Experiences of baby measuring small.

[Gillian1980]

Hi all,

I have been closely monitored for the last couple of weeks due to our baby measuring very small. She is apparently less than 5th percentile and the plan it to deliver her at 37 weeks - which is this coming week.

The consultants reckon that she is well, that all her organs etc seem ok, just that she is tiny.

Lots of people have said not to worry and that measurements are often really inaccurate. We've bought some clothes for babies under 5lb and some micro nappies as she is an estimated 4lb 4oz at the moment.

I'm being given steroids on weds in case her lungs need a boost. And they've shown me the neonatal ward, machines etc. in case she ends up in there for a while.

I'm really keen to know whether anyone else has had a baby measuring so small and had them delivered early? Were they as small as expected and were there any problems?

Thanks :)

I had a number of growth scans for what appeared to be a small baby. I delivered at 37+0 and she weighed 6lb exactly so not small at all!

I honestly don't think they're that accurate. Oh and my DD is very healthy, didn't need injections for her lungs or anything apart from a heated cot for the first 24 hours. Don't worry!

Thanks for the reassurance :)

They measured my baby as small (5 weeks behind but consistently growing so they were not worried). 6lb11 when born at full term.

Friend has a slight kidney condition so she had lots of extra monitoring (scans). Predicted small skinny baby, induced at 37 or 38 weeks: baby was over 7 lbs & perfectly plump.

My bump measured small persistently but the scan said baby was fine at 36 weeks. He turned out to be my biggest at almost 9 lbs.

Friend birthed a baby who was 12 lbs (vaginally) that no one had predicted.

I'm a bit of a cynic about the accuracy of these scans and guesses.

Yeah, I've heard a lot about them being inaccurate.
My actual bump isn't small at all, the estimated size is based just on the bone measurements etc.

She was average until a few weeks ago and has apparently stopped growing. My theory is that I have a bicornuate uterus and so she is stuck in the one half... therefore she maybe doesn't have room to grow anymore?

I guess I'll find out in a few days!

Scan weights are notoriously inaccurate.

Both times my bump measured small and on scans apparently both DC were small end of normal range so they let me go to term with extra monitoring.

Turned out DS was perfectly normal size over 7lb but Dd was only 5lb and had to spend a week in SCBU because of low blood sugars and temp.

The consultant said that DD was 'constitutionally small' ie just supposed to be that way rather than growth retarded. Apparently if they are symmetrically small it's ok head larger than abdomen means growth restriction and early delivery.

I think he was right because all the way along as a baby she grew on the 0.4th centile and was still on it for weight when she started primary (she is average height but skinny).

You have to grow a thick skin and not worry about comments like 'are you feeding her' if you have a tiny baby. We found that the tiny baby size fitted her at first and she was always about a size behind her actual age in clothes.

Good to hear so many positives.

All the tiny stuff I bought is still in packets - hoping that she'll be a chubster after all and I can return them!

I measured small for dates with all 3 of mine. Dd1 was born 4 days after due date, and weighed 6lb 6.

With dd2, I was re-dated twice, and ended up with a due date which wasn't actually possible, biologically! She ended up being born (by my accurate dates) a day early, and weighed 7lb 14. I was measuring 4 weeks behind by that point, and according to my notes, she was 2 weeks early (she wasn't).

With ds, I was again measuring small for dates. My consultant pushed hard for extra scans but I declined (personal decision, but I was happy nothing was wrong, and didn't want extra scans based on measuring small for dates given previous experiences!). He reluctantly agreed. When ds was born (3 days before due date, by elcs) weighing 8lb 10, he was so surprised (given how small I was measuring) that he refused to accept it and demanded a re-weigh! He later told me he was extremely concerned, given how I was measuring, and that he had never had a baby born so big when he thought it would be underweight.

So for me, all was fine, and I went full term with all 3, and all were healthy weights (I'm not sure my ribs/lungs have ever recovered, mind you!). But all else was well with te pregnancy, and there was absolutely no cause for concern at all in my case.

My son measured 5lbodd at 37 weeks, he was under 9th centile. I had to be induced the next day due to his growth, he was born almost bang on what they predicted at 5lb12oz - he was tiny but perfectly healthy. He was a tiny bit jaundiced for a couple of weeks but he was just tiny and perfect. He grew sooooo fast once he was born though, he thrived. So it was definitely good for him to be born when he was.

Just to add - the scan weight they gave me.was only out by 2 ounces so was very accurate in our case.

I had my son in March, I was induced at 38 weeks because he had consistently measured small and growth had slowed in the last month. They estimated his weight as 5lb 3oz 10days before he was born, he was 5lb 7oz at birth so pretty spot on! We had heard so many stories about them being inaccurate, we only took 1 early baby outfit, my mum ended up rushing to tesco and buying prem clothes because we didn't have anything! He was in early / tiny baby clothes for a few weeks, he's still only measuring just above the 2nd centile but has gained weight perfectly over the 4 months! Good luck! Xx

Thanks for the replies. I'm so glad that everyone's babies were ok, even the teeny ones :)

My DD was small - they told me that throughout the pregnancy that she was small and I felt quite anxious and thought it was my fault as I had very little appetite during the pregnancy - she was 5lb 15oz had a tongue tie and lost quite a bit of weight. She is now about to turn three and is taller than many older children but has a very slim build which I think is just genetic. I found Petit Bateau did the best clothes as they were a slim fit.

