Measuring MASSIVE for dates - help!!

[User3433399]

Just come back from MW appointment and according to fundal height I am measuring four weeks ahead for dates! I am 27 weeks and measuring 31. Apparently this is, quote, "off the charts". Until now baby has been bang on from all measures and scans, so it's a bit of a shock.

She wants me to go for a scan today if they can fit me in, which has freaked me out as there's usually such a long wait. I asked her if it could mean there's a problem with the baby and she deliberately didn't answer the question - just told me to go ASAP, but it's probably just the way the baby is lying.

I am not overweight (right in the middle of the BMI chart before PG and gained about a stone in pregnancy so far, if that), eat a healthy diet, don't have diabetes or any kind of history, so I'm a bit worried what it might mean. My first baby measured perfectly all the way through and was a normal weight at full term, just under eight pounds.

Any one else had any experience of being very big for dates? What was the outcome?

I had polyhydramnios as well.. Measured 4 weeks ahead right till the end. Breaking the waters was great fun.

He was 7lb 8 and physically healthy.

Sometimes its just one of those things.. Extra scans and gd tests.

Try not to worry.

You could have polyhydromnious.

You need to keep a close eye on the baby's movements and go to be checked if there is any change or you can't get any response from the Baby.

I had this with DC1 at 38 weeks.

They never got to the bottom of it, it just went away... We'd hired a doula who was amazing and really reassuring throughout the whole thing. She told me that bump measurements are just a guide and a lot depends on who is doing them, the scans did show an increase in fluid around the baby but no reason for it. When she was born she was in the 50th percentile for all measurements. I still secretly think it was all because I ate too much cake.

Yep the GD test isn't a blood test but an oral glucose test.

I am now starting to wonder about GD. I've always felt a bit funny after I've eaten anything really sweet (I can't drink orange juice without watering down with 50% water or I'll feel really sick, for example), hence not having a sweet tooth. I had really bad morning sickness for a while, and the only thing that helped was carbs and sweets - very, very unlike me. No more morning sickness now, but I'm still drinking things like ribena which I'd never have had pre-pregnancy and a lot more carbs (which I kept to a minimum before too). Work are constantly plying me with biscuits and cakes too (which again, I never normally eat) - I joked last week they were going to give me GD. Doesn't sound so funny now

Nothing 'gives' you gd...certainly not anything you eat, its to do with hormones etc. however if you do have it then cakes etc will not be good for your sugar levels.
I don't eat much sweets etc anyway...one of the things I was told to cut back on was milk...I was drinking pints and its high in natural sugar!
The test is that you fast over night, they take blood, give you a sugar drink and then take more blood two hours after.

Agree with pinkr, whilst bmi is a risk factor for gd it isn't "caused" by diet, it's hormonal. It also doesn't have symptoms so don't stress out looking for them. You'd know if you'd had the gd test (called gtt). You fast overnight first, then have bloods taken, then drink a glucose solution, then two hours later another blood test.

I'd have thought if she was that worried about gd she would have booked you in at the hospital for a gtt. They are done every morning round here.

Fundal height measurement is very inaccurate. I had two midwives measure me in the same day and the difference was three cm.

Thanks pinkr and tarka for the info - just have to wait for the scan on Thurs now and hope it's all a storm in a teacup!

If they send you for the gtt, take a book. It's a long boring thing.

I also had polyhydramnios. Like others diagnosed at about 28 weeks and I was measuring 4 or 5 weeks ahead right until the very end.

I was a bit frightened as I was told the baby could come early (as my body might think the baby is due before it actually is) but in the end I was induced at 41 weeks. The worst part was feeling very uncomfortable.

You'll probably have to do a test for GD which takes a good few boring hours of your time.

All the best.

My friend was measuring huge for dates, everytime she got scanned or measured the weeks jumped up even more and she was expecting a 10 - 11lb baby and terrified..

He was 7.5lbs! They're not always right

True. I was told I was having an 8-9lb baby. He was born 4 hours later weighing 6lb 12.5oz.

Hi all. Thought I'd just update.

Had the scan and apparently everything is in normal ranges. They don't even want me to do a GTT. Phew.

Three midwives have now measured the fundal height and all three put me at four weeks over. Having seen the scan they don't have an explanation. Perhaps being as it's my second baby I just have no tummy muscles left at all

Thanks for all your advice and reassurance. Feel like I can relax a bit now. Phew.

I measure bigger at afternoon appointments than at first thing in the morning ones. As the day progresses my bump gets harder, and pokes up higher (I can add on 2 cm just by tensing!)

Plus, I'm sorry, but I really think that they are over-estimating the accuracy of a midwife, a bit of prodding, and a dressmaking tape!

Glad all has worked out well for you OP .
I was measured by my consultant yesterday a whopping 12 weeks ahead so I'm 30 but measuring 42!! I do have GD and polyhydramious so they have booked me in for a section at 36 weeks if I make it that far, steroid injections in the next 2 weeks.

Razzdazz wow!

I had my scan and she is measuring 4 weeks bigger but they don't think it GD as i have normal fluid levels she is just a big baby :)

Glad all is good op :)