Do IUGR babies catch up?

[stillfrazzled]

DS2 born Jan 4 at 35+3 weighing 3lbs 5ozs due to IUGR. Had first check at hospital today and now 5lbs 10ozs and dr very pleased with him.

For some reason I'm deflated end upset. Had hoped for more weight - only six oz in nine days and i'd just fed him.

Also now really worryimg that he will always be tiny. is improvement on worrying if he will survive, I know, but can anyone reassure or prepare me on what to expect?

[WillbeanChariot]

Hello- rushing but didn't want to read and run. My son was IUGR (27 weeks and 1lb 4oz). He's 18 months now and still off the charts small, as are a lot of the prem babies we know. I have been told he is likely to catch up but that it may not be soon. I try not to worry about it but just be proud of him for what he has achieved. Six oz in nine days is fab, but it's hard when you see how much others are putting on.

I love that my son is a little different, and that his clothes last him months. And I know he will probably catch up eventually. Come on over to the Bliss boards if you want to meet more mums of little ones.

Sorry for rambling. Hope things get easier for you. And congratulations! Your son has done so well x

[Bearcrumble]

They do catch up - Mine went from 4lb 5oz born at 35 weeks (9th centile) and went up to the 50th centile by the time he was 10 weeks old.

Your DS has put on over 2lb since he was born. That's more than half his birth weight - which is amazing.

[betterwhenthesunshines]

long time ago now, but I had a 34 weeker weighing just 2lb 7oz. Not tiny but v small for dates. He's now 9 - not the tallest in his class, but not the shortest either. He is still very very skinny with knees wider than his thighs (!) but then he doesn't eat a huge amount :) The main thing is that he is full of energy and very active most of the time, although hecan tak a while to recover if he gets ill. Smart kid too.

Then I went and did it again at 31 weeks with my daughter, earlier but bigger at 3lbs 5. I remember looking at her in theatre and thinking " you're huge - you're going to be just fine" . Funny thing, perspective! Anyway, she is now 6 and physically just perfect - beautiful, petite but strong and funny.

Don't worry - you have years ahead of you and being small / slim / slighter shorter is not a big deal. BTW my brother was born in 1975 at 34 wks weighing just 2lbs and is now in the marines and is 6ft 2"..... who knows!

[imgonnaliveforever]

My dd was born at 35 and was 4lb 2. She is still really very small at 2yo, probably on 2nd or 9th centile. However my 3yo ds is also very small for his age. Other prem babies I know have caught up and overtaken full term babies. I think they catch up in their own time, but in terms of size and development it can take 1-2 years so don't fret with you little one.

[WhollyGhost]

My dd was born at 36 weeks and 4lbs and 4, she was induced due to olighydramnios and IUGR, and after her birth had severe hypoglycaemia. It took her a while to get on the charts, and she was on the bottom of the growth chart for her first year. I've not had her weighed since, but at 2.5 she is bigger than most of my friends' toddlers of the same age.

She was also late hitting developmental milestones for the first year and a half or so - to the extent that we were advised that she would need SALT and physio, and that she would be put on the waiting list. I don't know if she is still on the list, but we heard no more about it, and she has now caught up with her peers in every way.

However it has taken me this long to realise how traumatic the experience was for me, and how seriously it affected me. Since you are feeling deflated, despite the positive news, maybe consider asking if your hospital can arrange counselling for you. You've been through a lot.

[weepootle]

Dd2 was 3'14oz at 38 weeks, is now 2.5 and has still never had any sort of growth spurt - she's way below any of the centiles. Developmentally she's fantastic, has always been advanced. We got a referral to Great Ormond St to look at growth hormone therapy but were refused it and it's to be looked at again when she's around 4.

[mrspnut]

I had a tiny one 14 years ago, she was born at 37 weeks weighing 4lb 7oz. Now she is 5' 8" and extremely healthy.

