[sfnative]

Do the private hospitals have any restrictions when it comes to the size of the baby? If I am going to deliver a large baby, do they have a weight limit which would determine vaginal or c-section? My husband and I are both very tall and already my bump is huge. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks!

[aussie mum]

a friend of mine recently delivered a 10lb 14oz baby vaginally at the matilda.
I think it is likely to have more to do with your pelvis size etc than set weight limits.

[bekyboo44]

The hospitals have no restrictions- basically the decision would be made by your Doctor. Or your Doctor would advise what they think would be best for you and the baby, depending on the estimated size of the baby.

Apparently nature ensures that very few babies are too big for Mum to deliver naturally.
I also had a huge bump, and a very tall husband- and everyone (includ. my doctor and the nurses at the hospital) thought our son was going to be huge. But he was average enough at 3.5 kg.

[kharel]

It is weird out here as I have heard that some private hospitals are really very lazy with a natural birth over 8lbs and encourage c -section. T

here is no medical reason for this so you should fight it if you want a natural labor. Our bodies are created to push that baby out no matter how large. If your baby is breech then of course a c-section is better but for size it really should not make any difference!!

Hope this helps...

[bekyboo44]

C-section rates are high in HK, espec. at private hospitals but according to my obstetrician there is a reason why doctors are so cautious.

Private hospitals do not have the emergency staff and equipment on hand, like the govt. hospitals do- so govt. hospitals can take more risks with natural deliveries because if something goes wrong they can perform a c-section in minutes.
Private hospitals do not always have the staff on hand (anaethetist, pedietrician etc.) and so they tend to be more cautious when it comes to natural v c-section.

[LLL_Sarah]

As a general rule babies are the size of the mother when born. But grow quickly or slowly depending on the father?s size. Thus a large mother with a small father will have a large baby that grows slowly and a small mother with a large father will have a small baby that grows quickly.

It seems that the way the baby is lying is more important than the size of the baby to whether you will have a problem giving birth.

Good luck with everything,
SARAH

[Mom2Sofie&Twins]

It all depends on the body. I had a 9lbs2oz baby (and 22 inches) and she was a little too big for me. Although I had her vaginally after a long labor, 4th degree tearing and a forceps delivery. Still pretty uneventful and a fast recovery. My friend had a 10lbs+ baby without a problem. For some women 7lbs is already too large ... it all depends.

I gave birth to 15 1/2 lbs (7kg) of twin, so yes I was huge and they were a great size for twins and still 12 days early. Next u/s can be off. I heard too many stories about babies who were estimated to be large, taken earlier (not without risks) and they end up being fairly normal / average size.

[buddhafun]

Never...as a rule, the idea of a too big baby is actually not a biological reality--babies are born the appropriate size for the mother to give birth to. For example, I have 5 feet tall, my husband over 6 feet, our baby was 7 pounds 15 ounces and fairly long 21.5 inches. The first doctor I went to took a look at us and said, well, you may have to have a C-section, but this according to the reading I did, was an indication that her level of experience with vaginal deliveries was low, and also, let's face it, C-sections make more money. This is why there are so many C-sections now--NOT because babies are bigger in the 21st century--but because doctors are not trained as well to deal with the complications of delivery and because they can make more money.