They measured both my dds as small and I had to have weekly scans dd1 was 6.5 at 40+2 and dd2
Was 4.3 at 35weeks- not small at all!

My baby was growth restricted (IUGR). The Doppler at the 20 week scan picked up a possible problem but she was normal size then. They rescanned at 28 weeks and she had dropped off the bottom of the scale. They then monitored me very closely (doppler scans and ctg several times a week). I had steroids for her lungs and she was delivered by section at 34 weeks exactly, weighing 3lb6. In my case the growth scans were spot on. It was a stressful and worrying time, but she seems to be doing fine now, at a year old. It was just my placenta that was the problem.

DS1 never measured especially small, but my bump did. He was 5lb11 at 39+1, 2nd percentile. Was 50th percentile for weight and 75th for length by 12 weeks and has been ever since (aged 5 now).
DS2 measured 50th percentile at all growth scans, and was 5lb3 (I think 50th percentile) at 35+5 (early ELCS due to loss of fluid and movement). Has been 75th percentile for weight and 98th for length since around 12 weeks.
DS3 currently at 32 weeks measuring 25th percentile, which he has maintained since 24 weeks. Consultant is reasonably confident that he will stay put til 39 weeks, and expects him to weigh in at around 6lb +/- 20%.

No reason has ever been found for my DS1 being small, or the low fluid and loss of movement for DS2. The placenta for DS2 was sent off for pathology and was found to be normal and free of clots, and in good condition. In that pregnancy I was on aspirin from 16 weeks. This time I have been on it since 6 weeks.

I was being scanned regularly and at 34 weeks was told baby hadn't grown for 3 weeks (possibly IUGR) and had no fluid around her. Weight was predicted to be 4lb 4oz but was warned she could be smaller (spoke with nicu doctor etc) was given steroids and induced, she was born at 35+1 a really average weight for that gestation (4lb 12oz) and we went to transitional care and she was tube fed and jaundiced for a few weeks, after 13 days she wasn't improving and I asked for her to be reviewed and she was taken to SCBU and they thought she possibly had an infection (she didn't in the end!) where they quickly sorted her feeding issues and she came home 5 days later. So she was home in 18 days and now absolutely fantastic, weight 10.5lbs at 4 months old :-)

I will say she wore her tiny clothes until she was 2 months old, and even now is only just in 0-3 months so even if your baby is much bigger tiny still will fit.

Doctors told me safer out than in, that they can help with everything (breathing/ feeding etc) so it's safer to have them out even if very small xx

That sounds scary Gizmo, I'm glad she's ok now.

That's what the consultant said, better out than in so that any problems can be sorted. And she'll be 37 weeks, so classed as term anyway.

Hi

With my DD I had growth scans at 36,37 and 38 weeks and they said in the 3 weeks she hadn't grown at all so I was induced at 38 weeks they said to me based on scan and measurements she would be under 5lb. She was 6.5oz when born and absolutely fine she didn't need any medical interventions or anything so no I don't think scan weights are very accurate

I had scans monthly with my OBGYN (part of private healthcare here, not because of concerns) and both DSs measured small all the way through my pregnancies. Bumps were quite small too, they were all in proportion just tiny.

DS1 arrived at 37+6 weighing 6lb 5oz and 46cm and DS2 arrived at 38+2 weighing 6lbs and 46cms. I had to have steroids for their lungs at 34 weeks with DS1 and 30 weeks with DS2 but that was only due to threatened pre-term with DS1 and serious norovirus at 30 weeks with DS2 which meant he would have to be delivered early.

DS2 felt especially small because he just wouldn't uncurl from his tiny little ball. He dropped to 5lb 7oz when we left hospital and was in preemie clothes for a while but packed on the weight far quicker than his big brother who took 3 weeks to gain back to his birth weight. Both were jaundiced at birth but both nursed well (DS2 didn't leave my breasts for 3 hours after birth, greedy little thing).

DS2 at 16 months is probably still on the small side but DH and I were both small babies, even though I'm 5ft 8" and DH is 6ft! Likewise, my sister is 5ft 10" and her DH is 5ft 11" and my niece was 5lb 13oz when she was born.

As my doc said, we just don't build 'em big in our family!

Good luck with the impending birth, at 37 weeks baby may be small but perfect.

Help! I had a scan on Friday and the measurements are all (apart from HC) coming up small (HC measuring like 2 weeks ahead everything else 2 weeks behind) but the sonographer said they are all in the curves (at different places) so not to worry. On the EFW chart the baby was on the 5th centile at 20 weeks so I was referred to consultant. 28 and 32 week scans showed good growth (moved closer to the 50th centile line) and midwife said it will just be a small baby as long as she continues to go up the curve nothing to worry about. At my scan on Friday (36 weeks) the baby had gone down to the 5th centile line again (although the sonographer didn’t plot it on the chart so I only noticed when I got home that evening). She has gained about 500g in the 4 weeks since my last scan but I am worried now that she is not following the curves.... is this a sign of FGR/IUGR? I have a midwife appointment tomorrow but she always dismisses my concerns so I’m worried she won’t take me seriously! xx