Tray: Our potentially larger than average baby

We went in for our ultrasound this morning.  The good news is that Tray is healthy and well-developed with a strong heart rate (153).  The other news is that Tray is apparently quite large.  At 33 weeks, an average baby weighs 4.75 pounds.  They're estimating Tray's weight at 6 pounds, which is the 95th percentile.  Both my measurements and Tray's measurements are average for full-term (37 weeks).  What does this mean?

Our OB is still not alarmed.  She said there's a large margin of error in ultrasound results, especially further along in the pregnancy.  Furthermore, this particular ultrasound company likes to overestimate their results.  Their philosophy is that it's better to overestimate than to underestimate.  Our OB said we needed to take the results "with a grain of salt."  She's relatively confident that Tray will be bigger than average, but there's nothing else to suggest that Tray will be abnormally large. 

I inquired about what her standard procedure is moving forward.  She'll continue to measure my fundal height (as is normal) and she'll do a manual exam of Tray's size in a few weeks.  If Tray seems to be getting even bigger, she might send us in for another ultrasound.  Otherwise, my care will be consistent with a totally normal pregnancy (which, I suppose, it still is).  I asked whether I'll be able to go into labor naturally.  She said "absolutely" and went on to cite a recent study that shows that big babies who endure induced labors do NOT fare better, as was originally thought.  She also said that she and her colleagues would do absolutely everything possible to avoid a c-section and would be diligent about not "throwing in the towel too early."  

My doula had a 10 pound baby and she's a bean pole and a marathoner.  She doesn't want me to worry but suggested that I might ask my OB about practicing some self-induction methods around 37 weeks or so.  We will certainly consider her advice very seriously if I don't happen to go into labor before then. 

There are a lot of things that are really confusing about why I might be having a larger than average baby.  I don't have gestational diabetes (in fact, my OB said my glucose results were "fantastic").  I'm not big and Matt isn't big.  I've gained only 18 pounds overall, apparently 6 of which are baby and another few are extra amniotic fluid, which doesn't leave a lot for me, my uterus, my boobs, etc. (there have been studies that show women who gain a lot of weight in pregnancy have bigger babies).  I was a big baby but that's because I was nearly 3 weeks late.  Brian wasn't a big baby.  Matt wasn't a big baby and neither was Sam.

Big sigh.  Today was hellish but the best part was when we got to see our baby again:

Tray's profile

Tray's little piggy foot