fundal height measurements-I'm starting to panic a bit

[sexkittyinwaiting]

I've just been to a midwife appointment and she did the usual measurements, but my fundal height is 2 cm below my weeks: 29 at 31 weeks. She said they didn't worry at 2cm but if it dropped anymore I'd get sent for a scan. This isn't my first baby and up until now the measurements have been spot on.
I just wondered if there was a reason for this drop off that wasn't to do with any problems with baby's growth.
Have any of you out there had funny measurements? Do you know why they happen and have they had any bearing on the eventual size of your baby? Sorry, lots of questions but I am stupidly slightly panicked now which I know isn't going to help at all.

Hi sexkitty - don't worry too much, these measurements are notoriously inaccurate.

Having said that, for me they were right. I measured 28 at 31 weeks (or something like that), so had frequent monitoring, growth scans and checking the cord blood flow, until the birth. Baby did continue to grow, but at a slow rate and was eventually diagnosed IUGR (inter uterine growth restriction). He was born weighing 4lb 15, but in perfect working order - no special care needed. He's now 11 months and is still very small, but no adverse effects whatsoever from his lack of growth in the womb!
So, what I'm really saying is, even if your baby is small it doesn't necessarily mean there will be any problems. Good luck and let us know when your beautiful baby arrives!

They do seem to get themselves in a bit of a tiss about this and it's normally exacerbated by different people neasuring you slightly different ways. However - often better to be safe and let them check you out even if it does transpire that there is nothing wrong. Does mean you potentially get the opportunity for an extra scan and it might just be that you're measuring small because of the way the baby is lying?!

It is helps I was always just right or about 1cm smaller than my dates. I had an episode of bleeding at 34 weeks, went into hospital to get checked out, was measured by a registrar who came up with 31cm rather than 34cm. Now - I had already had an extra scan 2 weeks earlier due to placenta previa and the baby's growth was fine, but they still got all worked up about it, started talking early section, steroids for lung development, etc. etc. Went for another scan the next morning and what happened - sonographer thought they'd gone mad as she told me baby was fine if not on the large side!!!! Anyway - measured by different registrar at an antenatal clinic the following week and he came up with 33cm. Midwife appointment the week after was 34cm - (at 36 weeks pregnant). DD2 arrived 13 days late at 7lb 13oz and was fine.

it is not a big deal at all....honestly, fundal height measurements, palpation to estimate size and growth scans to all have a margin for error......not every single pregnant mother will have the exact same fundal height will they? a big under or over measurement should be looked at, but this is fine...i measure 3 weeks bigger at 34 weeks and had a perfectly average sized baby ! i wouldn;t worry too much..easier said than done though! i would think the amount of fluid you carry makes a difference to aswell as the actual size of the baby?

Thanks all
lulu, the baby was head down but I think he sits quite low down if that makes sense?

it does, but the height of the uterus is determined by the entire size of the baby & fluid etc.., and how far it pushes the top of the uterus up, the fundus, IFYSWIM..until he is actually engaged, the fundal height doens;t drop.....AFAIK...usually after 36 weeks or so.....

even if he is low down at the mo, the uterus is still full of baby and fundal height does;t drop until 'lightening' occurs//

i really wouldn;t worry too much about a 2 cm difference...although if it is really playing on your mind you could call the midwife back !

i am not sure if my post makes sense !!

i might be completely wrong ( it has been known!! ) do if anyone needs to correct me , feel free!

lulu none of my babies have ever really dropped below the brim let alone engaged until well towards the end of the ist stage of labour

i don;t know then!!!! LOL

dont worry,i had low height and ended up with so many scans,then dd arrived at 7lb 11oz

As long as the fundal height is increasing with each week, it doesn't matter if it doesn't correspond to the 'norm'. At my last appointment I only measured 25cm at 30 weeks - so I don't look very pregnant at all, but the baby is growing normally (all the measurements at the 32 week scan were normal).
It is only if the fundal height is not increasing, there may be a problem with the baby's growth.
It was the same with DD1 who ended up being born 8lbs11oz.

I don't know about being too small but mine was 2 1/2 weeks bigger than my dates. My dh was 10lb and dss 10lb 1, so it could be that I'm having a huge baby. I have also heard lots of stories of people being told they were having huge babies and having an average size or smaller baby.

I don't see exactly how it works because they are measuring your uterus not the baby?? So if the baby is laying sideways surely it would be shorter than if it was head or bum down? I really don't know exactly how it works but it seems a bit strange to me.

Have also heard it depends who's doing the measuring as they can do it slightly differently.

i measured big for my dates in my first pg. started at 1 - 2 cm too big at 20 weeks and was 4 cm too big by 34 weeks. unprofessional MW paniced me... got myself into a state over nothing. ds was born perfect 12 days early at 6lb 11.

kitty, I had this with ds (my third) - measured small for dates two weeks in a row. I was sent for a growth scan just to check but everything was fine. Ds was sitting very low (you could tell that by looking!) and the m/w apologised for the official diagnosis - a "baggy uterus" - caused by having had two previous pregnancies! Consequently I won't be surprised if it happens again this time. They do like to be over-cautious - which I suppose is a good thing if your baby is suffering from IUGR - but try not to worry about it

only read op:
i was sent for scans based on discrepencies in fundal height, different midwives measure differently as well, baby was fine born 6lb 13oz no probs, worried me tons at the time. Dont panic about it.

Thanks everyone
Miaou Baggy uterus eh? Well I'm on number six so that HAS to be it doesn't it? This baby feels so low down, not actually in my pelvis but like he's all squashed up at the bottom of my tum.