Baby's stomach measuring 8 weeks ahead on scan

[harleysmammy]

I had my growth scan (routine for low movement) on tuesday and was told i have polyhydramnios and possible gd. I have my glucose test tomorrow but i have been told at the last few scans i have quite a lot of fluid, but only this week have they actually diagnosed me with polyhydramnios. My babys stomach is measuring 39 weeks and im 31 weeks. His head was 31 weeks and his femur bone was 33 weeks. I had a scan 2 weeks ago and he was measuring on the 97th centile but only measuring 2 weeks ahead. All of a sudden he's 8 weeks ahead. I totally understand gd makes for bigger babies and the extra fluid means i could go into labour early, the midwife explained that but i've never heard of the stomach measuring so far ahead? 2 or 3 weeks yes but not 8 and a half weeks. Will they have to deliver him if his stomach keeps growing like this? Thanks x

[TheTantrumCometh]

I have no actual experience of this (DD had a bigger stomach but it was 2-3 weeks ahead), but bumping for you

[Mouse14]

Sorry I can't offer anything useful but I'd be interested to follow this as I had my scan yesterday and baby's tummy is measuring in 90th centile, while other measurements a lot lower.

Booked in for GTT in a couple of weeks anyway, due to family history of diabetes but wondering if this is the cause.

I've posted about this a few mins ago so hopefully someone may be able to shed some light for us!

[LHReturns]

I don't have the answer either sadly but I too am going through something similar and feel for you both Harleys and Mouse.

I am 27 weeks today (and age 41) and two weeks ago I had a private scan where baby boy's tummy and head were measuring off the charts big - beyond 100th centile . The annoying sonographer said I 'almost certainly have GD' and must get tested immediately. She said there was almost no chance that it was simply a big healthy thriving boy (even though All my baby's measurements are above the 80th centile, I myself weighed 10lbs at birth and my husband is a big guy).

In a complete state I called my consultant (I am very lucky to be going private at Lindo Wing). He said I could do a GTT immediately which I did ten days ago. It came back normal but only just. My blood glucose level two hours after drinking all that revolting Lucozade was 7.2 (the 'normal' cut off is 7.8).

Saw consultant the next day and he asked me to REPEAT the test this week at 27 weeks as that is his preferred earliest time to do the GTT anyway. So I did it again yesterday (more belching and burping) and the results came back exactly the same. Actually 7.3 after two hours so slightly worse.

I am feeling very grumpy about this as he clearly is not able to definitively tell me whether I should be worrying about this.

Appears consultant will continue to monitor me and scans and I predict more GTT tests coming my way as the weeks pass.

A very large baby isn't too big an issue as I am booked to have a planned c-section in late May when I will be 38.5 weeks (my first son was a c-section so happy to make things simple with another). But clearly if I am going to develop GD before that then it IS an issue which needs to be managed for my baby's sake.

I have booked another scan at the Fetal Medicine Centre (my favourite place for scans) for next week at 28 weeks to see how the measurements are doing.

My sonographer at the FMC (who I also rang after the 'bad scan' which was somewhere else) said that not only do they look for very large tummies in GD babies, but also excess fluid (which you mention above), but she ALSO said that the tummy doesn't only measure big, it also has an unmistakable 'fatty quality' to the scan picture which she and her colleagues at FMC are absolutely trained to recognise.

Dunno if any of this helps but I would love to stay on here with you if I may as having had HG for the first half of my pregnancy I could really do without this crap now and need someone to talk to about it!

[LHReturns]

Harleys, as I understand it if you do have GD (and that is causing the big tummy) then they may well induce you a little early but they would not want to do this any earlier than 38 or 39 weeks. What I believe will happen is that as soon as you get your glucose levels under control (via diet OR Metformin OR Insulin injections) then your baby scan tummy measurements would quickly start to return to sustainable levels to get you to full term. So they won't let the tummy continue to grow at its current rate - treating the GD will deal with that.

[harleysmammy]

LHReturns the extra fluid is polyhydramnios and they said i need to be prepared for early labour, and i need to prepare for a c section because he's so big as it stands i couldnt go naturally. Funny thing is, two days ago i was told all of this and today i've had the worst persistent hip/back ache and weird pains under my belly, he's sticking all his limbs out right now though so im not overly stressing..just keep thinking it could be labour haha. I have my glucose test tomorrow morning so will hopefully know more then. It just seems crazy to me that he's already that big, what will he be like if i do go to term haha! I'd like someone to talk to as well so feel free to stay x

[LHReturns]

Forgive me Harleys, you did say you already know you have polyhydramnios.

Wishing you a smooth GTT test - I hate the test...I hate Lucozade, I have reflux anyway, and that awful sugar rush about an hour after drinking it YUCK. Don't be put off by this - it passes and is normal.

I kind of love the idea of your very chunky bossy baby in there!

[Neolara]

My ds had an enormous tummy. I had a scan at 36 weeks and his tummy was so big the computer couldn't cope with the calculations. I definitely didn't have gd. The hospital was very sniffy about my proposed home birth. My midwife was totally cool about it. Her point was that even if ds's tummy was enormous, tummies are squishy. (Huge heads on the other hand would have been a different story).

DS was born at 36 weeks 6 days and it was a very easy birth. 8lb 10. Glad he didn't go to 40 weeks.

