Experience of baby being delivered early (37 weeks) because small for gestational age?

[MummaGiles]

Can anyone share their experience of their baby being delivered early due to it being small for gestational age? Baby is measuring on the 5th centile and I’ve been told that my planned c section (due to previous CS) will likely take place at 37 weeks due to baby’s size. They don’t want to hang about once I’m at full term in case there’s a medical reason baby is on the small side (rather than us just making small babies).

I am fine with the reasoning behind it, it’s more what to expect in terms of how long we might be in hospital etc if baby comes at 37 weeks. We had nearly a week in hospital with DS1 because he wasn’t feeding and had to go into NICU despite being born at 39 weeks and I found it hard, so I’m a bit anxious about what an early term delivery might mean for us post-birth.

You've every chance of going straight home if there are no complications.

I was induced at 37 weeks due to ?stalling growth measurement, high cord pressure and 10th percentile baby. My induction was closely monitored but baby was born bigger than predicted by growth scans and totally healthy. I was kept in 24hours as I had borderline blood loss. He was bright and hale as anything. 37 weekers are generally just as healthy and fine as 40 weekers unless there is an underlying problem.

Just like pp, induced at 37 weeks and baby was bigger than predicted and totally fine. She was 7lbs 6 so definitely not the tiny 5lbs predicted!

37 weeks is full term so it's not a preemie, good luck op!

Thanks, that’s reassuring. As I’ll be having a c section I fully expect to be in at least overnight, but it’s whether to brace myself (and DS1) for another decent stint in hospital. Hopefully all will be ok. As you say, it’s full term, but they’ve already said they’ll give me steroid injections at 36 weeks if the 37 week delivery remains the plan, so it was that more than anything which made me think things could potentially be complicated.

I think one factor though is that your baby might need monitored for a bit longer after a CS at 37 weeks than a vaginal delivery as labour helps to stimulate the lungs and get the mucus out IIRC. So they don't do CSes before 39 weeks without good reason and they may want to give you steroids before the birth to help minimise the risk of any breathing challenges. I think you still have a good chance of going home after a day or so though, all being well.

Cross post!

Nobody can tell you for sure obvs and if you've had a generally high risk pregnancy you might want to brace for a bit of a stay anyway, but I think even 35/36 weekers often go home very quickly as long as they are feeding and over 5lbs.

Ah thanks that might explain about the steroids then!

My dd2 was born at 36+6 (induced), but because I was really unwell and the only thing to help that was to deliver her. I was given steroid injections (2 I think, can't remember it was 15.5 years ago!) and she came out a healthy 7lb13oz (my others were around 9-10lb at term).

They monitored her for a couple of days, I was on very strong painkillers for a kidney problem and they needed to check she was ok - she was perfectly fine and we got out on day 3.

Hoping all goes well for you x

My DD was born by ELCS at 37 weeks (due to previous stillbirth). She was 6lb 5 and absolutely fine - no problems breathing or anything. I had 2 sets of steroid injections the week before, which is standard. DS was born at 38 weeks and again I had 2 sets of steroids beforehand.

We were in for 2 nights, which I think is common after CS.

Both my oldest two were born at 37 weeks. No problems.
37 weeks is considered full term.

DC2 was delivered at 37 weeks due to a stall in growth and low amniotic fluid. She was 5lbs at birth; they’d estimated her at 4lbs. We went home the next day.

My DC2 was “small for gestational age” apparently
All this talk about inducing at 37 weeks if he continued to follow his growth line.
I went into spontaneous labour at 36+0. He was born at home (planned home birth), perfectly healthy, weighing 6lb 9oz.

I had a c-section at 37 weeks (emergency though) and a 5lb 6oz baby. We ended up staying in about ten days as he had a stay on scbu to get his blood sugar up as it kept dropping. Once that was sorted though we were soon let out.

I'd prepare for the worst and hope for the best!

