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Q: I read that, typically, boys are heavier at birth than girls and have bigger heads. Does that mean that a mother should expect a longer labor and more difficult delivery if she is having a boy?
A: Babies of both sexes come in all sizes. Birth weights are the result of genetics, maternal nutrition during pregnancy, length of pregnancy and other influences, rather than gender.
In addition, the length of individual labors is equally unpredictable and influenced by numerous factors. One mother might have a relatively swift labor to give birth to a 9-pound girl, while another might have a long labor to give birth to a 6-pound boy.
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