[harleysmammy]

I've honestly never really experienced sugar rush, i've only ever had lucozade when i was little and my dad gave it too me when i was really poorly haha. A lot of people said it was horrible so im hoping maybe i just dont suffer from sugar rush! I love the idea of him being chubby too, i just wish he was chubby without their being a bad reason haha.

Thanks everyone else too, my mind is somewhat at ease now x

[Cosmicglitterpug]

I had excess fluid and gd for my second pregnancy and baby's abdominal measurement was large. I was induced at 37 weeks with a 9lb baby no problems after weekly growth scans.

[emsyj37]

My DS had an enormous abdominal measurement (femur and head around 75th centile). I also had a lot of fluid, although it was not over the threshold for the local hospital to class it as polyhydramnious - the scan company I was seen by did consider it to be polyhydramnious but their parameters were different from the ones used by the hospital. I had the GTT but I did not have GD. DS was born at 8lb 8oz at 38 + 5 and still has a tubby belly at 11 wks. He grew like a weed post birth and was 14lb at 6 weeks so am glad I didnt go overdue. He is perfectly healthy - I asked the sonographer what a large abdominal measurement signified and she just shrugged and said 'You've got a well-grown baby'. I never quite got to the bottom of why they were concerned about the abdominal measurement or what they were concerned about.

[Mouse14]

it sounds like we need to expect big babies then!
The sonographer didn't really seem to concerned but I guess I'm just aware of the implications due to being told GD was always going to be a strong possibility. Unless something comes up with the GTT, I don't have any more scans now. Do you think the enlarged measurements might spur the midwife to refer me to another at s later date?

The thought of an early delivery is just horrendous right now as we're mid house serious house renovations and every week counts!!

Have you ladies got (or did you have) particularly big bumps?

[Mouse14]

LHReturns, I've spoken to a couple of friends who've had GD and they said the same. Once levels are controlled, tummies reduce. They also gained minimal weight by the end so didn't take long to get back into their pre-baby clothes.

They've also got beautiful, healthy babies so fingers crossed for everybody x

[vfoster]

Hi everyone! Just wanted to add that my first baby measured big and I had polyhydrominos. I tested negative for GD and sad induced at 49 weeks. She was born very long, weighing 10lb 10 3 days later by emergency c section. She was perfectly healthy and still is!
Had my 20 week scan with my second this week and the tummy is measuring a week ahead. I'm not a bit worried after my first. My husband is 6ft 4, I'm 5ft 4 and we both weighed over 9lb at birth. Sometimes it's just genetics!

[vfoster]

Sorry that should say 5ft 8!

[vfoster]

And 40 weeks 🙄

[Mouse14]

That's really positive vfoster! We're both tall, so like you say prob a lot to do with genetics. Congrats- we must be due around the same time

[LHReturns]

Mouse14 my bump is enormous. Second baby so was big from much earlier anyway, but now it is impossible to imagine how I will go another 11 weeks. Live in central London and take taxis a lot - literally every time I get into one the cab driver says 'I hope you don't need me to rush you to hospital?" Guffaw guffaw guffaw. Fxxk off.

And then I met another pregnant woman on a school tour this week and our respective husbands both joked how we must both be due at same time as very similar bumps. I said that I was due late May, and she says she is due in two weeks. Silence. Bitch.

[vfoster]

I'm due On the 16th July (by my dates not until the 22nd but big baby = earlier due date!). The baby's legs are currently measuring 2 weeks ahead so this one will be tall! It's got everyone jangling that it could be a boy or a modelesque girl!

I also have a big bump already, when I told my year 11 class that I was about 5 months pregnant one of them said, "oh miss, you look about 7 months pregnant!"
Cheers 😑
I was huge with my first too. I'm not small and I don't carry small. I know that means a big healthy baby for me though so it reduces the anxiety!
On the plus side, my first slept through from about 5 weeks...big babies tend to hit milestones like that earlier! There's always a silver lining!
I've got growth scans booked and my consultant said that if the baby is still measuring big he's going to give me a section. I had a failed induction with the first and don't want to go through that again!

[Cosmicglitterpug]

My bumps were both enormous. People would ask if it was full term twins at six months. I started to lie about my due date to strangers because I couldn't be arsed with the comments.

[Mouse14]

We're due on the same day, Vfoster. I'm a teacher too and maternity leave can't come soon enough.

Oh why are people such tits, making ridiculous comments?! That taxi driver is wasted, he should be on stage!

Sorry if this is an obvious question, but can excess fluid cause the baby to have a bigger tummy?

[vfoster]

When are you going on maternity leave Mouse? I'm trying to work until 38 weeks and already wondering if that will be possible!

[Mouse14]

Originally I was planning on working up to 38 weeks too. However we're having major renovations donr on the house and it's just been one disaster after another, so I'm now thinking I'll leave mid June so that I've got time to sort things. I can see me going into labour whilst coordinating the decorating at this stage (I'm not trusted with a paint brush!)

Leaving early is going to make things even more stressful though as it'll mean reports need to be done early, OFSTED are due at any time and I'm in year 2 and it's highly likely wr'll be moderated the week I finish!

That said, if your school is anything like mine, 38 weeks seems impossible!
How long are you taking off? I'd like to do a year but after Easter might be more viable...