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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

So was your baby's estimated fetal weight accurate?

102 replies

doubleshotlatte · 07/03/2011 17:36

Did you have a 3rd trimester scan for fetal size and/or growth? The sonographer must have given you an estimated fetal weight. How accurate were they?

Please, I really need to know.

Been told bubs is average weight/size while here I am, at 39+1, with a ginormous belly, much larger than with DD and lots of extreme symptoms compared to 1st pregnancy. The fluid volume is normal too, so it can't be all water in there Grin

I've read a few posts where the baby turned out much bigger or smaller than EFW, in some cases causing unexpected problems at delivery...

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CBear6 · 07/03/2011 19:48

I was told at 24, 30, and 34 weeks that he was on the big side and would be 10-11lbs at birth. At my final scan at 39 weeks they said he was 8pm 8oz, I went into labour three days later and he was 9lb 3oz at birth.

The weights are just a rough guess really.

PaperView · 07/03/2011 19:49

Was scanned day before DS3 was born (for different reasons than mentioned above) and he was estimated at 9lb (at 37+6!!!). He was bon 24 hours later and was only 6lb 11 - phew!

DaisySteiner · 07/03/2011 19:51

I had 4 weekly scans because of a medical condition which can cause growth restriction. He was estimated at about 7 1/2 lbs and was born weight 10lb 13oz! If his growth was restricted I'm rather relieved that it was!

blueberryboybaitonSafari · 07/03/2011 19:53

DD2 was estimated at 8lb7oz at 37weeks and was told to expect a whopper she was born at 39+6 AT 8lb1oz!!

mejon · 07/03/2011 20:27

Had a scan with DD2 at 36 weeks and she was estimated to be 6lb 9oz then. MW was expecting me to deliver a whopper. When she finally popped out 12 days overdue she was just 7lb 2oz so unless she didn't grow anything at all in 6 weeks, the scan estimate was way out.

sleepingsatellite · 07/03/2011 20:31

i had a tiny bump with ds, was told he would be about 5 maybe 6lb, he was 8lb 4oz at 38 weeks, bump was obviously just him!

preghead · 07/03/2011 20:37

None of them were. Have had 3 all pretty much average 7 10 - 8 3 and all were predicted to be massive whoopers from 20 weeks on, none were. Think we have a family trait of large head and belly circumference (in the males thankfully) which throws out the prediction software as they are pretty small otherwise.

preghead · 07/03/2011 20:37

Whoppers!

Fourleaf · 07/03/2011 20:37

I too was huge- DS was estimated to be around 9.7, was only 8.9. His head measurement was right though- on 97 percentile ouch! I also had a huge placenta- people thought it was twins!

preghead · 07/03/2011 20:50

Also huge- to accomodate the massive heads I guess!! Mine were all average for all measurements but 80/90 for heads (great, why couldnt they have abnormally large femurs or something easier to get out!) and, in one case 90 for abdomen! Strangely they all look relatively normal and in proportion now ....

GetThePartyStarted · 07/03/2011 21:49

DS was meant to be 10lb 1oz... turned out to be 8lb 14oz at 40+0! He was very very long though, and I think if they are very far off their average in one measurement it throws the model out completely

Linnet · 07/03/2011 21:59

at my last appointment with midwife before going into labour I asked how much she thought the baby weighed and she said oh about 8lbs I think. I was horrified as dd1 was only 6lbs 9oz and I'm petite so was expecting another small baby. 2 days later I gave birth to dd2 who was 7lbs 12oz.

Oblomov · 07/03/2011 22:26

No. Neither accurate. They told me both ds's were huge 9 lb'ers. Both just under 7. I had alot of amniotic fluid apparently !!

starshaker · 07/03/2011 22:28

with my twins it was an oz out with harry but exact with emilie

pipplin · 08/03/2011 12:44

I was told 7lb's 7.5lbs max. DS was infact 7.11 lbs.

Goodness knows how big this one will be!

NinthWave · 08/03/2011 12:57

I had a growth scan at 36 weeks with DS2. They estimated he'd be around 9lbs at birth.

He was born at 40+3 weighing 10lb 6oz Shock

jasmine51 · 08/03/2011 13:04

This discussion is interesting. What methods are mostly used to estimate the accurate sizes? I am having 2 wkly scans due to having a condition that could limit growth. Sonographer measures head but tbh they may as well be picking measurements out of a hat - some weeks Im being told it is heading for 5lb, others they say 'quite large' maybe 8lbs...why on earth they are continuing to monitor in this way is beyond me. Heads arent round are they..doesnt it depend on which way the head is facing?

LisamumtoJake · 08/03/2011 13:08

they told me from the scan at 37wks DS was 4lb he was 4lb 10oz at 37+5 when he was born ;)

otchayaniye · 08/03/2011 13:59

I had preeclampsia and had to have a section within 48 hours and ob/gyn said he was happy to do this at 35 weeks as baby measured 2.7kg, turned out she was 2.5 kg. No problems, breastfed v easily (and ahem still doing it at 2-1/2 years while I'm pregnant - ouch) very healthy, just dinky. Still is although has caught up.

Although the docs expressed no worries I'm guessing the preeclampsia (which started late but was fairly severe) cfaused a bit of growth retardation at the end.

Original poster
doubleshotlatte · 08/03/2011 18:09

Jasmine afaik there are charts for determining birth weight from fetal growth measurements. They combine head circumference, femur length, abdominal circumference etc to get a weight estimate.

I looked up this chart here
It seems that each measurement on its own would give different results so its still an art rather than a science Hmm

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doubleshotlatte · 08/03/2011 18:12

pipplin (if yr still here :) ) what does 7.11 lbs look like? feel like? Did people say he was a good size? I'm asking cos my DS is estimated exactly at 7.11 too! (and I have no experience of babies bigger than 6.2 lbs at birth)

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bessie26 · 08/03/2011 18:21

Just marking my place as I was told at 32wk scan baby was big (head around 34wks, the rest more like 35wks) am also carrying alot of extra fluid. People tell me my bump is tiny so I'm not sure where all this baby & fluid is hiding!)
I have another scan tomorrow (34wks) so will ask what weight they would expect!

emmanumber3 · 09/03/2011 11:33

DS1 - estimated 6lbs at 36 weeks. Born at 37 weeks weighing 7lbs exactly. Fairly accurate.

DS2 - was warned that he would be a "big baby" maybe 9lb or more. Was born at 40+1 weighing 7lb 7ozs. He was surrounded by more fluid than they had thought though.

emmanumber3 · 09/03/2011 11:39

Just reading the posts here has made me question the policy at our local midwife-only run maternity unit. Basically, if your baby is expected to weigh more than 9lbs then you have to book to deliver elsewhere. Given the huge variations some people have had between the estimates & reality this seems dafter than I already thought it was!

eastegg · 09/03/2011 12:00

I can't believe the extent of the inaccuracies! I thought they'd got it quite badly wrong with my DS (they said 8lb 13oz, and that was 24hrs before he was born, and he was 7lb 12oz) but that's nothing compared to the others on here. I have no idea how they get it so wrong with all the super-duper measuring they supposedly do. To think that one of my friends has had the size of her second very closely monitored (along with other factors) because of shoulder dystocia with her first. Sounds like a waste of time.

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