OB Appt - want some reassurance - Alan, anyone?

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Ok so i have been feeling pretty good, going about my normal routine etc etc but i had my OB's appt today and he bought up a few things:

1. He wants me to slow down a little as with DD my blood pressure went up towards the end of PG, although my blood pressure is perfectly fine this time round.
Yeah right with a 14mth old...

2. He said for someone of my 'stature' he finds it strange i have such small babies, A was 6lb 11oz born and he said he doubts this bub will be much bigger.
With this in mind her has asked me to go have a CTG and AFI before my appt next week.
Who cares if i'm nearly 6ft i was a tiny baby, i had a small baby, my brothers weren't BIG babies.. isn't it in the genes?
He said with my partner and i both nearly 6ft he would assume my babies would be bigger and to make sure she is getting enough from me he wants to double check... even though he says her heart sounds fine? It kinda made me feel a little like crap... like something is wrong
Oh and he told me i have the perfect birthing pelvis and i should consider myself lucky as with my pelvis i could "quite easily" handle 8lb +... WTF!

So should i be worried or am i just lucky enough to produce petite children? I thought everything was going well, i was measuring on or just under for dates and now he says he feels instead of 37wks he would have guessed 35!

3. Bubs is head down and engaged already he said something about 'only 2 fingers' ?????????
how far is this, he said she is very low?
I have been told with most ppl for their 2nd or subsequent children they don't always engage but rather float around until they are literally ready, which scares me a little as with DD i didn't have much time.

So if anyone can help, would love to hear from Alan or another MW as to what they think... thanks in advance!

DD's birth if this helps: https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...ome-birth.html

[Miss E]

for you honey... I can imagine how comments like that would leave you feeling a little concerned, but from reading between the lines it sounds like he was just making generalised statements, I wouldn't worry too much. I don't know what an AFI is, but CTG monitoring can't hurt. I'm no expert, but can't see why it is necessary, but it might help to put your mind at ease now that he's raised these doubts. But if you don't want it, don't have it, like you said her heartbeat is good.

I remember reading your birth story awhile back. If there is one thing you can do it is trust in your body, it did a fabulous job last time and will again, whatever the circumstances. GL babe and try not to worry too much.

[Visitor7]

like Miss E said, I wouldn't worry too much. It sounds like everything is going fine. DD2 was engaged from 36 weeks, and wasn't born until 40 weeks, so I wouldn't worry about that. Doing the measurements is only a guess really, no-one can no for sure how big your baby is until born. . Take it all in your stride and continue going about your business as usual.

[Butterfly Child]

Dont worry to much hun, i know its easily said then done babe, they said to me grace would most likely be born 3-4 weeks earlier to wen she ended up coming and i was mesured spot on with my fundal measurements and grace ended up being 2 weeks overdue and 10 pounds!!! which for me was huge as i was only 6pound myself
and not that big in stature... so i wouldnt really go off what they say or let it worry you hun.

i just read you BS of ava you did an amazing job!!! truly inspirational xx

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Thanks ladies, i guess i can only take every day as it comes and what will be will be.
I am going to go and get the monitoring done.. just to be on the safe side but would really love to know from a MW etc what they think... so if your out there!

BC - hehe i thought you had read Ava's story... lol thx hun it was different to say the least!

[Fleur]

Like the others, I wouldn't worry too much.
FWIW I think that fundal height is an estimate at best, I know of a lot of babies who were born outside of their estimates.
And as for having a baby based on your stature... (just as an example) my DS1 was a big baby & is now 12 & very average sized. I know plenty of people who were small babies & are tall adults. I don't think there is much of a correlation - JMO.

I'm sure everything's ok the monitoring will help set your mind at ease & hopefully Alan or someone will come in here too

[~Stoked~]

I wouldn't worry too much either. My baby was fully engaged from 24 weeks (2/5ths over the brim, which is probably what he meant by "two fingers"), he was also measuring a week behind in fundal height and at 36 weeks was measuring 1.5 to 2 weeks behind on ultrasound. My midwife was concerned that i would have him early and fast as he was so deeply engaged so early and my first baby was only a 4.5 hour labour.... Archie was born 12 days overdue after a 5.5 hour labour and weighed 8lb 15oz! I am petite myself (161cms 50kgs normally) and so we were very suprised to have such a big bub...

I'm no midwife but just hope i have reassured you a little

Kymmy x

[Alan]

OB’s are renowned for putting their mouth into action without first engaging their brain. Yes if you and your partner are tall then there is a tendency to have larger babies, but this is only a tendency and not a rule. If you and your brothers were not big and your first baby was not big why would anyone expect this baby to be big?
If you were being measured to estimate your gestation and found that you are on or just behind your dates (which is normal) why would your OB decide to guess rather than measure?
You are sort of right when you say that subsequent babies don’t always engage until labour. Some engage early and yes some do not engage until the start of labour but they don’t usually just float around in there. Their head will be down in the pelvis but just not engaged. By 2 fingers he probably means that your baby’s head is in the pelvic brim and there only 2 finger width sticking out above the pelvic brim. If this is the case then your baby is well engaged.
From what you have said in your post there is nothing to worry about, everything sounds perfectly normal to me.

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Thanks so much everyone and thanks for your professional advice Alan...

GOD i love BB, i knew i would get some reassuring words.
I have been thinking within myself that everything will be fine, i need to trust in my body and my ability to grow happy & healthy babies so i am taking it all in my stride and getting on with what i normally do.

Tomorrow i will go and have the monitoring knowing that everything is going to be fine and then i am going to have a PG massage (DP's suggestion ) and relax and wait til my next appt on x-mas eve.... well aslong as she holds on that long.

I still think the 27th Dec for this bubs so hopefully she waits til after x-mas !

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Ok so had the appt but really don't know much at all, think they just send the results off to the OB & MW now and i get them at the next appt which is Thursday (x-mas eve).

They told me monitoring can take 10min to an hour depending on what bubs is doing, i was only on for about 15min and the lady says all good you can go to the ultrasound now.. so i don't know if thats that bubs heart rate is all good or that the got what they needed?
There were numbers on the machine and as i watched they generally went anywhere from 180 down to 144 ???????

Then for the fluid check she really didn't say anything, took measurements, checked a chart, thought i hear her mutter 'normal' and then she said you can go now.
She did ask how often the OB wanted me back and i said he only told me to go once and then the MW would let me know if i needed to go back again... so not sure if this is good or bad!

I am just going to stay positive, i heard her heartbeat, she tried kicking the monitoring things off and she seems active enough again now.

[Arimeh]

I know plenty of people who were small babies & are tall adults.

My DH was 7 pound, 14 oz (so not HUGE in any sense) when born - and is 6 foot 7 now

I wonder what your ob would say about my husband being a giant and our kids have all been normal sized (all under 9 pounds anyway!)

I'm glad things went ok today xxx

[skybie]

hey hun, i had monitoring every day from 35 weeks till DD2 was born at 36 weeks and her heart rate sounds the same as dd2's, mine were sometimes 10 minutes, sometimes an hour, depending on whether or not bubs got excited (180bmp) if she did they made me wait till she calmed down before they'd let me go