At least half of all babies who experience shoulder dystocia at birth weigh less than 4kg. Large babies can be born via a normal, vaginal delivery — but it's best to give birth where you can access specialist medical services, just in case things don't go according to plan.
Vaginal birth is still recommended is your baby is estimated to weigh less than 5,000 g (10 lbs) if you don't have diabetes. If your baby is estimated to weigh more than 4,500 g (8.4 lbs), and your labor stalls in the active stage or the baby doesn't descend, this is an indication for cesarean delivery.
If there's any doubt — especially if baby looks like he or she will be over 10 pounds at birth — your doctor will probably recommend a c-section over a vaginal delivery. But there are also other factors that come into play when determining whether you'll be able to deliver vaginally or through a c-section.
Your body goes through exactly the same process of labour regardless of your baby's size. In fact, the size of your baby has no influence whatsoever on the first stage of labour. Your cervix doesn't know there's a 4.5kg (9.9lb) baby sitting on top of it. It has to fully dilate regardless!
The heaviest baby born to a healthy mother was a boy weighing 10.2 kg (22 lb 8 oz) who was born to Sig. Carmelina Fedele (Italy) at Aversa, Italy in September 1955.
A C-section is major surgery. The procedure can increase complications for the mother and raise the risk during future pregnancies. Women giving birth for the first time should be allowed to push for at least three hours, the guidelines say. And if epidural anesthesia is used, they can push even longer.
If your baby is big
Unless there are any other issues, your healthcare professional won't induce you because they suspect your baby is large for their gestational age. This is because accurately assessing your unborn baby's weight is difficult.
“A newborn normally weighs between 2.5 to 3.5kg, but this is rare. It's the heaviest baby I have ever seen in my career. Normally, newborns with heavy weight are suspected to be diabetic, but the possibility of diabetes has been ruled out in this case,” said Dr Nilesh Thakur, district hospital's gynaecologist.
A large baby also means you're more likely to have an assisted vaginal delivery or a cesarean. Although it's difficult to determine a baby's exact size before birth, your doctor may want to schedule a c-section if you're measuring large or have other risk factors for macrosomia.
Cephalopelvic Disproportion (CPD) is when the baby is too large for the pelvis, or the pelvis is too small for the baby, to descend through during birth. This may be the diagnosis after a prolonged pause in labor, lack of engagement (baby entering the pelvis), and eventual cesarean birth.
More than 9 out of 10 babies born at term (37 to 40 weeks) weigh between 2.5kg and 4.5kg. If your baby weighs 4.5kg or more at birth, they are considered larger than normal. This is also known as 'fetal macrosomia' and large for gestational age (LGA).
Vaginal Birth for a Big Baby
As discussed above, a suspected big baby is not a reason to automatically schedule a Cesarean or induction. Plenty of parents give birth to babies larger than nine pounds without complication or permanent injury.
A larger than expected fundal height could be a sign of fetal macrosomia. Excessive amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios). Having too much amniotic fluid — the fluid that surrounds and protects a baby during pregnancy — might be a sign that your baby is larger than average.
While the average weight for a full-term baby is around 3.3kg, some healthy babies have been born below or above that weight. If your baby is born between 2.5kgs and 3.7kg, there's no cause for concern.
A delivery date that comes and goes can mean the baby is getting too big — and VBACs with large babies may also increase the risk of uterine rupture and perineal tears — which is part of the reason why some doctors don't perform VBACs on women who are more than a week past their due date.
Long term, babies born large for gestational age have an increased risk various poorer health outcomes such as diabetes, obesity etc. The good news is that breastfeeding can help reverse these risks.
Treatment will depend on your child's symptoms, age, and general health. If ultrasound exams during pregnancy show that your baby is very large, your healthcare provider may recommend early delivery. You may need a planned cesarean section.
15 oz. and up) with a rate of 1 in 175 births, or 0.005% [4]. The official stance of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) since 2016 is that suspected fetal macrosomia is not a valid reason for early induction of labor (before 39 weeks).
Currently, the evidence tells us that induction for a suspected larger baby does not decrease your baby's likelihood of a stay in the NICU. The most recent evidence indicates early induction (37-38 weeks) can increase your baby's risk of needing treatment for jaundice (which can sometimes mean a longer hospital stay).
Some babies are large because their parents are large; genetics does play a part. Birthweight may also be related to the amount of weight a mother gains during pregnancy. Excessive weight gain can translate to increased fetal weight. By far, maternal diabetes is the most common cause of LGA babies.
A baby's birth weight is an important indicator of health. The average weight for full-term babies (born between 37 and 41 weeks gestation) is about 7 pounds (3.2 kg). In general, small babies and very large babies are more likely to have problems.
Average baby weights
The average birth weight of a full-term female is 7 lb 2 oz , or 3.2 kg. The average weight of a baby born at 37–40 weeks ranges from 5 lb 8 oz to 8 lb 13 oz. This is 2.5 to 4 kg. At delivery, experts consider a low birth weight to be less than 5 lb 8 oz, or 2.5 kg.
Your provider may recommend inducing labor if your health or your baby's health is at risk or if you're 2 weeks or more past your due date. For some women, inducing labor is the best way to keep mom and baby healthy. Inducing labor should be for medical reasons only.
Risks of Induction
The cervix often needs to be softened before pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) will be effective. Pitocin causes contractions that both peak and become stronger more quickly than naturally occurring contractions. The result is a labor that is more difficult to manage.
Induced labour is usually more painful than labour that starts on its own, and you may want to ask for an epidural. Your pain relief options during labour are not restricted by being induced. You should have access to all the pain relief options usually available in the maternity unit.