It took until she was about 4 or 5 for her to have completely caught up and begin to overtake her peers but we did have a lot of pediatric visits to do before then.
I was also worried when I was pregnant with my second child and had extra scans in case she was also going to have IUGR, however she was two weeks late and a whopping 11lb. :o

[Tinsie]

Mine was also born at 37 weeks weighing just 4lbs 10oz due to oligohydramnios and uteroplacental insufficiency. He put on weight quickly and by month 5 he was in the middle of the growth curve for weight and just below for height.

I was told there's a 50% chance of having an IUGR baby in a subsequent pregnancy. This theory hasn't been put to the test yet, but I hope when the time comes they're proven wrong [hsmile]

[PandaNot]

My ds was born at 42 weeks 5lb10, undiagnosed IUGR. He put on weight nicely but didn't catch up until he was 5 really. Now at 7 I would say he's very average height but still very skinny, but at least he's somewhere on the charts!

[Stinkyfeet]

My IUGR baby was born at 38+5, 4lb 15. He's now 5.8 and is similar height to most of his classmates.

[Snowboarder]

My DS was born at 28 weeks weighing just 2lb 12oz, he's now 8 month old and around 19lb!! He's caught up very quickly and really is a strapping lad - you'd never know he'd started off so tiny!

[IshaMH]

Just been reading through the messages above. Has given me a hope. But my LO is 23 months now. Still under 19 lbs. Was born at 4.3 lbs (35 weeks).
He is being given high calorie milk. But he has never taken more than 3-4 oz in one go. he has never been eating all the meals and never in huge amounts.
Doing well in other milestones. That keeps me going. But not sure if still there are any chances he will ever catch up.

Doctors say we may need to wait until he reaches puberty? else it is always going to be like this :(

Under 2nd centile :(

[32percentcharged]

I had a baby with IUGR; she's in her twenties now and very very petite. I seem to remember a doctor saying that if a baby is born prematurely but at the right size for gestation, they will catch up, but that if they're IUGR it's less likely they'll ever completely catch up. It's somethhing to do with the fact that pregnancy is the time of the most rapid growth for the baby- the 9 months is proportionately a time of huge growth, and and IUGR baby effectively 'misses out' on some of that growth time, whereas a premmie without IUGR is just early, but the 'right' size for dates.
This was all a long time ago though so can't remember exact details of what the doctors in NICU said. Has anyone else been told similar?
My dd is fine, but definitely very petite and much smaller than her siblings

[sleepwhenidie]

Ds2 was IUGR, induced at 37 weeks because fluid was low and he had been scanned every fortnight to check growth and to try to figure out what was going on from
20wk scan onwards. He was so small even at that point he never made it onto the chart but wasn't typical IUGR because his growth rate never declined, it followed a normal curve thoroughout the pg but below the bottom of the chart. They were a bit baffled.

Like Weepootle's LO, once born he had no growth spurts, stayed on 0.4th centile for weight (though he did eventually get to 2nd for height by age 4) but developmentally right on track. He is now 5.5 and started growth hormone therapy at Easter. Weepootle GOSH monitored ds2 every 6 months but didn't test hormone levels and decide to take action until he was in reception, apparently the best age to start, not least because they then realise they are smaller than their friends and want to grow, therefore work with you on the injections.

[sleepwhenidie]

Also, I meant to say 6oz in 9 days is fantastic, you should be pleased. DS2 fed all the time but never made gains like that, he was less than 6lbs at 3m. . It sounds like your DS will be fine, relax and enjoy him, it is lovely having a little baby for longer!

[EatSleepWorkRepeat]

My DS was tiny for the first year, then crept up the centiles for the next year or so. By 3 he was above average height, and his paediatrician said that he was reaching his genetic potential. It's still very early days, you won't believe the ways your DS will change over the coming months/ years!

[lurkinginthenorth]

2 children with IUGR.

