Mumsnet Talk

freaking out. 28 week midwife appointment today, measuring 36 weeks with that tape measurment thing. Queue shifty looking midwife avoiding eye contact and booking me in for scan first thing monday morning. I have googled (foolish i know) and am in a BLIND PANIC now. I do look huge. Its my 3rd baby and I am not skinny in general but never had this in previous pregnancies. Has anyone any commments or advice or general calming words. I dont knowhow Ill survive the weekend

Hi sweetpea, have you had a glucose tolerance test? What has been your weight gain so far?

Hi - no, i did the scheduled blood test today and she said after the scan they would decide about the glucose test. Weight gain about 12kg, so a lot I think? She didnt weigh me today.

I'm not an expert at all I just know gestational diabetes can lead to bigger babies, I don't want to be a real weirdo but did they mention anything about two babies at the 12 week scan? 12kg isn't that much either, I think kind of normal. Are you sure of dates? Don't panic too much the fundal measurement IS NOT a real science

Hi sweetpea. I'm afraid I know nothing about this but just wanted to add another reply so you know we're here.

12kg is a fair amount to have gained I think, could you be measuring big because of that rather than anything untoward.

Hope all is ok at the scan, let us know how you get on.

Just to add I've gained 3.5stone (I am 38 weeks though) and I've measured on target so I'm not sure, maybe it was babys position too?

A large baby can be caused by gestational diabetes, but you don't know you have a large baby at the moment - what you have is a large tum. You're only going to know the size of the baby after the scan. I was pregnant with DD2 at the same time as a friend, and neither of us carried very big, but she was smaller than me and almost didn't gain at all. Yet her baby was over 4 kilos and mine was 2.6 kilos - it just shows that the amount of weight gain can be deceptive. Wishing you all the best in any case.

Another friend did have GD, and she was just very closely monitored from the diagnosis onwards - both she and the baby were fine in the end. Wishing you all the best in any case.

Thanks all. Its so nice to have your support. Iwhat im worrying about is excess amniotic fluid - polyhydro something. I saw that this can make bump big - and could be a sign of a problem with the baby. Dh has banned google now. Ill update on Monday hopeully its nothing.

Forgot to say - Pam its definitely not twins and KD, Im hoping its just too many pies, its so hard not to worry though.

Google is the devils work. I'm at high risk of premature birth with this pregnancy and I keep googling things and getting myself into a tizzy. Then whenever I have a hospital appointment I tell the doctor my google findings and she invariably tells me it's nonsense. She is very patient with me though!

I have finally stopped googling, but I should have done it much sooner.

I had poly whatsit when pregnant with my 2nd set of twins. Wait until the scan Monday and see what they say before you panic :-)

I had polyhydroetc with DD. She was absolutely fine as are most in these circs. Most probs that cause it would have shown up at the 20 wk scan. Fundal measurements are rubbish too. Please try not to worry, there's no reason to think it won't be fine x

How did it go sweetpea?

sweetpea I was diagnosed as polyhydramnious - it's not necessarily a sign of anything wrong with baby, although it can be a sign of digestive issues. With me, it was just that I had a lot of a water and a big baby, and that was why I measured big. What they will do at the scan is check to make sure the baby's digestive tract is operating as it should be.

Also, if it is excess water and not just big baby/normal volume amneotic fluid, then they will probably ask you to come into hospital immediately should your waters break before your contractions start. And if your contractions start before your waters break, again they will probably get you to come into hospital so they can break your waters artificially.

This is because there is a small risk that with excess water, the force of the water breaking can push the cord out of you.

Just to reassure you - all the above are BIG IFS, even if you are diagnosed with excess water. Try not to worry yourself (you sound like you've done exactly the same as my mother did when I told her - Googling is dangerous if you don't know what you're finding out about yet!!!)

How did the scan go OP?

Thanks so much for asking - you lot are lovely Scan was abolutely fine, baby average and amniotic fluid within range (round the top of the range but still average). The sonographer said the midwife needs a new tape measure...!

So RELIEVED. Tried not to panic all weekend but its hard not too with all the worst case scenarios going through your head. Anyway, panic over and was nice to see little one again.

Thanks again - and thanks for the info NoWay, hope it all went well for you x

Yah for minisweetpea! Pah to the MW!

Yey, so pleased for you

So glad, those pesky tape measures! I always measured really small but when I had my scans LO always measured really big and she came out 2 weeks early on 91st centile. They are so inaccurate.