32 wk scan - disproportionate measurements

[HTD2013]

Hello all - I hope you are all well!

I had my 32 week scan yesterday and the measurements showed that our baby is in the 89th percentile for its head size, but only 40th for its femur length. To me that seems very disproportionate and I'm not sure if I should be worried. The echographer didn't seem worried in the slightest but I just wanted to check.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanks in advance,

HTD

[callamia]

Both are within a typical range, so I can see why your sonographer wasn't concerned. There's always a certain amount of measurement error too. I don't think you have cause for worry here. Hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well!

[Rosduk]

There is a 20% margin for error according to my consultant. My baby is measuring 99 percentile (3 weeks big) in some areas but they still don't seem fussed- don't worry!

[ikeaismylocal]

I don't think it's a problem as long as it is the head that is especially big.

If the head is little and the tummy is huge there can be a risk that the baby will get stuck with the head out and the body unable to come out.

Big heads are good, the baby is either in or out, no inbetween.

[lucy101]

I have had awful lot of scans and there is so much differentiation between them, and the skills of the person scanning. It is quite an interpretive business so accuracy is complicated. I have had a scan showing a long femur length and one two weeks later showing it as short! I wouldn't be concerned unless they were out of the normal range.

[ItsSpringBaby]

Gosh, mine is way up there for HC and was only 11th for femur at 30 weeks. I get regular scans due to another issue unrelated to growth and my consultant hasn't mentioned it. Of course I Googled and began to worry, but he's been working in fetal medicine for 30 years and is fairly well known so I trust he'd know when to worry for us!

I believe measurements can be out due to the way the baby is laying, the person who is doing the measuring and growth can vary from week to week as it would do in any baby or child.

They are normally looking for an overall trend - that the baby is growing well. Yours seems to be well within what is considered to be totally normal.

[Forago]

All 3 off mine were above average for head and below average for femur - like yours. They are gorgeous boys with no health problems, but little shorties (like me) - are either of you short?

My ds1 also had a massive nose on all the scans - seriously out of proportion - so much so that we were already thinking about saving for plastic surgery!. Turned out he just has a very cute slightly turned up nose which must have been creating a large shadow :)

The scans can be misleading I think and it is only if they are out of the range that there is any need to be worried.

All 3 of mine had massive head - 90% - fairly difficult births in fairness but you would never know it now to look at them.