I'm wondering if anyone knows how to prevent IUGR. I didn't fall into any of the standard risk factors but bub was quite small and is stacking on the weight.
My dr mentionec that he could put me onto low dose asprin before falling pregnant again to help prevent it.
Anyone else had this problem and were able to overcome the problem in subsequent pregnancies?
Maybe my body just isn't cut out to grow babies well........
I am now pg again and was put on 100mg of Asprin pre pregnancy and will stay on that until around 36/37 weeks. Both my GP and OB strongly recommended it.
I am having my 28 week growth scan in three weeks time and this will be the first indicator but might be too early to tell if this one is going to be ok or not. Last time I had scans weekly from 28 weeks and delivered at 36 as DS had LOST wt for two weeks straight and was struggling. So my OB thinks if we see some indications at 28 weeks we will do the same with scans this time, if all looks ok we will probably wait until 32 weeks to do another scan.
At my 20 week scan they had a good look for flow from me to bub and were pleased with the velocity of flow - a good indicator but not a guarantee that all will be well. We will just have to wait and see!
I just buy the asprin at the supermarket - you dont need a script and it also helps with avoiding some miscarriages as often the cause is clotting or poor blood flow so I would go ahead and get onto it once you decide to TTC. Asprin only takes 5 days to become effective.
Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a term used to describe a condition in which the fetus is smaller than expected for the number of weeks of pregnancy. Another term for IUGR is fetal growth restriction. Newborn babies with IUGR are often described as small for gestational age (SGA).
A fetus with IUGR often has an estimated fetal weight less than the 10th percentile. This means that the fetus weighs less than 90 percent of all other fetuses of the same gestational age. A fetus with IUGR also may be born at term (after 37 weeks of pregnancy) or prematurely (before 37 weeks).
Newborn babies with IUGR often appear thin, pale, and have loose, dry skin. The umbilical cord is often thin and dull-looking rather than shiny and fat. Babies with IUGR sometimes have a wide-eyed look. Some babies do not have this malnourished appearance but are small all-over.
I hope the Aspin is working for you RM and I hope you have a nice FT chubba bubba
RM - thanks heaps for that. Wow. 1.66kg at 36wks. How is your son now? Was he healthy but small?
My DS was 40 wks gestation - looked scrawny but was healthy. Even his blood sugars were fine when tested an hour after his first feed (at 1.5hrs old) and an hour after his next feed.
GP/ob said he bordered on the IUGR line and that in hindsight we should have had the placenta sent away for testing. I had growth scans weekly from 35 wks - 39 wks. The sonographer estimated his weight at 38wks to be 5lb 14oz which is what he was born (at 40 + 3 days. The scans also checked for blood flow through the placenta and everything seemed to be fine....but DS was below the 5th percentile and dropping percentiles weekly. Although the scans aren't accurate due to human error, it still had me stressing. I went through this with my DD as well as my FH dropped dramatically towards the end of pregnancy. She turned out fine and heaps biger than DS.
Just wanted to check as possibly my body will not be able to grow a bubba very well a third time around as my bubs seem to get smaller rather than bigger as most others do.
Fantastic to know about the asprin - would love to know how you go with your growth scan and hoping that your bub is putting on stacks of weight.
As far as "can our bodies grow babies well" I have asked my OB this (of course) and she thinks that there is a 50/50 chance of me having the same IUGR issues. So a 50/50 chance I will have a healthy sized baby.
Yes, my DS was very small and unfortunately also very sick. His heart did not form properly in the womb and so he needed open heart surgery at birth. Found this out at 20wks, went into pre-term labor at 24 wks with the development of an irritable uterus (then on home/hospt rest and drugs for rest of pg) then at 28 weeks found he wasnt growing well, then at 30 weeks found reversal of flow along umbilical cord resulting in decrease in growth. So...delivered by emerg non-laboring c-section at 36wks as he had lost wt and was showing distress at my continuing contractions (had them every day from 24 wks).
Then the stress and hard work started with trying to keep him alive!
So the fall out from all that is that the heart condition was completely unrelated to any of the pregnancy complications - luck of the draw!! So my OB and our sons cardiologist have both said that without the pg complications of IUGR and irritable uterus they would have expected him to be born full term and a good size. BUT as we dont know why that all happened and this was my first child I have a 50/50 chance of IUGR again and also a 50/50 chance of irritable uterus and pre-term labor issues. YAY for me!
So what this means for you is that there could still be just a 50/50 chance of IUGR for your next bub and that bubs 1 & 2 just fell on the side of coping the IUGR but that doesnt mean it will happen for #3.
Hope that helps and didnt freak you out - freaks me out sometimes; especially as I lead a very healthy and active life and dont fall into any of the risk groups!
Rachel - thankyou so much for your kind words and passing on info you were told. So sorry to hear your little man was really unwell when he was born but that he survived. I just don't know whether I should put my body through it again or my possible #3 bub through it as well. I am happy with my 2 kids atm but still crave more and can't get my head around my DS's birth being my last.
Thought I would update you on how we are travelling with bubs!
Had an appointment with OB today and a growth scan to see if this baby is growing well or having the growth restrictions that Rommy had. Also to get results of the Glucose Tolerance Test.
Well...
Bubs is doing great! Is already around 1.5kg which is only 150g lighter than Rom?s birth weight. This baby is now 28 weeks and Rom was born at 36 weeks. Baby is looking plump! They gave us some pics using the new 4D scan thingo which basically shows the baby as if you had put a camera into the womb ? not the fuzzy outlines that we normally see. Funnily enough we didn?t ask for it nor was it offered but the tech just did it for us. I would actually have said no to the option as I think it is a bit of an intrusion on the bubs mystery and unformed nature. Anyway, it had rolls of fat!
Now to me...seems I have indicators of both preeclampsia and Gestational Diabetes.
The glucose test showed a high reading which means I have to do a more detailed and involved test in the next couple of days to see if I do indeed have GD. It would explain the rapid increase in weight for me and bizarrely enough it leads to big babies! What an odd thought. We might then be monitoring this babies growth for the opposite reason that we did for Rom (careful what you wish for heh).
And my BP has been going up quite a bit lately. My sister is a Reg Nurse and so she has been monitoring my BP and as it had been increasing she also did a urine test at home the other day and that indicated protein in my urine. So my OB also tested urine and found definite protein. BP going up still so OB asked my sister to take my BP every second day (!!) and to call her if it reached 150/80.
So bubs is well and I am waiting to see if I have both GD and PE.
I knew that I had to have something go a bit wobbly ? it would be too bizarre to have a NORMAL pregnancy wouldn?t it??
OH my god rachel, the news about bubs is FANTASTIC!!!!! Congratulations. Looks like the asprin really worked for the bub.
But the news about the preeclampsia and GD is not fabulous. I suppose the GD can be monitored and controlled, but the preeclampsia is not good. Lucky your sister is able to check things out for you.
I PM'd you the other day, thinking of your appointment. Fingers crossed that your bp goes down and it doesn't lead to preeclampsia.
Avoiding IUGR next pregnancy?
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They gave us some pics using the new 4D scan thingo which basically shows the baby as if you had put a camera into the womb ? not the fuzzy outlines that we normally see. Funnily enough we didn?t ask for it nor was it offered but the tech just did it for us. I would actually have said no to the option as I think it is a bit of an intrusion on the bubs mystery and unformed nature. Anyway, it had rolls of fat!
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