for being “spot on” his weight estimates.
Turns out that 8lbs maximum was actually 9lbs 8oz.
There was only a 3 day difference from when they told me 8lbs, and I gave birth…
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rachel had this to say,
Feb 6, 2012 @ 10:42 am (Quote)
Baby #1: 8lb 14oz 14″ head, home birth transfer turned csection.
Baby #2: 10lbs 2oz, 14.5″ head, home birth with shoulder dystocia so my mw had to reach in there and get him once his head was out
Baby #3: my 2mo <3 11lbs even, 15" head which didn't even mold, nuchal arm, no SD but his elbow was stickng out funny so mw needed topull his arm out for him to be able to get out.
soo… my vaginal births involved big babies with big heads and some mount of internal manipulation by midwives after the birth of the head. Yet, NO tearing! The csection did more damage than my huge vaginally born babies
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Alyson Miers had this to say,
Feb 6, 2012 @ 7:17 pm (Quote)
A person whose opinion has not been solicited, who is not qualified to diagnose or recommend, and whose job does not involve attending births, is ASSuming that the expectant mother WILL OF COURSE submit to intra-abdominal surgery if the fetus appears large on the oh-so-reliable ultrasound.
What a load of gobbledegook.
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Uh, sure, if big means 30 pounds. I’m sure you’re thinking smaller, though, and it’s probably a good thing you’re an u/s tech and not my OB.
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jenni Reply:
February 7th, 2012 at 5:21 am jenni(Quote)
LIKE!
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