Large Fetal Growth at 35 Weeks: Causes & Options

Question
I am 35 weeks pregnant. My OB says the baby is measuring at about 38 weeks. In two more weeks, I'm heading in for a Level 2 ultrasound to pinpoint his exact weight and height...and at that time we'll discuss options (induction, C-Section, etc). I'm wondering what constitutes having such a large baby in utero? I mean, part of it must be genetics (all of my husband's previous three boys were born over 9.5 pounds each at 40 weeks)...but I'm wondering what else? I'm a short person, and hubby is only six feet tall. Also, I'm curious - since the third trimester began, I've been ravenous with food. I find I'm always hungry - so I'm always grazing. I eat about 4 big meals a day, and several snacks. Probably way more than I should. I do eat veggies, fruits, whole grains, and protein (plus take a prenatal vitamin), but I also have a horrible sweet tooth and find that I'm indulging on a candy bar per day, plus the odd handful of jelly beans or pretzels or fresh bread or other candy. Can perhaps too much sugar be causing this baby to get bigger? And if so (or even if not), does the increase in my sugar intake impact the baby in utero or once he's born? Sorry for the barrage of questions.


Answer
Kari,

A lot of the baby's size has to do with genetics.  If your husband's previous children were that big, I wouldn't assume that this one would be any smaller even with your genetics mixed in.  Other factors have to do with you.  Women with gestational diabetes have big kids, as do women who gain a lot of weight during pregnancy.  If you are taking in that many calories a day, the baby is seeing a lot of those calories and has much more to grow with, so it might be a result of your diet.  We know that high blood sugar in diabetics does cause babies to grow large.  Your blood sugar crosses the placenta and gets into babies blood at essentially the same level as in your blood.  If you are not diabetic, then really you don't have too much to worry about (you would have had this test at 24-28  weeks) because your blood sugar and therefore your baby's blod sugar would not be too high.