I weighed 5lbs, you should see me now Lol! 
Good Morning Saturday 6th June 2026
I was 9lbs 12oz at birth attributed by the midwife to mother having spent most of the pregnancy in bed (rest cure she had TB). I have spent my life battling with my weight- is it connected probably not. How about everyone else?
(This came up because I just saw a photograph of a new born who weighed 8lbs and he looked gigantic I must have been a fright).
I weighed 5lbs, you should see me now Lol! 
I was less than 4 lbs and expected to die because of it! Here I am 70 years later- fit healthy and normal weight!
My DS was 21" long, weight 7lbs 2ozs - a chubby baby, but in school very slim ( still slim at 43yrs old), whereas DD was 18-19" long, weight 6lbs, round and cuddly as she grew, and has always been heavier than her big brother ( 'heavy bones ' blamed on DH side of the family!). I was just under 7lbs born, smallish in height (mother's family)until puberty hit, and I've had weight issues ever since. DH slim as a lath at 71-not fair, is it ??!
I was a month early and 5lb 12 oz at birth. My mother always said she was the biggest woman on the ward (she was 5 foot 9 - tall for the 1940's - and a size 16) with the smallest baby. And a girl to boot! The son she wanted arrived three years later.
I was always small and skinny until the menopause and a subsequent bout of depression. I don't think HRT and anti depressants helped the weight which piled on at the time. Now I don't need to take any medication - but am still fighting the flab!
I think it might be more relevant to know what your grandmother weighed at birth. There's quite a lot of evidence to say that what happened to her ovaries whilst developing will have changed the way her genes are expressed and have an effect on you... Epigenetics. Fascinating.
I weighed 10lb 4oz at birth. My poor, small DM had me at home (she had no choice) not long after the war, so don't know if most births were at home. She was in labour for hours and when I was born the midwife was so excited that she couldn't wait to weigh me. I wasn't overdue either, as I was due on 5th November and mum & dad were out for a walk a couple of days before and somebody threw a banger at them and she started labour not long after. The OP asked whether it had any effect on us. I have always struggled with my weight and laughingly say it was because I was such a big baby. However, the biggest way it affected my life is that I am an only child. Obviously, I don't blame mum but it is my only regret in life that I didn't have a brother or sister.
4ozs was the difference between my sons and yet one is now rake like and the other is rounder. I believe it has much to do with the genes. One takes after each of our sides and I think the signs are unmistakeable. Certainly don't 'know' but that's my observation.
My nephew was 15lb 7oz ( I know huge) and he is a normal size for a 4 year old but he seems tall but then so is his dad. Whether it affects him in later years is yet to be seen. Hopefully not
HildajenniJ that is.
You sound exactly like me!
I've no idea what I weighed at birth, but birth weights in the forties and fifties didn't seem to be as high as they are now - i know that my two adult sisters' children produced in the fifties were all around the seven pound mark. My sister's last two children, born in the mid sixties and early seventies were both heavier.
Of my own children, my son (one week late) was eight pounds six ounces and the second, DD (more or less to date), was nine pounds two ounces. Neither have ever been overweight - in fact DS was quite skinny as a child but he was never still, pretty much like my grandson is now. He was a large baby, but at ten, there isn't an ounce of spare flesh on him.
Golly, got me thinking. I think I weighed 8lbs 7oz. I was baby number 5. From memory, birth weights apparently tend to increase, but I guess you could only compare effectively if siblings had the same gestation period. Also (again sketchy hash-medical recall)I think /I remember reading that boys generally weigh more than girls - anyone else heard this? My children weighed:
DD1 7lb 6oz - girl - 2 weeks overdue
DS1 10lb - boy - 10 days overdue
DS2 8lb 1 1/4 oz - boy - born in due date
DD2 9lb - girl - 2 weeks overdue
DS1 - the heaviest baby - is the skinniest of the lot in adult life. DS2 is the tallest, though I think he was the same length as his brother at birth. DG1 is a carbon copy of me in earlier years in terms of her figure ... though blessed with a couple more inches in height to balance it out ha ha. Make of it what you will
.
It depends on the cause of the high birth weight. I was over 9lbs born but my mother was 2 weeks overdue, which explains that, and I've never really struggled with weight.
But if the high birth weight is due to gestational diabetes then it is quite possible that there could be an ongoing struggle with weight. Gestational diabetes is a condition in which a woman without diabetes develops high blood sugar levels during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes generally results in few symptoms; however, it does increase the risk of pre-eclampsia, depression, and requiring a Caesarean section. Babies born to mothers with poorly treated gestational diabetes are at increased risk of being too large, having low blood sugar after birth, and jaundice. If untreated, it can also result in a stillbirth. Long term, children are at higher risk of being overweight and developing type 2 diabetes.
I have no idea of my birth weight.
Both of mine were big babies D 9lb 4oz and S despite being born at 32 wks was 8lb 7oz.
