Because all women are the same in terms of their bone structure. Except for short women, who can’t birth babies over five pounds. But tall women can’t possibly birth a baby over seven and a half pounds because no woman can birth a baby over seven and a half pounds. Eight pounds is pathologically huge and will kill the mother, the baby, the father, and the doctor if a vaginal delivery is attempted.

….

I wonder if doctors who say things like this actually believe it, or whether they’ve just fully bought into the idea that women need to be manipulated into medical procedures because it’s just better that way for reasons no one really knows.

And what would you say to a Pygmy woman in your care doc? Because if they can birth 8 pounders with no problems, so can I!!!
I’ll just go squat somewhere far away from you when I’m pushing this giant baby out.

8lbs!!! You call that huge doc!!!! Me thinks you really need to get out in the real world! For what is worth I’m 5′ 7″, was a Aus size 12(US sz 10)prepregnancy and I managed to push(while in a semirecline position) a 9lb 13oz baby(1st bubs) and a 8lb 12oz bubs(no 4) without any difficulties except taking a while. If I can do that I’m sure that barring any other complications the OP is more than capable of pushing out an 8lb bubby. For that matter of fact most women, no matter what size/shape would be able to push out that size baby.

Only one of my babies was under eight pounds, and I’m 5 feet nothin! All of them extremely easy vaginal deliveries.

Geez doc.

I’m 5’3″ and around a size 6 or 8, and I had an 8 lbs. 11 oz. baby at home…pushed out in 2 min., no less.

Try again, doc.

I’m 5’1 and my smallest baby was 8bs. She was my first VBAC baby.

The second VBAC baby was 10lbs 6oz. Guess those didn’t happen.

now, now, wait for the pink link.. maybe the woman was only 20 weeks when he made this estimate?

my first was 8 lb, and I was 5’6″ and a size 4. oh and that was my smallest, by a long shot.

I’m 5’9 and a size 8 or 10 when not up the duff, my 7lb 5oz son (who was two weeks past due!) could not fit through my pelvis (sunny side up, too.)

I am 5’11″ and currently a size 16. I’ve been told by multiple care providers that I have a very generously sized pelvis due to being as tall as I am. I birthed a 9 pound 14 ounce baby without any complications whatsoever at home. He had a 15 inch head. This comment is so silly. 10 ish pounds was a good size for me, it all worked out and we were both very healthy. 8 pounds? Piece of cake!

4’11 here. I wear a size 3 jeans, size 5 1/2 shoe,and have a size 4 ring finger. Tiny bone structure. I had a 8 lb baby very easily, in less than 4 hours. I only tore because she had a nuchal fist and her little elbow for me.

If “at least 8 pounds” seems HUGE, you might be scheduling too many births ahead of term.

I just love these posts. I am 23 weeks pregnant, 4’10″, and 92 lbs pre-pregnancy. I wear an XXSP. Everyone keeps telling me how worried they are about my small size. I keep saying if my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother could push out 12 babies between them with no problems, and none of them 5′ tall, I’m going to be just fine. But most women in this town are induced, frequently for “big babies,” even women a foot taller than me. It’s a tough cultural standard to break through here.

I’m so sick of hearing about 8 lbs being huge. I start to consider a baby on the larger size at 10 lbs and “huge” at 12+ lbs. I’d say that average would be between 6-9 lbs.

Had a nine pound baby but no c section. Hmmm they must have teleported him out then.

I’m skeptical that there exists more than a very loose correlation between pelvis size in labor and height/weight… But this is just flat out ridiculous. And I don’t care if this was said at a 34-week appointment, either.

Oh, and doc? Your anxiety disorder is not a medical indication for surgery.

I am 5′ 10″ and my son was 7ibs when he was born 4 weeks premature.

In the same ward as me, there was a tiny lady, not much more than 5′ who had a 13.5 lb baby – vaginally! – with no stitches!! What a woman!

He was a chubby, gorgeous, happy baby. Everyone made a fuss of him because he was so cute.

Zombie Mommy here! 5’6″ and 130-140lbs (so a US 4-8 throughout my 2 pregnancies)
1st baby was 7lb 15oz and 21in
2nd was 7lb 12oz and 22.5 in

So almost 8lbs and LONG…obviously I couldn’t have done it

8 pounds?!!!! Himmel! Her uterus is going to explode! Quick, do a c-section and save the world!!!!!

Did that sarcasm come across clearly enough or do I need to try again?

This makes me feel so sad. I used to have a co-worker who was 6’4″ and built like a linebacker. Her first baby was born vaginally and was 9lbs, 1oz. Her OB convinced her during her second labor that there was no was she could birth her “big baby” and rushed her in for a emercency CS. (He was the same size as his older sister) Her third baby she was talked into a scheduled CS and she felt he was so small at 8lbs.

As I sit her and type this, I’m surrounded by zombies. All of which were close to or over 9 lbs at birth.

I just don’t get the big baby hysteria. Sigh.

In just about all the pregnancy literature you read (I use the word “literature” lightly), 8 pounds is considered normal – at least if the book wasn’t written by a doctor. I suspect our definition of normal birth weight decreases by a few ounces every few years or so, to the point where we’ll be saying “That baby is 6 pounds! THat’s huge!” (actually some practitioners we’ve heard from on this site seem to think that anything above 6 lbs is “bad” already.)

Thank you for voicing your fears, but allow me to take this one.

5’2″ here and I’ve birthed 8 lb. 10 oz. and 8 lb. 12 oz. babies vaginally with no complications. My 8 lb. 10 oz. baby was persistent posterior, too! I really just have to laugh when I hear people say over 8 lbs. is so big. It’s just normal to me! And then I think of all the unnecessary inductions/c-sections and I stop laughing. So sad.

Hmm. I’m 6′, with a generous pelvis and LOTS of room for a baby to get as big as it wants. My earthside babies? Born 7lbs and 7lbs 6.5 oz. I’m 24w with #3, and suspect this one may get a little bigger, but have no proof (and no fear, either).

Hey Doc – sizeist much?

My youngest niece was born at home at 46 weeks and weighed over 11 pounds. It can be done.

Doctor – “I’m afraid this baby is going to be HUGE!”

Me – “I’m not.”

I’m a touch under 5’1 and my vaginal birth was a vbac. 8lbs14.6oz, after 8 minutes of pushing. 41 week induction, no other meds (epidural), no tearing. I hope this on has to have painful surgery someday then finds out after that it wasn’t necessary.

Ohmygosh! 8 lb! You’d need like, the jaws of life to pry that huge of a baby out of your body!!!11!!!! Huuuuuuuge.

Hi Mods, This seems to be repeating spam, and abuse of the pink my link.

I’m 5’1″ and my son was 9lb 14oz. Nuchal hand, too. No stitches required. He’s still huge at 2 1/2. I’m pregnant again and hoping this one stays in the 8lb range though, lol.