IUGR

[hsmom]

Hi,
I dont know if any of you guys are or have been in a similar spot. I am 23+1 and at my 20 week scan was told baby was measuring 2 weeks too small. I have since been to fetal medicine locally who diagnosed Symetrical IUGR + low amniotic fluid and a reverse flow on ductus venous.
I am v anxious as I lost my last baby at 21 weeks due to congenital heart disease and cant shake this permonition that it is all happening again.
Any advice, thoughts? I have booked an appointment at FMC to see Prof Nicolaides and hope he can give me some answers. At my midwife appt on monday she found a heartbeat.
Thanks for any advice or similar situations,
hsmom x

[sh77]

Hi again
Babyandbump.com forum is also v useful for info. It has a gestational complications section with thread on iugr.
X

[hsmom]

Thanks a million! Just getting ready to head to FMC.... got my book ;-)

[sh77]

All the best. Let me know how it goes.
x

[hsmom]

Hi sh77
I went to see Prof Nicolaides and the news isnt good.
My baby is getting worse, not better. She hasnt gained any weight at all in the 10 days since last scan (still only weighing around 300grms so measuring about 19 weeks and I am 24 on Monday). She is now showing signs of enlarged heart as its having to work so hard to get oxygen.
Prof said the most likely prognosis is that she will die in the next few weeks.
He has offered me another scan in 2 weeks and in the meantime I have an appt at my local fetal medicine clinic (on Monday). I have felt less and less movements so I guess she is starting to fade.
Feeling a bit numb.

Thanks for your help and support these past couple of days.
hs xxx

[KnockedUpMell]

I am really so so sorry to hear that your scan did not go well. Sometimes babies (and nature) surprises us. I worked with a lot of women with IUGR babies in the past, and occasionally, despite the scans looking very negative, some babies just hung in there till they reached a stage where delivery was a possibility. Sending a hug your way.

xx

[CalaLilly]

Gosh, I am terribly sorry to hear your news. I can not imagine how heart broken you must be. I know that there may only seem to be a glimmer of Hope for your baby but here is a story about a baby born 17 weeks early at under 400g that survived against all the odds and celebrated her first birthday last week:
www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1342328/Turning-baby-born-17-weeks-early-just-13oz.html

Take care x

[sh77]

Gosh. I am really really sorry that this is happening, and happening again. Reading your post brings tears to my eyes. I hope you have lots of love and support in real life. Please do get in touch if you want to chat or need any advice. Big hug. Will be thinking of you. xxx

[sh77]

Also, on Monday, maybe you ask about what can be done to improve the chances of your daughter getting to 400g. Not sure if blood thinners would be an option.

I am in London if you ever need someone to talk to.
xx

[hsmom]

Thanks ladies,
I am holding onto a very feight hope. Prof Nicolaides said that my scan was v strange. Baby clearly in trouble but the strange thing is that blood supply from me to placenta and placenta to baby appears normal, and thats not usual with the other symptoms. The thing is, she is moving less, the amniotic fluid is diminishing and that indicates that her kidneys arent working and she is not peeing. she has only gained 20gms in the last 4 weeks.
Will ask all the questions I can but its so difficult to be positive - especially knowing what has happened before. Maybe I am destined to just have one (and I have to count my blessings that I have a wonderful, healthy 7 year old miracle already).
Thank you all for thinking of me. Its amazing how comforting it is to know that.
xx

[sh77]

Life is just so utterly strange and the way things happen just don't make sense. After one loss, one dares to believe that it won't happen again. I started to lose hope after my daughter died and then 2 miscarriages. I have 7 weeks left but I know something could wrong at any moment.

Don't rule anything out for the future. When you are feeling strong, you need to request tests to establish if there is a reason - karyotyping to determine any genetic issues and blood clotting tests.

I read a similar case on babyandbump. It might be worth contacting the poster. Poster's name is HopefulMi. Here is a link to one of her posts. I think the outlook for her baby was not so good in December but I think things have improved (or not become worse) and she is having a c-section soon. I ams ure she would be able to advise you on questions to ask.

www.babyandbump.com/premature-babies/487194-terrible-news-question-labour.html


xx

[Sparklies]

I am so sorry you've had such awful news, especially a second time. Very glad you have seen the professor - he's probably about the only doctor I'd trust these days!

Very much hoping you get a miracle. It is so very unfair.

[LuluLozenge]

No experience to offer but just wanted to say my heart goes out to you and I hope that against all odds something positive happens.

xx

[sh77]

All the best for today - thinking of you.
xx

[hsmom]

Thank you to all of you who have posted lovely thoughts and support on this thread.
The news today was perhaps a little more encouraging.
The consultant at Birmingham said that she had grown and by their calculations she was measuring at around 410 grms.
He couldnt find a reverese flow either on the Ductus, so maybe things have started to correct themselves.
She is still very small. 21weeks approx instead of the 24 that my dates are.
They were lovely and recognised my need to keep being scanned so have arranged for me to go again next week - not for a growth scan (they want to leave a 2 week gap for that) but that I can go next monday to have a quick check and another chat.
Dopplers as before look normal, and this consultant agreed with Prof that its strange.
Fingers crossed and waiting game continues,

Love and thanks again for your thoughts.
hs xx

[sh77]

Oh that is wonderful news! At 410g, she has a chance.

