Tough decision - Elective C or not ?

paul williams wrote:


Last two ultrasounds where head and abdomen were measured have put the
babies size slightly above the 97th percentile...


If the baby is a girl, the 97th percentile at birth
would only be about 9.5 pounds, which many, many women
deliver quite successfully vaginally (even with lousy
support--with the support of a birth team skilled at
supporting vaginal births of large babies, the odds are
even better).

Best wishes,
Ericka

paul williams wrote:

Last two ultrasounds where head and abdomen were measured have put the
babies size slightly above the 97th percentile...

For a girl, 97th percentile is only 10 pounds even if you go
to 42 weeks. At 40 weeks, you're looking at 9 pounds.

Phoebe
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

paul williams wrote:

expert opinion says that ultrasound
estimates are accurate within 10-15%.


Apparently, the percentage of ultrasound estimates that get
the baby's weight within plus or minus 10% is somewhere
between 32 and 69%. So you've got a 31-68% chance that the
ultrasound estimate will be off by more than 10%. The mean
error is within 10-15%, but there's no guarantee you aren't
an outlier. http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic3281.htm


--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

"paul williams" wrote in message
om...
"Sue" wrote in message
...
I would do neither one and let nature take its course. You have to
remember
that ultrasound weights are typically off and just an estimate. I have
heard
of women being told that their babies are measuring 10 lbs and they are
born
at 7 lbs. Measurements based on ultrasounds are just an estimate too.
Are
you sure about the dates? Dates can go two weeks either way so I
wouldn't
put too much emphasis on what the ultrasound is saying. Based on that
knowledge alone, I would not induce nor have a C-section. Women's bodies
are
made to have children, trust your wife's body to deliver the baby
(unless
there is medical problems or baby is in huge distress). Your wife should
probably educate herself more on delivery and perhaps find different
techniques that will get her through labor.

--
Sue
mom to three girls


Appreciate your point but expert opinion says that ultrasound
estimates are accurate within 10-15%

That may well be true, I trust the ultrasound estimate I have been given
(11lbs by 40 weeks) because I have already had a baby nearly that big.

However the point still remains that large size of the baby doesn't mean
that a vaginal delivery is dangerous. Believe me I am in a very good
position to say I know how scary it is to be told you are having a large
baby. But I can also tell you that my birth story with a 10lb 8oz baby was a
dream compared to a lot of the births my friends have had ALL with smaller
babies.

I will not be delivering this baby by co-section even if it's 12lbs!
C-section is not the easy option.

Judy

paul williams wrote:

Last two ultrasounds where head and abdomen were measured have put the
babies size slightly above the 97th percentile...

I don't know the percentiles on my twins' estimated weights, but their last
ultrasound, at 36.5 weeks, had them at 8 lbs. and 8.75 pounds. They were born
over three weeks later, so should have been about 1.5 pounds heavier, each, or
9.5 and 10.25 pounds. So it sounds as though the estimates are a lot like the
ones you are getting.

The one who was supposed to be 9.5 pounds came out at 8 pounds 11 ounces. Okay,
only 0.75 pounds off or so. The one who was supposed to be 10.25 pounds came
out at only 7 pounds 15.5 ounces! So over two pounds off.

--Helen

On 27 Sep 2003 17:18:33 -0700, (paul williams)
wrote:

Last two ultrasounds where head and abdomen were measured have put the
babies size slightly above the 97th percentile...

How tall/large are you and your wife?
--
EDD 1/11/03
33 weeks

I hate to say it, but...so what? A 10 or 15% error margin still means
if they are guessing you have a big baby it could be quite average
sized...and even if it IS big, you don't know you are going to have a
problem.

There are tons of studies about macrosomia that say spontaneous labour
is the best route (what they term "expectectant management" - in other
words, they are aware the baby MAY be larger than average, but they
just sit back and see what happens), and you take it from there. If
there IS a genuine problem, you go to the OR - but you don't take
radical steps to head one off when you don't know you are going to
have an issue.

Below link is a sample of what the best practice literature is saying
- no advantage to cutting to the chase and having a section right off,
and no advantage of induction either. This is particularly true of a
first baby when you don't know what you might be capable of. After I
had a section for my first, I got told macrosomia was a factor, but
that was bogus, since I went on to push out a similar sized baby and a
larger one in subsequent pregnancies with no problems and I would have
saved myself a LOT of angst, pain, risk and hassle had I not had that
section.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20010115/302.html

Mary G.
(9 lb 11.5 ounces by section - iatragenic and unnecessary, I might
add, followed by 9 lb 8 ounces VBAC and 10 lb 4 ounces VBAC)

"Kereru" wrote in message ...
"paul williams" wrote in message
om...
Wifes now 36 weeks but baby is measuring up to 40 weeks already so it
looks very large.

Consultant has given us the choice :-

1. Elective C-section at 39 weeks.
2. Induce at 40 weeks.


How would you feel if your dentist suggested a root canal in a
perfectly healthy tooth because there was a potential for future
problems? Get a second opinion? Tell him to take a flying leap? Or opt
for the preventative root canal?

The decision would be an easy one for me if I were in your shoes: let
nature take its course.

Just my two cents.

-V.

"Mary Gordon" wrote in message
m...

(9 lb 11.5 ounces by section - iatragenic and unnecessary, I might
add, followed by 9 lb 8 ounces VBAC and 10 lb 4 ounces VBAC)

On the subject of large babies - my 5' 4" tall, medium build, probably about
140 lb at the time grandmother had a 12 lb baby in 1954.

The doctors told my grandfather, during the birth, that they were going to
lose either mother or child, and due to the fact that it's a Catholic
hospital, it was their policy to save the child. I can't imagine what Papa
went through, knowing that for hours... And of course, these were the days
of waiting outside and pacing while the delivery occurred.

She survived, and went on to have two other children. And my uncle lived,
and he went on to be a brilliant business man, to have two children of his
own, and so it goes.

Maggie

Paul Williams wrote:
Last two ultrasounds where head and abdomen were measured have put the
babies size slightly above the 97th percentile...

Ericka Kammerer wrote in message
If the baby is a girl, the 97th percentile at birth
would only be about 9.5 pounds, which many, many women
deliver quite successfully vaginally (even with lousy
support--with the support of a birth team skilled at
supporting vaginal births of large babies, the odds are
even better).

And my 97th percentile baby was 9 pounds and was by far the easiest delivery
I had. She was born under two hours with only three pushes and no
medications or interventions. I went home the next morning and felt
wonderful.

Unfortunately Paul, you sound like you put your 100% trust in the medical
professionals that you are dealing with. To a certain extent, you should
trust them. But at the same time, you must keep in mind that doctors do a
lot of interventions to save them from getting sued. They do these things,
not in the best interest of the patient, they do it for their best interest.
Not a good thing, imo. The patient needs to be educated on what
interventions are truly needed and what interventions are just done for the
convenience of the doctor and staff.
It doesn't sound like you have done much research on birthing babies. Ericka
gave you some good books to read, perhaps you can look them over quickly to
give you a better idea of what having a baby is really like and not one that
hospitals make you believe that you should do. Good luck.
--
Sue
mom to three girls