09/21/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18vXcrNm9k/
"My last ultrasound told me my baby was 10 pounds. And when she was born a week later, she wasn't even 7."
I cannot tell you how many times I've heard some version of this from a new client.
"They told me he was already 9 pounds, so they recommended an induction."
"They said her head was huge."
"They told me if I waited any longer, the baby would be too big for me to deliver."
And just like that, a woman who felt completely confident in her ability to give birth is suddenly terrified of the giant baby she's been told is living inside her. 😅
So let's talk about something I wish every pregnant woman understood.
An ultrasound does not put your baby on a scale.
It measures things like baby's head, abdomen, and femur, and plugs those numbers into a formula to estimate weight. And especially toward the end of pregnancy, there can be a real margin of error, sometimes a pound or more in either direction.
So when someone tells you "your baby is measuring 9 pounds," what you actually have is an estimated weight. Not a birth weight. Your baby might be bigger. Your baby might be smaller. And yes, sometimes the estimate is impressively close.
This doesn't mean ultrasound is useless. Ultrasound gives us genuinely valuable information, and there are situations where a baby's growth, or suspected macrosomia, absolutely deserves a thoughtful conversation.
But I get uncomfortable when an estimate starts being talked about like a certainty. Because those numbers can completely change how a woman sees her body.
Suddenly she's afraid her pelvis is too small. She's afraid to wait for labor. She's afraid of shoulder dystocia. She's afraid her baby is getting "too big." And sometimes big decisions about induction or cesarean start entering the conversation.
Those decisions deserve so much more than "the ultrasound says your baby is huge."
They deserve context. How accurate is this estimate likely to be? What are the actual risks in my specific situation? Do I have gestational diabetes? Is my baby otherwise doing well? What are the risks and benefits of waiting? Of inducing? At what estimated weight would a cesarean even be considered, and why?
Those are informed consent questions. And here's what I want you to hear: you are allowed to ask how certain we actually are before making a major decision based on an estimate.
Sometimes that estimate will turn out pretty close. Sometimes you'll birth that "10-pound baby" and everyone will stare at the scale when it reads 7-something. 😂 And sometimes you really will have a beautifully chunky 10-pound baby, and your body will bring that baby earthside exactly as it was designed to.
The point isn't that big babies don't exist. The point is that estimated weight and actual birth weight are not the same thing.
And here's what I believe down to my bones: your body will grow a baby it can birth. It was designed with intention, by a God who does not make mistakes. Your pelvis and your baby were made to work together, to move and shift and navigate their way earthside the way they've done since the beginning of time.
You deserve to understand the difference before you decide what happens next. And you deserve to walk into your birth trusting your body, not fearing it. 💚