Some women measure small throughout without it being a major problem.

Did they give you any advice about things you should do? Also, has amniotic fluid increased?

You need to rest a lot in order to increase blood supply to baby. Also, keep fluids up.

[TheVisitor]

The very best of luck. I had 3 IUGR babies (triplets) born at 33wks2days and my daughter was only 2lb4oz. You wouldn't think so now. She's nearly 12 and just a little small for her age. Her brothers were just over 3lbs each and are average height. All are healthy.

[WillbeanChariot]

Hi hsmom. Only just seen this thread. I am glad you are getting well looked after. I will be hoping and praying for a positive outcome.

My DS was delivered at 27 weeks for severe IUGR. I didn't go through the worry you are suffering now as it was only found earlier that week. Doctors estimated that he stopped growing around 22 weeks. He weighed 560g (1lb 4oz) at birth.

The doppler scans I had varied from absent to reverse flow and I believe there was reverse flow in the ductus venosa when they decided on delivery.

My son's weight scans were accurate but I also know another mum who had a tiny one, and her scans were about 100g out. It may have been because she was a twin?

Do you know when they will deliver if things do not improve? I expect they will want her to grow a bit bigger if possible for a better chance. Every day she can stay inside improves her chances.

When I was playing the waiting game with DS (only for a few days) I talked to him all the time and wrote him letters encouraging him to keep fighting and grow. It made me feel really close to him.

Sorry this is a bit of a ramble. I will be thinking of you.

[hsmom]

Thanks so much, ladies. You are all so supportive.
I feel strangely confused because I am now sort of ignoring the prognosis of the best doctor in the land (Nicolaides) for my local consultant because he had the best news! Irrational or what??
They didnt say when they would deliver - just that they would take it week by week with the weekly doppler and well-being scan and the bi weekly growth scans. He did say, however, that if I were at 28 weeks now with similar growth patterns and dopplers he wouldnt be delivering me now. Not sure if thats good or not.
WillbeanChariot - how long ago was your experience? Hope all turned out ok.

Thanks for your thoughts,
xx

[Southsearocks]

Hi, I just wanted to add my best wishes too and to let you know I'm keeping everything crossed for you x

[sh77]

It is really good that you are feeling more positive and I am wishing you all the very best in the days/weeks to come.

Don't panic too much if your week to week scans don't show show much growth. It is good that they are monitoring growth v closely but in practice, a span of time will tell you and the docs more (e.g., she might grow more in one week than another and so overall growth between 2 weeks is more useful.

I do research on extreme prematurity (babies born between 22-26 completed weeks of gestation). Every week that baby stays inside you will improve her chance of survival and outcomes post birth significantly. Care for prem babies has improved vastly and seems like you are being cared by a good hospital. Does it have good neo-natal facilities? So, eat and drink well, rest, try to be positive whenever you can. I know you must be very worried.

Keep us updated. We are all rooting for you and your daughter.
xx

[WillbeanChariot]

Hello hsmom. There is nothing irrational about you, I did exactly the same and clung to the positives even in the face of a likely negative outcome. And I'm sorry I wasn't clear about the outcome in my post, DS is 17 months now and he should be fine. he had a long NICU journey and he's a bit small and behind in some ways but getting there. We were told he wasn't likely to make it, but he is making a racket right now over his baby monitor.

I think it is a good sign that they wouldn't deliver now if you were 28 weeks. My hospital wanted me to get to 28 weeks but they felt it was necessary to deliver earlier based on scans.

I feel for you so much, I didn't have anything like this much time waiting and monitoring but I can relate to what you must be going through. I second what sh77 says, we are rooting for you.

[duchesse]

Crossing my fingers for you hsmom. I had an IUGR scare picked up at the same stage of pregnancy with DD2 and took myself off to the Harris Birthright centre for a second opinion at 38 weeks (local hospital were still insisting on two-weekly scans). They really seem to know their stuff. Really hoping your little one holds on to a decent gestation and size.

[Tara888]

I'm in a similar situation. I live at high altitude and am worried that my baby boy might have asymmetric IUGR. His bones seem ok but his tummy has gone from 57th percentile to 12 percentile in 7 weeks.
We're having a second opinion on Monday as the first doctor doesn't seem concerned. I'm hoping he just needs a little growth spurt and all will be ok but worried as everything else looks normal.
I really hope your little one hangs in there - its so scary but there are a lot of success stories and I hope you'll be one of them. Best doctor in the land or worst doctor, you hang on to the positives, your bubs needs you to believe they can pull through.

[hsmom]

Good luck, Tara888. 12th percentile is still considered within the 'normal' range. I am rooting for you. How many weeks are you now?

As for me, I got back from FMC yesterday with a much more positive prognosis. I am now 25+3 and my baby is still

[sh77]

Sent you a PM. BTW have you had a customised growth chart (takes in to account maternal BMI and ethnicity)? I imagine Birmingham use them as they were developed there.