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Original poster

If your babies measured small during pregnancy, are they short as children/adults?

35 replies

Riponresident · 10/09/2020 13:46

Just that, really! I'm the shortest person from a tall family, and my husband is the tallest person from a short family, and I'm curious as to how tall our baby will be! Had a growth scan at 28 weeks and the baby is measuring at the 40th percentile. I don't mind at all whether they are tall, short or average, I just wondered whether fetal measurements is an accurate predictor of future height!

Thanks in advance!

OP posts:
ChesterDrawsDoesntExist · 10/09/2020 13:49

DD was a tiny 5lbs 4-5oz.

She's almost 14 now, my height (5ft 6in), size 5.5 feet and a size 12. She's a fairly tall woman already at 13. She's still growing too.

FrolickingLemon · 10/09/2020 13:49

An indicator of future height is femur length. Have a look at your scan details and as well as showing the overall centile, it should have them broken down into body parts / areas.

ChesterDrawsDoesntExist · 10/09/2020 13:52

DD(10) was born pretty decent size not much under 8lbs), from a reasonably tall family on my side and a very tall family on DH's side.

She's tiny. Barely 135cm tall. Cute as a button and doesn't grow fast at all. Her 8yo brother is the same height.

Interested in this thread?

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3rd trimester Families General pregnancy
Mabelface · 10/09/2020 13:54

3 of mine were prem with growth retardation interuterine. Dinky when born and they're all shorter than average as adults but they don't really care.

littlekipling · 10/09/2020 13:56

I was the biggest baby in our family now I'm the shortest in the family. I'm quite petite overall.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 10/09/2020 14:01

My 8lb was a 9th centile toddler. She just didn't grow much for a few years. (But was generally healthy, they just thought she was taking after her shortish father). She's up to 75th centile for height now... But looks titchy next to her sister, whose over 145cm at just 9yo. Her sister was a smaller baby- but has always had long legs.

passthemustard · 10/09/2020 14:28

Interesting thread. I was wondering the same. I'm 25 weeks with a boy and his femur length is on the 9th centile. Where as every other measurement is on the 50th.

I have a growth scan at the beginning of next month but I wondered if he was just short. And how short? I've been told less than 5th centile is a marker for dwarfism. Also isolated short femur length is a marker for growth restriction and pre-term birth.

Trying not to worry...

Zaphodsotherhead · 10/09/2020 15:33

Like Chester above, my DD1 was born at 5lb 4oz and left hospital at only a squeak over 5lb.

She's 30, 5'2 and the shortest in the family by about 4". I'm 5'6" and my other two daughters are 5'7" and 5'10". The boys are both around the 6' mark.

The others were all born at over 7lb.

DaisyChainsForever · 10/09/2020 15:36

My DS was 5lb 11 at birth and only on the 2nd percentile. He's just turned 3 and has more than caught up! He's now over 1 metre tall, which is what the 'average' 4 year old should be.

FTMF30 · 10/09/2020 15:48

DS measured large and came out at 6lb 6oz. He's been between 2nd snd 9th centile since birth and is now 2.

ragged · 10/09/2020 15:51

Everything measured 'average' in utero as I recall. Born approx. 25th percentile weight, plunged to 9th percentile for weight.

As babies/tots/preschoolers/young school age, DC were "petite" - people would apologise if they called the boys that. People mistook DD for a doll = blonde blue eyed tiny perfectly still. There was some "double their height at 18m (girls) or 2yrs (boys)" type rule -- it worked out that DS1 would be 5'6". DD might scrape 5'2".

Adult DS is 6' tall. Adult DD is 5'7". These heights match me & DH well, but not formulae from long ago measurements or any percentile they were when small.

ForeverBubblegum · 10/09/2020 16:25

No. I had to have extra growth scans with both mine because they were measuring small. DS is now on 98th percentile for height and weight, and DD is 75th.

movingonup20 · 10/09/2020 16:25

Yes, measured small, I measured small, dd is 19, she is shorter than average (not so much as you would notice in a multi age setting but a lot shorter than most the girls her age)

BernardsarenotalwaysSaints · 10/09/2020 16:29

No. My 5 dc were all IUGR babies, all

FrankSkinnerFan2020 · 10/09/2020 16:32

My DS was on the lowest percentile whatever that is (can’t remember now as it was sooooo long ago)
He was 5lb 15oz & looked like a tiny doll when he was born.
At 18 & 6 ft 4” (his Dad is 5 9 ) he takes great pleasure in patting my head which pisses me off no end

Strokethefurrywall · 10/09/2020 16:44

My siblings and I were all tiny babies, 6lbs and low variations of and were all tall, I'm 5'8", sister is 5'9", brother was pushing 6ft.

We're a tall, skinny family though, we just grow small babies.

I had tiny babies too and they're on petite side now but suspect they'll be around 6ft as grown men.

Bluntness100 · 10/09/2020 16:49

I think parental height is a more accurate predictor, clearly there are out liers, but generally girls grow as tall as or taller than their mothers and boys grow as tall as or taller than their fathers.

In the majority that is, as said, there are many outliers, for many different reasons,

RedRumTheHorse · 10/09/2020 17:27

Agree with Bluntness100 to some extent but you also should consider childhood nutrition e.g. environment.

One of my friends' has/had 2 short parents. He is 2 inches taller than his brother and ended up average height because he said he ate more when a kid.

CherryPavlova · 10/09/2020 17:34

Other extreme - above 98th centile at birth (9lb 13oz) and size 4- 6, 4'11" at 22 years.

EstherLittle · 10/09/2020 17:35

I measured small with DD2 but she’s among the tallest in year 7 now. I am a short arse but DH is tall.

isseywith4vampirecats · 10/09/2020 19:18

no 1 DS 5lb 13 born now 5ft 10
dd born 5lb 12 now 5 ft 3
no 2 DS born 5lb 4 now 6ft 1
tall and short people on both sides of the family me 5ft 6 dad 5ft 8

InTheCludgie · 10/09/2020 19:26

DD measured small during my pregnancy, she is 5 and on second centile for height, shortest in her class by a mile. But what she lacks in height she makes up for in other ways - got way too much attitude!

DramaAlpaca · 10/09/2020 19:31

DS1 wasn't really tiny but was a dainty 6lb 11oz compared to his 8lb plus brothers (all born full term). He's now a broad & strapping 6'2.

CountFosco · 10/09/2020 19:34

@ChesterDrawsDoesntExist

DD(10) was born pretty decent size not much under 8lbs), from a reasonably tall family on my side and a very tall family on DH's side.

She's tiny. Barely 135cm tall. Cute as a button and doesn't grow fast at all. Her 8yo brother is the same height.

My DC were 8lb13, 8lb10 and 7lb7 (he was premature though, he'd have been big if he'd gone to term). The eldest is 12 and was in a HBB until she turned 12 because she was short. The others are both short. However genetically this is not surprising, DH and I are both short.
Amanduh · 10/09/2020 19:34

My baby was 40th percentile length wise at my 36 week growth scan. Estimated birth weight 8lb.
He was born 10lb 13oz and top percentile for height Grin