Baby with larger tummy at 21 week scan

[LJ2011]

I had my 21 week scan this morning and the baby was fit and healthy (yay!). The sonographer mentioned that the baby's stomach was large and that I needed to be scanned at 32 weeks to check it wasnt too big or else I may need to have the baby earlier.

Does anyone know what causes a big tummy. Is it my fault - am I eating the wrong things or is it just that some baby's growth is larger than others?

Also when they say I might have it sooner than expected does this mean being induced, c sectioned?

Does anyone have any advise for me?

No sorry but bumping for you!

I am not sure, but my baby had a larger than average head above the 95th centile and I too have to be rescanned - I am not worrying hoping it will all even out as some bits grow quicker than others

Had the same thing

Very large tummy but they didn't tell me to come back

Anyone has any info?

Both of mine had large tummies. I didn't over eat (hardly ate at all with DD - had morning sickness for 7 months !). They were big babies with healthy appetites and I just assume they ate a lot whilst they were in there

I had the same thing at my scan (over 95 %tile) but the sonographer said not to worry, that some bits just grow quicker than others. Am having another scan at 32 weeks but that is because of position of placenta otherwise she said she wouldn't have bothered with that...

DS had a more or less normal-range tummy at 20 weeks (at least, it wasn't remarked upon) but my bump was measuring huge a few weeks later and I had a couple of growth scans at about 28 and 34 weeks. 28 wks, he had a tummy that was over 97th centile. By 34 weeks, this had calmed down, or he'd caught up, or something. Anyway, his size was no longer a 'problem'.

This time, DC2 had a large tummy and largeish head at the 21 wk scan. Again, tummy over 97th centile. Now, some babies have to be larger than average, by definition. The nice midwife-sonographer wasn't freaked by it but has booked me in for a growth scan at 36 weeks to see where we are. Nobody suggested I have an early induction or anything else because he measured big at 21 weeks. She did suggest I talk to my MW about a glucose test, which I did - she did a random finger-prick test which came out absolutely fine, and will do them randomly for the rest of pregnancy (unless I get a glucose spike in pee, in which case she'll do a fasting test or tolerance test).

I think it's nothing to worry about unless there are reasons to think you have gestational diabetes, which they will be checking for routinely anyway. The sonographer was being a tad alarmist, IMO.

As RWD says above, a large tummy can be a sign of Gestational Diabetes (as the baby essentially can get too much sugar from the mother's blood and grows bigger than normal, particularly round the abdomen). GD can lead to an early induction but it doesn't need to so I do think the sonographer was jumping several guns there.

Please don't worry about this but it might be worth asking your midwife about how they screen for GD in your area - for me it was a 28 week "lucozade" test followed by a full Glucose Tolerence Test if the first test was abnormal.

FWIW both my children had large tummies at the 20 week scan, though neither sonographer even mentioned it to me. First time round I didn't have GD, second time I did. First baby was significantly bigger (and fatter ) than the second. Both were absolutely fine and healthy.