baby measuring in 20th percantile, should i bother with another scan?

Hi,

since 19 weeks my bub has been measuring in the 20th percantile, which is the smaller side of "normal", pretty much consistantly, so she is growing, shes just small. i was 24 weeks at my last scan and she was doing ok, still in the 20th percantile.

i am now almost 34 weeks. my midwife just called and said if i wanted to they can do another scan for me now to check on her growth. they said its totally up to me, as fundal height has been spot on, heart sounds good etc. now im not sure what to do :rolleyes:. i know scans as you get closer to your due date are notoriously wrong for measurements, even the midwife said this, so i am worried if i go and they tell me the size and it stresses me out, and then shes born and shes fine, i am going to kick myself :wall: for going for this scan, if that makes sense?

has anyone had a bub measuring in the 20th percantile and if so, how big were they when they were born? did you have any scans in the last couple months and how were they for accurate?

any advise much appreciated- thanks!

mel

Hi Mel,

Our DS was small. We had heaps of issues and had WEEKLY scans from 24 weeks to delivery at 36! Yuk. From 28 weeks it was mainly growth estimate scans. He was born weighing 1.66 kg at 36 weeks (3%). The scan we had on the morning of his birth estimated his wt to be 1.85, thats around 200g out and I think actually a biggish difference considering his size.

They are notoriously variable.

With this bub (due in a week) there were concerns about size too so we did a growth scan at 28 wks and were told it was on the 65%!! Whoo Hoo! Then my OB thought it either might get too big for a VBAC (my sisters biggest was 5.5kg at birth:o) OR that the same issues of placenta insufficiency could reemerge so we had another at 34wks but this time I asked not to be told the estimate unless the baby was loosing wt as I was sure I was going to grow a good size baby that I could birth. My OB agreed and she has the info and I dont. We are going for a VBAC so I can only guess that bubs is biggish but proportional for me (6ft).

I will birth this baby and then ask my OB what the estimate was to see how close they were.

If there is a chance that bubs is going to loose wt (our son did) then I would get another scan. IF they are sure your placenta is supplying enough and you are just going to have a small bub dont. What I try to do is remember that every test I have is a question - and that I have to be prepared to deal with the answer if I am going for the test.

I hope your pregnancy is going well.

Rachel

Some babies are born really small, but perfectly healthy, just as there are some really big but also perfectly healthy babies born at term - they can't make those stupid percentile charts if every single baby was born the same size. Personally, if all is well with the baby and you and there is no cause for medical concern to have more scans then I wouldn't have one.

I had the opposite problem with my first two sons! The US said my first was going to be 10pd 2oz and the second 12pd 1oz. They were both born at 8pd6oz! If bubs is happily growing then I wouldn't bother but if you need it to help yourself relax then go for it :)

i wouldnt have another. what more can they tell u that u dont already know IYKWIM?

As someone who had a 2.4kg full-term bub (just below 3rd % and 100g underweight for a normal healthy baby) and spent almost a week in special care monitoring and with the problems small bub's can have (although she was otherwise healthy) I will be asking for growth scans in my third trimester of my next pregnancy. Only because I will be worrying about it constantly anyway, and am hoping for some reassurance of further advice as to what is causing it (I don't smoke) or how I can help grow bubs bigger.

If there is nothing they can tell you that will help, and you feel baby is doing well - then there's no reason for you to check. 20th % babies are still within the healthy range - there's all sorts of different sizes in healthy. Whatever will make you feel the most at ease is the right answer.