Obese Mothers-To-Be Given Pill to Avoid Big Babies

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Permalink Reply by Nikki P on May 10, 2011 at 10:36am

     As a woman who gave birth to a 10lb 5oz baby via C-section, I would have to think very hard about using Metformin for future pregnancies.  I gained an appropriate 25 pounds during my pregnancy and didn't think twice about having a big baby until a routine ultrasound at 40 weeks showed macrosomia.  My diabetes screenings came back fine.  I was planning to deliver at a birth center with a midwife, but the midwives were very uneasy about delivering a big baby.  After about 6 hours of laboring at the center, I was transferred to the hospital because the baby wasn't descending - I was dilated to 4 cm.  In the hospital, I dilated to 7cm while the baby remained at -5 station.  At that point I was told that he was too big to be born vaginally and a cesarean was ordered.  My son was born healthy and his blood sugars also tested normal.  He's now a gigantic 25 pound, 31" tall 8-month-old.  Most people think he's closer to 18 months based on his size.  Perhaps he's just destined to be a big boy!

     I very much want a healthy baby and a natural birth.  If Metformin would make it more likely I'd have an average-sized baby in the future and there were no other side-effects, I'd gladly take it.  Unfortunately, we have no such guarantees.  I would prefer to teach my children healthy diet and exercise habits to avoid becoming obese later in life rather than subject them to unnecessary medications in the womb.

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Permalink Reply by Samantha on May 13, 2011 at 11:53am

WOW..... I think this is a bit crazy and to put the risk of the baby heath, just for them not to be big is crazy to me but thats me. My son was just over 9p and i only gained 15p, He was born vaginally and i only had a small tear, he still is a big boy now but has never been consider over weight. I think that you need to really think hard about this before you even think about taking this. I know for me I would never take that kind of risk with my unborn baby, I mean come on if you dont want to drink caffein well preggo why would you want to take this, it say it slows down how much food the baby is getting this crazy, just crazy

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