Question about timing and weight

[jjoneday]

I had an unnecesarean with my first for "suspected big baby", never even went into labor (doctor gave two "options": c-section or induction which she said would probably end in emergency c-sec). She was 8 lbs 12 ounces at about 39 weeks and I gained about 33 lbs.

Second child was born at 41 weeks 3 days and I had a HBAC. She was 8 lbs even. She had the same head size and length and my first baby and a slightly broader chest. I gained 53 lbs. Midwifes never talked about weight gain.

Because I went almost 42 weeks had to do an u/s to check everything and they measured her at 9 and a half pounds! So don't put a lot of stock in that either!

Your body knows what to do and so does your baby. God designed our bodies to birth babies! =)

[lyterae]

I gained 60 lbs with my first, she was 7lbs 7oz and a csection. My second I gained 35 lbs, my midwives weren't considered with my weight gain so long as I was eating well. My homebirth vbac was 8lbs 5oz.

Also, my first was born just shy of 38 weeks, my second was born after his "due" date.

[Harmony96]

I gained exactly 40 pounds with both of my term pregnancies. DD was 7 lbs 3 oz and DS was 8 lbs 12 oz (neither were post-C-section, just illustrating how maternal weight gain has little to do with resultant size of the baby).

For timing between births, 20 months is fine. DH and I wanted to try again ASAP after our c-section (given our situation and my age and our desired family size), with still the good chance of a VBAC, and we talked to several doctors about it. The longest that any of them recommended was 18 months between births. We hit it on the first try this time, so if I get all the way to 40 weeks, there will be 13 months between births.

[Harmony96]

I just had a VBAC with my biggest baby yet (9 lb 6 oz) and only 13 months after my c-section. My weight gain during this pregnancy was actually about 5 pounds less than with my other full-term births.