Growth scan ultrasound - 36 weeks measuring small

[kwils858817]

@fictitiousdinosaur I got induced last week because baby was measuring small (10%ile overall, 4%ile for abdominal circumference). She’s small but perfectly healthy and bigger than projected. Same thing happened with my first child (not induced, but bigger than scans indicated).

 

[fictitiousdinosaur]

@kwils858817 thank you for sharing!! what week were you induced?

 

[kwils858817]

@fictitiousdinosaur

1. There had been talk about induction (elective vs for size concerns) anyway for a few weeks. Overall a good experience! She was 6lb 5oz at birth, 19%ile.

 

[blizzardwild]

@kwils858817 All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats!

  39
+ 6
+ 5
+ 19
= 69

[sup][Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk Me Pls&message=/stalkme[/sup] to have me scan all your future comments.) \
[sup]Summon me on specific comments with @kittyboo-Bot.[/sup]

 

[fictitiousdinosaur]

Update: OB visit went well! She thinks he is just constitutionally small vs. growth restricted since the baby's belly is measuring just fine. I also am measuring only two weeks behind in fundal height (same as week 34). She mentioned she only ordered the ultrasound to check position (but had to code it under growth) since she normally only orders growth scans if you are measuring 3 weeks behind. Crazy to think if she hadn't ordered it I wouldn't be stressing about this/know anything. I have to do weekly monitoring now and NSTs but had my first today and looks great - baby is a mover.

 

[cheezemang]

@fictitiousdinosaur Yay! Also wanted to share that I started measuring smaller and “behind” when my baby started dropping into my pelvis but she was born way bigger than what they ever measured(8lbs). She’s a month old now, getting chunkier everyday. Going through this for the first time is so scary, all the unknowns! Hang in there

 

[fictitiousdinosaur]

@cheezemang did you start measuring smaller on fundal height or @spiritualtranscendence?

 

[jamie2]

@fictitiousdinosaur Yay!! I’m glad it went well! I was thinking about you today OP!

 

[willow_the_seagull]

@fictitiousdinosaur My bump always measured small, my son measured small - at the 5th centile on ultrasound.

He's been absolutely fine since born, just has remained small around the 9th centile. He's meeting his milestones and is a really easy, happy baby.
He just happens to be a petite baby - these charts are based on averages so there will have to be people with babies at the smaller end of the spectrum too.

I think for you so long as the blood flow in the cord was fine, and he's following a growth line (rather than stagnation of growth / falling to lower percentage lines) then all is likely to be well.

Word of warning - I think statistics say smaller babies on average take longer to sleep through the night. Otherwise, I'd say my little man is perfect. He's just got a petite mum, so he's a petite boy (for now!)

Best of luck

 

[jonnylugs]

@fictitiousdinosaur My boy was estimated to be 5lbs5oz. He was 6lbs8oz!

Scans are great for estimating but not always right

 

[fictitiousdinosaur]

@jonnylugs what week did you measure 5 lbs 5 oz? when did you deliver? thanks for sharing!

 

[jonnylugs]

@fictitiousdinosaur I measured that at 38 weeks, and delivered at 39 weeks - they had wanted to induce me as they estimated he was going to be below the 10th centile, but I wanted to wait and he came when they would have induced me anyway!

It meant I had to wear a monitor even though I didn't have an epidural, but otherwise thre was nothing different about the birth

 

[katrina2017]

@fictitiousdinosaur Just here to say the scan was quite inaccurate for me. They said my baby would be extremely small and underweight - he was Normal.

 

[fictitiousdinosaur]

@katrina2017 what was your percentile at what week? hoping this is the case for me!!

 

[katrina2017]

@fictitiousdinosaur It was 5th percentile per their scan at 36 weeks. Baby was in 12th percentile at birth but none of it was alarming (small babies run in my family, some of it is also genetic per our pediatrician - baby was 6 pounds 6 oz at birth and shot up to 99th percentile in 1 month after birth.

 

[fictitiousdinosaur]

@katrina2017 thank you!!

 

[theodor98]

@fictitiousdinosaur

thank you!!

You're welcome!

 

[twippoh66]

@fictitiousdinosaur I'm 34 weeks with twins and one of my babies is measuring 12% overall - my MFM does not seem concerned (despite me also being very uneasy about it!). Dr said she would be more concerned about a growth restriction if below 10% and also if the abdominal circumference is measuring on the lower end that can be another indicator of growth restriction. My baby's abdominal circumference is at 30%, so very similar to your baby's, which my Dr said was good and of no concern! My Dr also noted how inaccurate these scans can be, especially later in pregnancy, and reassured me not to worry.

 

[fictitiousdinosaur]

@twippoh66 thank you! trying to reassure myself before meeting with my OB tomorrow

 

[blessedx4]

@fictitiousdinosaur The measurements from my 3rd trimester ultrasounds were SO off. They measured my baby at 31st percentile at 37 weeks (she had dropped from the 54th percentile at 28 weeks). She was born 40w2d at 8lbs 5oz which is the 87th percentile haha. I would take those measurements with a grain of salt. They’re an hard to measure in there especially the farther along you get because they’re so squished in there.