DS born Dec 2011. Scanned at 36 weeks to check the position of the placenta and he was showing signs of IUGR and I had low amniotic fluid. Checked weekly and induced 2 days before due date. He was 6lbs 6oz (9th centile), nearly died as I had a placenta abruption and a uterine tear.

DD born Feb 2015. Growth charted. She was 91st centile at 28 weeks gestation and dropped to 2nd centile by week 36. I also slowly lost all my fluid in 2 weeks so my ELCS was brought forward and she was 5lbs 5oz. So although an 'okay' weight, she had actually made a dramatic drop on the centiles.

Now DS is almost 4. He is 75th for weight (17kg) and 91st for height. DD is almost 7 months old and is now 25th centile for weight (15lbs 2oz). DS was 50th centile at 7 months.

So babies do catch up eventually but some take a bit longer. As long as babies are meeting their milestones and are happy, don't worry about their weight/height.

[Ifiwasabadger]

One 2 year old IUGR baby here.

Born at 36 weeks, 4 pounds, stopped growing at 32 weeks.

She is still small for age, in 5th percentile, the smallest baby for her age whenever around any others. But she is the happiest kindest loveliest girl, just a little smaller than your average bear.

Your baby may be small, but it honestly won't matter.

[3littlefrogs]

DS1 had IUGR. He was like a scrawny little old man. Even my mum advised me to put his birth photos away .

He fed constantly for weeks, and by the time he was 6 weeks old he had filled out and looked fine. He has always been slim and has to work out regularly to maintain his weight (he is 26) but otherwise he is perfectly normal.

[Kanga59]

It's worth knowing that if your iugr baby has not caught up by age four, thy are automatically entitled under nice guidelines, for growth hormone therapy. birth weight needs to be more than two standard deviations below average. you will need an endocrine referral from your gp to get the ball rolling

[Esha110]

Hello Ladies, I got a very depressing situation if someone can help or give me advice or remedy for this situation. I am scared to death now. Its our IVF pregnancy after 5 years and this doctor after the scan gave us no hope yesterday. I am 22 week pregnant and my Twin A is 5 weeks behind and with very low fluid and less blood supply. I wounder if someone had a same situation ? According to the doctor we will give another 2-4 week and will continue to monitor closely. Twin A always been a slow starter from the start and I am hoping will recover the size I am keeping myself positive and praying. PLEASE HELP!!!

[bonzo77]

If the doctor is happy then I'd really not stress about it. Remember they are so tiny that each oz gained is a relatively large % of their total body weight. You cannot expect them to gain 6-8oz each week like an average term baby would: their stomachs aren't big enough for a start. The real guide should be wet and dirty nappies and demeanour.

FWIW, 2 of mine were IUGR at term (5lb11oz and 5lb14oz, which I realise is huge compared to other babies on this thread), 2nd percentile. One was 50th percentile by 3 months and has stayed there (he's now 6). The other was 75th percentile by 3 months and I've not had him weighed since but is 6.5 months and nearly growing out of his 6-12 month clothes.

[Blueberry234]

I was never told my S had IUGR but I suspect it as he stopped growing at 38 weeks and was born at 40 weeks at 5.12oz he is now 20 months old and below 9th for weight but off the centile for height a good gap below the 0.4th. GP wants to see him at 2 if he hasn't made it onto the charts.

[BusterGonad]

My son was born at 28+5 he weighed 1lb 10oz, he stopped growing at about 20 weeks. He is now 8 and as we are not in the U.K. he is currently in the year below at school to help him catch up. He's very petite, small waist, very elfin features iyswim (big eyes, little nose and high Cheek bones) he's shorter then most of his classmates but has long legs and is very lean. I think he'll catch up eventually as me and my husband are both tall, but I'm not too worried if he doesn't as it's a small price to pay for the battle to live that he had. He was seriously tiny and looked like a little scrap of a baby!

[BusterGonad]

Just realized this is a OLD thread. Oops!!!