[maxkinzie]

Hi,
This really makes no difference one way or the other, but I'm just curious- would it have been possible for DD to have born

2 months premature and weigh 7lbs, 14 oz, have good APGAR scores, and show no evidence??? I don't know if it would matter or not, but BMom was significantly overweight at the birth.

And, wouldn't an agency have to tell us that this baby was so early if that was indeed the case? I would at least think a dr or dr type would have it noted somewhere...

100% curiosity, nothing changes one way or the other.

thanks,
max

[mom2GRLC]

If the mother had diabetes(which is possible because of her weight) they have a tendency to have large babies full term like 9-10 pounds or more so it may be possible for her pre-mature baby to be that large.

[DreamingAzure]

Like GRLC said, if the mom had gestational diabetes then it might be possible. You can also add or subtract 4 weeks from a due date EASILY. Most of the doctors calculations are based on head cir. and weight. So depending on genetics a baby may show up as beeing 4-6 weeks ahead or behind...makes it kind of hard if mom doesn't know how long she was pregnant before finally figuring it out.

With that said...almost 8lbs for 8 weeks early is really pushing it. I would doubt it.

[danhanan]

My oldest was 9 weeks early and was 3 lbs. However, her apgar scores were 9 and 10. You can't go by that, but the Dr would surely know and it should have been noted somewhere.

[jillned]

My son was 9 weeks early and weighed 3.9. His birthmom was 4'11" and 230 lbs so I don't think that is really a factor. His apagars were 9 and 9. Gestational diabetes can produce big babies, but larger woman don't necessarily produce larger babies.

[ubooashell]

Hi I am a NICU nurse.
her dates must be off. If she were 8 weeks premature she may have that high of an apgar, but I don't recall ever having a 32 week preemie weighing that much.
Michelle

[kelceesmom]

My daughters bmom changed her date on us 3 times so maybe the bmom wasn't even sure when she got pregnant?

[BrandyHagz]

Had my son been born 2 months early, I think he would have weighed about that...or very close.

Not overweight at birth, no diabetes to speak of, healthy pregnancy and healthy lifestyle...my son was almost double that at 'full term'.

[ubooashell]

Maybe you read premature rupture of membranes? or maybe she had a history of premature labor? maybe these things were in here medical history.

[traceyk]

Drihan was 1 mo. premature and she was 5 lbs. with a 9 on both APGARs and was released on schedule from hospital.

[maxkinzie]

Possible, but not likely...that's what I get from your responses. At pickup, BirthMom's SW said the baby was a week or two early, in our last e-mail BMom said DD was born at 7 months. I guess why it got to me is if BirthMom is confusing times, maybe DD's birthdad isn't who she thought it was. All speculation, I know, I'd truly hate to think there might be a guy out there who would have no idea he fathered this wonderful child. One who might have given a rip when T told him she was pregnant....ok, I'll let it rest. -can you tell I have work I DON'T want to do??? :-)

[Hey Nonny]

My dd (three weeks old today) was born at about 5-6 weeks early. She was just barely 5 lbs and had great APGAR's. The farther you get in the pregnancy the harder it is to pinpoint the actual date...ultrasounds can be off by as much as 3-4 weeks.

There are things that they can use to tell.....fat not developing under the skin, excess hair on the baby (the stuff that often falls off before they are born), surfactant in the lungs, etc. DD's doc told us that w/ newborns they can also tell by the way their ears look (hers were all folded up and have 'opened" as she gets older) and something about the feet too.

That is an awfully big baby for preterm, but a sugarbaby could be big like that (my mom was a diabetic and had HUGE babies.....).

[Gavin's Mom]

Wow - that is a big baby! G was 3 weeks early and he weighed 7lbs 2oz. with great APGARs, but small head circumference -- that is why the ped. says he was technically a preemie - who knows?

[icunurse]

Former NICU nurse here....as others have said, a pregnant woman with gestational diabetes does tend to have bigger babies at birth. But also, the last 2-3 months of pregnancy is when a baby really starts to pack on the weight (as does the mom!). I have seen babies born premature who have had great APGAR's and no long-term problems, but I really doubt that she was born that premature with such a large weight. To figure out a guess for gestational age, there are actually several factors that are considered - formation of the ears (cartilage in the ears shows up closer to the end of pregnancy), the way the baby responds to different relflexs (premature babies will not do certain things, while full term babies will), the amount of fat and if their skin is hairy (preemies tend to have more of the hairy covering on their shoulders/back remaining, while full term, it tends to be mostly gone), and other things.

Here's a link to the standard form to determine gestational age :http://www.mdtop.com/calculators/ballard.php