Large Baby at 37 Weeks: Normal Delivery Possible?

Question
Dear Dr.,I am 37 week pregnany. My doctor said that the size of the baby is big. weight till now around 3400g the head size 101mm so for him as the head is becoming bigger than 100mm so it will be hard to deliver normally so if i don't deliver this week i have to do cesarienne delivery. everything else is good. So please advise if it is correct or in your opinion i can have normal delivery even if the head is more than 100 mm thank you.

Answer
A baby of 3400 gms is not big. It is more or less normal. Secondly at 37 weeks of gestation the BPD is around 90 mm for the 97 percentile. Although the head circumference is more than normal, that does not preclude normal labour. Normal labour is dependent on the relationship between the foetal head and pelvic size. Therefore in your case if your pelvis is big enough for the head, normal delivery is possible. Moreover the foetal skull becomes smaller during delivery as it passes through the vagina. Therefore I think that normal delivery is definitely possible in your case, but we will have to wait and see how the labour progresses. If there seems to be problem with labour, a C section may be necessary.