Growth scans
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@Incognito baby was on 50th centile at 26 weeks, but has now dropped to 9th centile. They were concerned for a bigger baby with my high bmi - so sent for growth scans to monitor, which is even more why they are now worried it’s measuring small. Sorry maybe I didn’t make much sense!
High bmi doesn’t always mean big baby. Some women are told they’ll have a big baby and they give birth to a small baby. Bump measurements and growth scans are not 100% accurate so don’t worry too much! I’m also having growth scans and I’m not worried because doctors aren’t always right. At my 32 week scan baby was on the 14th centile and they said they aren’t worried as long as he follows the centile and doesn’t lose weight.
I had this with my first, my 32 weeks scan showed he haddnt grown at all since the 28 week so I had another at 34 weeks and he had grown massively they put the 32 week scan down to human error in the measurements! They also overall expected a 10lb + baba and we got a 7lb 14 so I don’t think they are overall too accurate
@Megan thank you so much this is really reassuring to hear! They were concerned because of the drop from 26 to 32 weeks but I’m hoping by 34 weeks baby will have had a spurt and the 26 measurements could have been wrong like you said. Thank you x
Yer I remember we went from the 80+ percentiles down to in the 20s they were saying they thought maybe my placenta was beginning to fail and having baby out at 34 weeks if the scan wasn’t showing improvement etc I got in such a worry over it all and he was all okay in there in fact had to be removed at 41 weeks because he was too comfy! Keep going and looking after yourself 😊
@Incognito because when the baby is below 10%, or dropped significantly in percentile, it could mean baby not receiving enough nutrients/oxygen through placenta. lt is usually fine as long as baby follows the same centile but it is something they need to monitor closely. My baby was SGA(small for gestational age) until 31 weeks, and I was offered more frequent scans, blood tests to investigate rootcause and check babies wellbeing. I was discharged when baby jumped to 68 centile from 10. but l was told it is not common for a baby to jump centiles, their expectation is to baby to follow same or similar centile and do not decrease further.
High BMI does not mean you are more likely to grow a big baby. Also, that alone is not an indication to have growth scans. I would take the measurements with a pinch of salt as they can be inaccurate and out by 15% ish. Also, the later in your pregnancy you are, the more inaccurate they are as baby is in general bigger and harder to measure on the ultrasound. It also depends if they are engaged etc. As long as your placenta is working, which they can check on your scan, there is absolutely no medical need for induction or c-section, especially at 37 weeks!!! X
@Saff hello, my midwife booked my growth scans at my 16 week appt for 32 and 36 weeks only due to BMI alone. Then I had a Doppler scan at 26 weeks due to RFM and she also did a growth scan which showed baby on 50th centile (when plotted to my chart). Then this week at 32 week scan, expecting baby to be around the same, I was so shocked to see baby down to 9th centile when plotted on my chart. The placenta pressures were all fine as far as I know. It’s good to hear the scans can be inaccurate and hopefully that’s all it was! Baby is head down now so I guess like you say difficult to measure. Thanks for your reply x
Similar situation as you are in but with twins. At 28 w the percentile suddenly dropped to 10th and 3rd. I have a doppler twice a week and a growth scan every 2 weeks. Currently they stabilized on that percentile (I am at 32 w) and the dopplers are mostly okay. First time the percentile dropped we had the same discussion about early delivery. But quite a bit earlier as there are more risks with twins. If the percentiles stay stable, we can make it to 37 w which is the anticipated date for my twin pregnancy. For singletons you'd go to 37-39 if baby drops below 3rd percentile. There is an increased risk of stillbirth for very small babies hence the doctor tries to find the sweet spot between risk of early delivery and still birth. If something is wrong with baby it can be better cared for outside the womb. But only you decide! Its emotionally tough to go through all of this and taking decisions. Stay strong and first get some more growth scans 💞
@Saff high BMI on its own is 100% an indication for growth scans because measuring the bump is so inaccurate so this is routine for raised BMI over a certain number, it doesn’t mean a big baby though you’re right it’s just because the community midwife can’t monitor growth accurately
Hopefully the rest of your scans will show the drop as a one off OP 🤞🏻🤞🏻 but good that they are keeping an extra eye on it now
@Herbi I have not heard of this! Why can't they measure your bump accurately? Just because the growth charts are personalised based on your height and weight etc aren't they? I have a BMI (0.5% over) and she has measured me okay and it hasn't prompted for any growth scans. I wonder if it is a trust to trust process? It certainly isn't evidence based xxx
@Saff not all trusts use personalised growth charts and a BMI of something like 30 vs over 40 will also make a difference x
@Saff my bmi is only a small amount over (.9) but I asked my midwife and she said it’s because they can’t accurately measure bump with a tape! But yes it may well be down to each trust I guess x
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@Herbi oh my, really? That is awful! X
Oh no 😔 seems a bit unfair x
Had scan at 28 weeks and was 98% centile got a rescan at 32 weeks and a second glucose tolerance test on Tuesday at 30 weeks to check for gestational diabetes for big baby. I have a section booked for 39 weeks, can’t believe how big baby is measuring tbh but I’m trying to ignore it as heard they get it wrong all the time. They told me to expect a 9/10 lb baby!
@Saff I mean, I don’t find it awful. Nothing wrong with needing growth scans at all.
@Herbi Oh no of course not! I mean the process of putting everyone in the same box and not using personalised growth charts can make some women feel awful and different to those with a slightly lower bmi if that makes sense. Healthcare & procesudres should be accessible to everyone given we are all individuals. Especially as some trusts do the personalised one x
I don’t understand the anticipation of a bigger baby if it’s on the 9th centile? That’s small. Also why would you need to be induced if baby is small? As long as your placenta works and your fluid levels are normal you don’t necessarily need a c section. You can always refuse.