baby's head circumference 87th percentile, should I be worried?!

[Lutrine]

Hiya, I'm 28 + 3, I went for a private 3d scan today which was amazing. It included a growth scan, and when the baby's head was measured it put it at 30 + 6 (87th percentile according to notes I've been given) ...eek! Should I be worried about this? His/her weight estimate is 3 lb already too, and I have 3 months left to go, getting worried this is going to be one huge baby!

[DangerMousey]

dont worry - it is notoriously hard to accurately predict a baby's size and measurements on scans.

I had a scan at 36 weeks to see if DS1 was breech, and they said that his head was measuring off the chart - like literally over the 100th centile.

He was also predicted to be "a very big baby" and I was pretty worried about it!

He was born at 41 weeks exactly (a natural birth, with just G&A), and weighed 9lb 3oz, so large but not exactly enormous. He was on the 91st centile for weight and head circumference when he was born, so they were wrong about that!

The labour was hard work but I never felt out of control or in agony (I did a hypnobirthing course which definitely helped me to stay calm...maybe look into that if you're worried?).

I also had a 2nd degree tear which I did not feel happen, which was stitched up quickly afterwards by the midwife, and which healed absolutely fine. A bit stingy when I weed for about 5 days afterwards, but totally back to normal after 4 weeks. Have had sex since (DS is now 9 weeks old) and all is fine and DH says it all feels the same down there.

ps do your kegels! I think this really helped me during the labour, and healing afterwards

[Lutrine]

Thankyou DangerMousey, and congratulations! That's very reassuring to hear. Its funny you should mention the hypnobirthing, we're starting classes tomorrow! Glad to hear you had a positive experience with it, I hear its really good! I figure anything that can help me feel more confident and in control is a good thing! It never occurred to me it could be a big baby, my bump looks tiny compared to other ladies'!

[GiveMeVegemite]

Don't worry. My baby was measuring around the 95th percentile every scan and then came out only weighing 7.10 ounces! I even had a scan at 37 weeks and they still thought he was going to be huge. It's really hard to predict.

[Askja]

don't worry. I had a fairly big one (9lb2) and I'm only 5"2. She arrived in 2 hours with only gas and air. I also had a 2nd degree tear but it's healing very well and I barely feel it now (12 days on). Staying off the bed and using the squatting position a lot during labour definitely helped for me.

[Passmethecrisps]

What everyone else says.

I had a scan on my due date as it appeared there had been no growth for a fortnight.

The scan measured the baby at 5Ib possibly 4Ib

She was born 5 days later and was 7Ib

She did have a mahoosive head though - 91st centile. The scan did get this right.

I asked for an episiotomy as I was pushing and could just tell nothing was moving.

The midwives did concede that it would have been very hard getting her out without the cut.

The wound healed fine with minimum pain. I kept a bottle of witch hazel in the fridge and dabbed the liquid on maternity pads.

Even if your baby's head is big it shouldn't be anything to worry about.

Good luck!

[Lutrine]

Thankyou so much for your replies everyone, I feel much less worried now! I'll show the midwife the growth report when I next see her, but it sounds like they're not always the most accurate of things so won't spend too much energy thinking about it, just looking forwards to meeting the baby in a few months! (and I'll make sure I take some clothes to the hospital in a bigger size than newborn in case he or she is indeed huge)

[BigSpork]

My DS2 had a head at 98 percentile at birth (none of the scans showed this). I didn't tear but it did take longer to push him out (but that was mainly due to wider shoulders).