this was mine. my first baby was very large – 9 1/2 lbs. i’d expressed concern over his size while i was pregnant b/c women in my family have BIG babies. ,y midwife assured me i was too small to carry a baby over 8 lbs., and if i did, i’d never be able to “get it out on my own” (her words, not mine). when my son was born, i was in labor less than 5 hours – first baby! – and had no drugs at all. i birthed him w/out pain meds or assistance. the nurses joked that i had a toddler – they had to go to the peds unit to find a t-shirt and diapers to fit him. he came home from the hospital wearing size 2 diapers and 3 month clothes. at my postpartum check-up, the midwife apologized and said she wouldn’t make such proclamations again.

oh, and when i got pregnant w/ baby #2, they were very concerned w/ his size b/c of my first baby. they monitored me closely the entire time, doing a size ultrasound every 3 weeks in my last trimester. at 36 weeks, they said he was already over 9 lbs., and i should expect him to be over 11 lbs. if he was born on or after his due date (first baby came at 41w, 1d). they couldn’t believe that i just nodded and said ok. but i knew the measurements could be WAY off, plus when babies are that big, it’s usually b/c they’re fat. as long as his head wasn’t humongous, i’d be fine – fat squishes, after all. he ended coming at exactly 39 weeks and weight 8 lbs. (ok, 7 lbs., 15.4 oz., if you want to get technical).