So was your baby's estimated fetal weight accurate?

[doubleshotlatte]

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

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...

I had a scan on the morning before ds2 was born. They estimated 7 and a half pounds, he was 9lb 5oz. Bit of a shock.....

My twins were estimated at 5.5lbs & 5lbs the week before they were born, they were 7lbs 11oz and 6lbs 14oz ......... also a bit of a shock..

Have heard the process of estiating fetal weight is like peering through a keyhole at a person sitting on a chair and estimating (guessing!) their weight from there....

Scan at 38 weeks estimated DD would be 6 and a half pounds. Went and bought lots of cute small sized baby clothes.
Born on due date at 8lbs 14oz. She never lost her birth weight, as she wanted to Bf constantly and a friend compared her thighs to a sumo wrestler!

I agree. 7% innaccuracy either way I was told, but anecdotally seems like more? ESP babies being smaller than predicted. I too was closely harrassedmonitored with second and third as first was a dodgy shoulder dystocia (8lb 3) with all that goes with it - not being allowed in home from home, no water/home birth etc. Ds2 last minute panic too big, predicted 8lb 10, born day after due date 7lb 13. Ds3 predicted 9-10lb in last few weeks! Huge pressure to have a c section, was born day after due date smallest of the lot! - 7lb 10!

Would have been massively pissed off if had agreed to a c section - school run etc!?!, for what turned out to be an average sized baby.

loumacca that's an impressive combined weight you carried. Well done!

doubleshotlatte Dd was 7lb 12oz and quite solid and strong compared to friends' lower weight babies that I've held. She was long (still quite tall) but no-one actually measured how long. Not at all heavy to hold and feed etc. TBH unless your DC is at the extreme end (either end) of the scale I'm sure they'll feel "just right"' in your arms.

I've not had growth scans with either preg but with this one (38+4) I've got a smaller bump but suspect a bigger baby!

i had an extra at 32 weeks as fundal height was measuring small. baby was within normal range but on the small side - they said they would DD expect to reach at most 7lb, probably a bit less. well, she was born 8lb9oz.

extra scan I mean.

Just to neatly round off this thread, want to report DS born 2 days ago was predicted at 7lbs and is 8 lbs 2oz... :)

Congrats! Still not too big!

I wax told DS was a good 9/10lber and had started to feel ill just thinking about it - I am just under 5ft.

anyway he was 6lb 8 and a little midget who needed early baby clothes! lol nowhere bloody near! MW who came after I had him said MW who told me that is ALWAYS right so she'd be gutted to have been so far out

I had a growth scan at 34 weeks after DS (DC2) was born weighing 9lb 13.5oz. His labour and birth was easy though, homebirth in the pool 2.5hrs top to bottom! Anyway scan said DD2 would be at least 10lbs, docs were v nervous and I had to stand my ground to get the 3rd homebirth I badly wanted. In the end after 1.5hrs of labour she was born weighing 'only' 8lb 3.5oz

Oh and my bump was small with DS, everyone was very shocked I had such a big baby. I was also measuring small for DD2.

I was only told DS will be a biggy. (no ultrasound). He was 9 lbs.

I didn't have a growth scan, but in the final few weeks I have SIX different medical professionals tell me DD was going to be at least a 9 pounder. She was 7lb 4oz, but was all arms and legs.

Don't know with dds but ds was apparently 7 1/2 lbs at 36wkas. He was born at 38wks. He was 7lbs.

Oh. Too late. Congratulations!!!

I had a growth scan for DD2 because the midwife thought I was small for dates - they predicted around 5lbs, but in fact she was 7lb 10oz. I had a friend at the time who was also given a growth scan because they thought her baby was going to be a whopper - I think her little boy ended up around 8lb. In fact I don't know anyone who has had an accurate estimate of size.

I had quite a few scans with DD2 towards the end because her head circumference was off the bottom of the chart, and the most accurate assessment of size was from a consultant who I saw a couple of weeks before the birth who asked me 'are you about the same size as for your last pregnancy' - to which the answer was 'yes', he replied 'then you'll probably have a baby about the same size'. Dd1 was 7lb 5oz.

My first was about right, was told 10lb and was 9 and a half, second was completly wrong, told 5lb (had extra scans etc) and was 8lb 6ozs and third, was told average (which is??) and was 10lb 4ozs.
In my experience, big babies = content well fed babies, maybe a bit more pain in the short term for a lot more gain in the long!
Good luck, feel rather jealous!! :)

my experience was first born showing very big on charts but they never questioned natural delivery. on the day mw said oh no he feel average size and then gasped as he came out at 10lb and a massive head!. my second was measuring even bigger on charts for head and tum, and so went for el-cs as thought she must be heading for 11lb and then she was 8lb 7oz (although a massive head again...they had to use forceps through the cut!) oh and I think shoulders can be the most tricky on delivery though??). interesting they don't seem to estimate weight here, just showed me charts for sizes and I was supposed to decide from that!

I had twins so had scans every four weeks. I was given an estimated weight every time I went. At my final scan (2weeks before they were born) I was told my DD was 6lb 4 and my DS was 6lb 8. When they were born DD was 7lb 9 and DS was 7lb 10. They also weigh the placenta(s) and in total I gave birth to 2 stone!

I never had a growth scan but DD's birth did amuse me - I was worried s/he would be big as DS was quite big (9lb 4), and the MW reckoned this one was going to be even bigger judging by feel and bump.

But the consultant insisted baby wouldn't be that big, and in fact made some jokey comment about if this baby is more than 8lb he would quit his job!

...and DD turned up 8lbs 10, so they were both wrong Never did go back to find out whether the consultant had resigned!

and Congratulations OP!! Lovely!

I didn have a growth scan, but at 25 weeks the midwife decided I was too big and I needed an extra scan to rule out there was not a twin hiding or that I was actualy further on. Scan revealed everyhing normal and no hiding twin. Ds1 was born 8.7

I had a growth scan at 35 weeks, and according to the growth chart she would then be 7lb on the due date. She came on the due date and was 6lb 14oz. I was also big. My sister was huge and her DD was 6lb 12oz at 39+6.

I was scanned at 39wks and they predicted bubs weighed 5lb 3oz (I had shown small through the pregnancy). DD arrived 6 days later weighing only 4lb 10oz - MW's were really surprised she was so much tinier than estimated, but she did have v long arms/legs so think the long bones threw the scan measurements off.
At 6mths she's still tiny (11lb last wk :) ) but thriving in every other way!