S is slightly over weight but I came lack of exercise as he doesn't work. D is overweight but blames PCOS. Which I think I and my mum had too. All the women on my side have been size 16-18 ish
I think I was 9 lb 8 oz – certainly somewhere around there – and was very long. I grew to be 5 feet 9 inches tall. Absentdaughter was slightly lighter and also long. She is slightly taller than I am. We were both skinny children although we both had healthy appetites. I have weighed around 9 stone 10 oz all my adult life and absentdaughter is slightly heavier. I cannot tell if we were influenced by our birth weights as I have nothing to compare us to.
My mother had three huge babies. Her heaviest was almost 11lbs. I was 10lbs 6ozs. We weren't fat children, or exceptionally tall or wide etc. We just grew large in the womb.
My first child weighed 10lbs 4ozs. She is now a tiny size 6 adult. Big babies run in the family.
None of us were fat children, and I fed my own children healthily and encouraged a love of activity so even though they were huge at birth, by the time they were toddlers they had no more fat on their bodies than other children.
I am larger now than I've even been, but I don't think I can blame my heavy birth weight on my shape as a pensioner. I was slim and active for most of my life.
My brother weighed 13lbs 10oz - home birth, no anesthetic. Brings tears to your eyes doesn't it? He has been overweight all his life.
My mother was not expected to survive and I was put in a cot and also expected not to survive but we both did and they were so busy nobody weighed me.
...oh yes, has it influenced my life? No idea, but as I have always fallen into the average group for height and weight, presumably not.
I understand I weighed around 7.5lbs at birth. At 5ft 4.5ins for most of my adult life I weighed between 9st 7lb - 9st.12lbs but put on another 21 lbs gradually after the menopause. Three years ago I followed the 5:2 diet and lost 2 stone and have kept it off. My height has shrunk to 5ft 3ins
My children weighed 9lbs and 8lbs respectively. They inherited their broad shouldered sturdy build with a tendency to gain weight from DH's side of the family.
I officially weighed in at 10lb 8oz, but apparently was a few ounces heavier the next day so the midwife admitted she had made a mistake and I'd been bigger. My tiny mum had been told I was going to be small, so goodness knows what was going on. 
I was a sturdy, "big-boned" child and one of the shortest in my class until I hit puberty and grew taller, settling at 5 foot 5 and 8 stone for years. I must admit to carrying a bit more weight now, but I'm still usually a size 10.
My dad and son followed the same pattern. One of my DGS weighed in at 10lb 4oz two years ago and I recognise the type! His brother is tall and very slim.
I was 5lbs 4 oz.and I was the second heaviest of the 5 girls my mother had .I'm 5'2" and a size 14 ,couldn't tell you what I weigh as I dont own scales.I was a size 8 -10 until my forties and put weight on when menopause hit.Struggle to get it off ,I would like to be a 10 again but its hard work.My children were 4lbs,7lbs 12oz and 2lbs 7oz ,the 1st and 3rd were prem and no 2 was born on her due date .The 2lb er is now 29 and weighs 8st 4lbs at 5ft 8 tall ,no idea what my daughter weighs as she has piled on weight with medication she takes ,she is also 5ft 8.Mum was 4ft 10 and dad was 5ft 11 and he was very proud of the fact he weighed the same in his sixties as when he joined the navy at 17.My mum was weight obsessed all her life and that affected ALL her girls as we grew up to be the same
I was 5lbs 15oz. I'm average sized now 5'5" and 9st. I'm fine boned though so any weight I put on shows.
DD1 was 5lbs 13. The dr asked me if I'd smoked during pregnancy which I hadn't, as he was concerned about her low weight. I explained I was a small baby too so nothing to be concerned about! DD1 was petite and slim but now has some post baby weight which suits her.
7.5lbs 21 inches long/ now after meno 5'9 144
dh 15.5 lbs 20 inches his mom was tiny she called him pumpkinhead hes 6'4 250lb no fat
twin sons 5.5 each 19 & 17inches
both long and lean in 30s 6'6 200lbs.more or less.
weight is more a product of early dietary and habits.
we keep fat cells we grow when young.so its hard to stay slim if heavier when young.can "shrink" cells but not get rid of so its easy to gain.
later life is just meno or bad eatting habits
here this explains it better/did a paper in uni in late 70s on this.my fam on one side is long and lean otherside is short and round.different up bringings and genetics combined
scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2008/05/04/fat-cell-number-is-set-in-childhood-and-stays-constant-in-ad/
I weighed 5lbs at birth. Was always skinny and very active growing up. I am heavier now than I've ever been, but it's my own fault. Not enough activity, and too much good food since my retirement!
Registering is free, easy, and means you can join the discussion, watch threads and lots more.
Register now »Already registered? Log in with:
Gransnet »Get our top conversations, latest advice, fantastic competitions, and more, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.