Thanks everyone. This has all been very reassuring. @unalliterativegeorge it was feeding and blood sugar that kept DS1 in, but not for as long as 10 days! The thought of that happening again isn’t great, I hadn’t realised how much it had all affected me until I spoke with the midwives about it this time round and ended up in tears.

Ds wasn’t on 5th percentile but had dropped from above 50th to below 25th and was induced at 37+0. He was larger than expected at 6lb 13. He needed an incubator for a couple of hours but was fine. I did haemorrhage severely during delivery, possibly growth had slowed due to placental attachment problems so glad we got him out when we did!

@MummaGiles my daughter was going to be elective cs at 37w due to IUGR/SGA she was below 0.4centile. I had the steroids at 35 weeks as they were considering bringing it forward to 36w and then I went into labour at 36w and she ended up emergency cs as my previous cs scar felt like it was rupturing! She was born 5lb4 and literally screamed the whole time I was being stitched up lol, it was lucky she was born then as my placenta was apparently failing hence her slow growth. She was healthy though and didn't spend any time is special care, we did end up staying 3 nights though due to jaundice! She remained on 0.4centile until she was about 9 months old and now at 18 months she is on 25th centile and very tall you'd never know she was small at birth!

Hello, I went for a scan to check low lying placenta at 36 weeks+1 (Monday), and due to my blood pressure being extremely high (sign of pre eclampsia) plus baby measuring small, it was decided they would induce me that week. I was not allowed home! Kept in hospital observed, and it was decided I would be induced on the Thursday. Thursday Pm pessary put in, by Friday morning nothing had happened re labour, and due to babys heart beat dropping I then had emergency c section. My son was born at 36 +5 weighing 4 lbs and we were in hospital for around 5 days following his birth. He was only in an incubator for 24 hrs following birth, other wise a healthy baby

Mine were 37 weekers.
Due to IUGR I was told, I had pre eclampsia.
We went home within 24 & 48 hours with neither needing special care of any description.
I had the steroid injections to prepare but other than that, no problems.
Mine were 5lbs weight.

All fine, no drama at all.
In fact my 5lb baby is nearly 6ft tall now with his head permanently in the fridge

37 weeks is full term. My best friend had her DD at 37 weeks for the same reason as you. I had DS the sand day, same hospital, at 42 weeks. We left on the same day!

@mummagiles if it helps my second born was 6lb and also 37 weeks and a section and we left the day after she was born. She's always been a better eater than him so hopefully you'll have one of those!

One of my DC’s was induced at just past 37 weeks due to small size - although this turned into an EMCS.

We were in hospital for nearly a week. Partly because DC needed phototherapy for jaundice, partly because I was poorly afterwards so wasn’t in any state to be discharged straightaway even if DC had been 100% fine. DC wasn’t feeding at first, but once the jaundice was treated he started feeding well.

My daughter was born by emergency section just after midnight so just managed to get to 37 weeks. We were under the fetal medicine as she was measuring 3/4 weeks behind always. She was 2.3 kg so around 5 pounds. I was prepped weeks ahead that she would need to go to special care upon birth. She was taken away immediately after birth to be checked but as she was perfect just small, she didn’t have to go to special care. She stayed with me but as I had lost quite a bit of blood and needed a transfusion, we were kept in the high dependency unit for one night and I discharged myself after one night as I also had a 2 years old at home who was also born at 37 weeks ( no issues with him, he stopped moving so I had an emergency section, cord around the neck )
Older one is now 3 years old and younger 13 months and all fine with both.
Good luck and I hope all goes well

I did have one steroid shot. I was kept in for it as I had gestational diabetes so had to be monitored. She went into distress before the second shot and had the emergency section so we missed the second injection. With my son, there was no time for any steroids as he had to come out due to no movement.

Sorry to keep posting! My son was 3.1kg so around 6 pounds. I seem to make small babies! Anyway both of their sugar levels were low after the section but was sorted after I started feeding them. With my daughter, they gave her extra milk top up due to her size as my milk hadn’t come in. Surprisingly though she took to breastfeeding better than my son.