What is the point of fundal height measurements?

Good morning.

I am just wondering about why it is considered useful to take fundal height measurements. Is there anything that too big a fundal height measurement can show up, or too small? I know that several places no longer do this as it’s not considered necessary.

I had my last midwife appointment (28 weeks) yesterday and was told that my uterus is too big for dates, after being spot on at my 20 week appointment and on the larger side at my 24 week appointment. If I measure too big again at my 32 week appointment, they are going to do an ultrasound to check the size of my baby. I am fully aware through these forums that estimates of a baby’s size before birth are severely inaccurate, so I’m wondering what the point of doing this would be- apart from to scare me that I have a big baby and am going to have a horrible birth! Is there anything else they might pick up in a scan – some kind of abnormality, etc?

Also, do I have any control over how big I grow? Is there anything I can do before my next appointment- eat less, maybe!!?

I suppose it is to show that yes, your uterus is growing and therefore so must the baby. It can be affected by so many things though, you're right, but some Dr's still find it a handy tool to know that things are going OK. My dr has always used it and even when I have been 'ahead' he finds no cause for alarm in that, kwim? I know other Ob's who even do scans at every visit too to check the baby, so it is six of one and half dozen of the other as to what method the Dr will use to check that everything is growing.

And no, there isn't anything you can do to control how big you get and eating less isn't a good idea though. You could simply have a lot of liquor in there and there isn't anything you can do to change how much of that there is.

Many places no longer do the fundal height measurement as it tells you very little

Yeah I think it's a very inaccurate. My sister at later in both her pregnancies was sent for a scan as she was measuring way too big for her dates, I think it was something like at 28 week measuring 36 weeks. Well after she had the scans she was told again with both babies that they would be just big babies and this was even after the scans. So she expected huge 9-10pound bubbas but both were born only just on 8pound. So I would try not to worry too much about it, ha ha ha I know.:rolleyes:

Yes considering that at my 28w appt, I was measuring 31cm.....
and they then tried to tell me that actually I am only 26w!!!
WTF???

I had my fundal height measured today by my OB for the first time at 24wks and it was at 30cms - which she said was spot on for my dates. She said it just gives her an indication of how bubs is growing in there.