When your baby weighs less than 2.5 kg, they are considered smaller than normal. On the other hand, if they weigh 4.5 kg or more, your child is considered larger than normal. These babies are large for their gestational age (LGA).
You will come to know the size of your baby during a routine antenatal check-up.
- Your doctor may estimate the growth and size of your baby by measuring the 'fundal height'. This is the measurement from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus.
- Your baby's height and growth can also be measured by doing an ultrasound. However, the result's aren't accurate. There is always an error of 10-15 per cent.
- Doctors can also know the size of your baby by measuring the amniotic fluid in the womb. An excess of this fluid can indicate that your baby is larger than normal. This is because a large baby can produce more urine.
The doctors after conducting the aforementioned tests will be able to tell you whether you are having a big baby. If you are having one, you will be recommended some precautions and careful monitoring.
Why Is My Baby Large?
Here are some possible causes that contribute to having a big baby.
A baby may be large at birth due to genetic factors. It depends on the mother's health and in rare cases, a medical condition can also cause the fetus to grow rapidly.
Other factors that may play a role are:
- If the mother has diabetes during her pregnancy
- The mother had a previous pregnancy where the baby was large
- If the mother is 30 years and above
- If the mother has put on a lot of weight during her pregnancy
- The baby's parent's height and body structure also matters
However, there are also cases where the baby's larger than normal size doesn't fall into any of these and could simply be a 'gift.'
Is Delivering A Large Baby Naturally Possible?
Yes! You can deliver a large baby naturally. That's because most large babies who weigh around 4kg and above do not have a difficult birth. But there are some major risks associated with having a big baby, which include:
- Longer labour and complications: You may experience longer labour and it can give rise to serious complications during childbirth. There's an increased risk of using forceps and vacuum or undergoing caesarian birth.
- Shoulder dystocia: A large baby can also cause shoulder dystocia. This condition occurs during a vaginal birth when the baby's head has come out, but one of the shoulders gets stuck behind the mother's pelvic bone. The baby's shoulder then needs to be released immediately so that the baby can come out easily. However, remember that shoulder dystocia can happen during any birth.
A study in Singapore suggests that birth weight above 3.6 kg was associated with a 16 times higher risk for shoulder dystocia. This is in comparison to pregnancies where the infant weighed less than 3.6 kg.
So while it is possible to deliver naturally, make sure that the place where choose to giving birth is well-equipped to handle such emergency situations.
Precautions After Delivering A Large Baby Naturally
Since many large babies are born to mums with diabetes, some may need help regulating their blood sugar levels after they are born.
Later as well, the risk of childhood obesity and being overweight may increase and the child may develop other problems with their metabolism.
Sometimes, the baby will have to be in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after birth because they may need help breathing.
Some large babies may also have jaundice after birth. However, regardless of whether your baby is born small or large, doctors will continue to monitor their weight.
In addition to this, the medical practitioner and the hospital staff will also see how well your child is taking their feeds and the number of wet nappies they use every day.
Now, if you feel you may just be the only person who is gearing up to delivering a large baby naturally, lo and behold, you are not alone!
3 Mums Who Give Birth To Large Babies And How You Can Too!
While all mums feel that they are about to give birth to giants, there are babies who actually weigh larger than usual. Here are three such cases of mums giving birth to large babies.
- A Wellington mum gave birth to a baby boy who weighed more than 7.39 kg. The baby was twice the average size of a newborn baby. The doctor took three hours to give an epidural to the mum. But the good news was that the boy and the mum were healthy after the birth.
- Australian woman Natashia Corrigan gave birth to a baby weighing 6 kg. The mum went through an extensive seven-hour long labour. But in the end she was able to give birth naturally with only gas for pain.
- An Indian mum gave birth to a 6.8 kg baby girl that is said to be the heaviest child in the country. Babies usually weigh around 2.5 kg to 3.5 kg in India and here the infant weighed the same as a six-month-old.
Although, there's not much that you can do about the size of your baby, you can take care of your health during pregnancy.