A friend’s ex-girlfriend had a baby on Friday, a little earlier than expected. The baby was 7 lbs and healthy, which is great. Problem is that the mother claims she got pregnant at the end of December. I know calculating a due date isn’t simple, but that’s only 7 months, right? Shouldn’t the baby be quite a bit underweight? Is it possible to be that big and that early?
The mother is claiming she was due at the end of August, which makes the kid quite a bit less early, but that still doesn’t add up to 9 months. I’m guessing that conception was sometime in November and then it would follow that she’s lying about the father. It’s definitely none of my business, but I feel like a man has a right to know that’s he’s a parent.
In the interest of fairness, is it possible that she’s telling the truth about the timing?
Pregnancy is supposed to be 40 weeks, isn’t it? It’s 29-30 weeks from the end of December, so that baby should have only just been viable, not 7 lbs, which is nearly triple the expected weight. Link to foetal development site. Paternity suits should be met with requests for a genetic test.
Normal human gestation is 40 weeks. If she got pregnant the last week of December, it’s 29 weeks. Even if the baby started the first week of December it would be only 33 weeks. Here is a picture of a 33 weeker.
Unless your friend had gestational diabetes, which cause very fat babies, she is mistaken as to her conception date. Here’s a calculator that counts from the birth date backwards for date of conception.
My daughter was seven and a half lbs at 37 weeks - I’m pretty sure of her conception date. She was probably gaining as much as half a pound a week as we neared term.
Its unlikely that she can conceive in mid December and give birth in July to a seven pound baby. I think a paternity test is in everyone’s best interest.
Yep chiming in to say my son was 7 pounds, 8 oz at 36 weeks (and I do know the conception date). No diabetes of any kind, he just would have been a big boy had he gone the full 40 weeks.
Remember that pregnancy is counted from the date of the last menstrual period, not the date of conception, so getting pregnant at the end of December means you start counting from mid-December. Even so, Friday is unlikely to be past 33 weeks or so, as I count it.
The baby currently sleeping on my chest was 9 lbs, 2 oz at one day shy of 37 weeks, and he was an IVF baby, so I know the hour of conception, nevermind the date. My 34-week ultrasound estimated him at 8 lbs, 9 oz, and the 30-week ultrasound at a hair under 6 lbs.
So on size alone, yes, it’s possible. However… was the baby healthy and able to come home with her? That’s almost unheard of for a 33-weeker.
Moon Unit was 6 weeks early - conception know for certain to within a 48 hour window - and she was 5 pounds 8 ounces, and something like 90th percentile. A 7 pounder would be very unusual barring gestational diabetes… but I know someone who had a full-term 12 pounder (via c-section) without GD, so I guess it’s remotely possible.
HOWEVER - my 34-weeker was kept in the hospital for 2.5 weeks and spent some time on a respirator.
A baby born at 29-33 weeks old is unlikely to escape spending at least some time on a ventilator or at least CPAP; maybe one born at the higher end of that might escape it if there was enough time to administer steroids to mature the lungs before birth, but would surely spend some time under observation in a NICU just to be sure - problems due to prematurity sometimes take a while to show up.
In short - that bun probably spent more time in the oven that mama knows or wants to admit.
Oh - and 40 weeks is the count from the last menstrual period, and assumes ovulation and conception happen roughly 2 weeks after that.
Assuming a due date of 8/25, that puts LMP date at 11/19/2007, and conception at 12/3/2007.
A 7 pound baby conceived on that date, and therefore born 5 weeks early, isn’t as crazy as one that would have been conceived in late December. Still higher than average, but if carried to term and the baby gained a half pound a week the last month or so, that’s just 9.5 pounds.
Basically though, if the friend insists the baby was conceived in late December, and due late August, she’s mistaken or lying.
Baby is doing fine and is supposed to be coming home from the hospital today, so there’s another point for her not being too early. I wouldn’t put it past the mother to lie about such things.
I have suggested to the possible father that the dates don’t add correctly and what he does with the information is up to him.
Hee hee hee… we have a 80-something year old aunt who always said that! Scandalous, I tell ya!
Golly, some of you gals had big babies. Both my boys were 6 lbs 14 oz (give or take an ounce) and were full term, right on the due date. I knew the weekend of conception on the second one- it was our first long weekend away together after the first one was born and penis ensued. Husband damn near gave up on romantic getaways after that!
Yep, I get pregnant at the first egg drop after I stop the pill… figures.
Birth weights can vary widely, and I wouldn’t discount a 7 lb baby at 33 weeks. My biggest baby was 6 lb 13 oz, and I carried him for 43 weeks! A friend of mine had three 9+ lb babies at 36 weeks or less. There is a lot of variation among different women and different pregnancies.
That’s true but when you look at the likelihood of both possible explanations:
–7 lb. babies born at 29-33 weeks → quite uncommon
–Women lying about when a baby was conceived → unfortunately, all too common
It would seem that the mother lying is the more likely explanation.
That’s not conclusive, of course, but it suggests that further investigation is a good idea for anybody who has a stake in this child’s paternity.
The OP said the babe was healthy. 29-33 weeks, no matter what weight, produce less than robust infants.
Your friend may have had gestational diabetes. The mom develops high blood sugar during pregnancy. The babe, being exposed to the extra sugar gains more weight than normal. Once born s/he is at great risk for critically low blood sugars, so must remain in the hospital for a few extra days.
After 35 weeks, the babe just gains weight, so a 36 weeker can be big and healthy. Before 35 weeks, organs are still developing. The gut, lungs and brain can all have issues before 35 weeks.
My niece has had five babies, with the youngest weighing 8lb. 10oz. at two weeks early. The other four were all over 12 pounds. But I’m pretty sure she’s way on the high side of average. No gestational diabetes involved, they were all healthy. I sorta doubt that this kind of size should be the assumed default.
Sure, but babies < 7 lbs at 43 weeks is pretty uncommon, too. I know I’m atypical, in that I have small babies at 40+ weeks, even, but I’m a small person, and so is my husband.
GD could be a possible factor, or perhaps this woman just had a large baby. It happens. Every now and then I read about some woman having a 15 or 16 lb baby, but nobody assumes that she was pregnant for 50 or 60 weeks. It’s not the default, but neither are my 6 lb and change babies.
There was ‘some blood sugar problem’ and I guess the baby really was two months early. The mother said the conception date had been medically determined to within a few days (didn’t know they could do that) and either way, baby resembles the man she’s supposed to resemble. That’s best for all involved.
