Anyone else with a tiny baby?

[OwlAtEase]

I'm looking for any reassuring stories from people who have been in a similar position to me.

I've just had a scan today showing my baby has dropped to the 5th percentile for weight. I'm 28 weeks now. Two weeks ago he was 10th percentile, and two weeks before that he was 20th.

My obgyn has said at this rate, she doesn't expect me to get past 34 weeks. Blood flow from the placenta is still good, so she's estimating 32-34 weeks. But could be before then. She started talking about increased risks of disability which made me panic - I have really bad anxiety as it is, so I tend to fixate on worst case scenarios...

I'm just wondering if anybody else is in this position, or if anybody has had a tiny baby arrive early before? And was everything ok? My first baby was also growth restricted but nowhere near as badly and she was fine.

Any reassurance would be great because I'm really panicking here

Haven't got much to offer as a reassurance but my baby measured on the 5th centile at 30 weeks. I'm 35 + 6 today. She has now picked up and was on the 10th centile at 33 weeks but only due to her long legs. Her tummy is still very tiny and so is her head. I've got one more growth scan next Thursday. Fingers crossed she has not dropped.

No problems were detected in any scans. Placenta OK, cord OK, fluids OK. They also checked blood flow to and from her body parts and organs and that was normal.

They were talking about induction at 36 weeks but since she picked up a bit they were quite happy.

I'm very, very anxious. A bit less now and I deliberately avoided googling. There are a lot of positive stories about "small but perfect" babies and I'm clinging to that because there is no obvious reason why she should be small.

I did buy some preemie clothes. Just so I am prepared but hoping I won't need them.

I'm very careful with movements. As soon as I feel some change/reduction I'm literally in a car within 5 mins and kicking making down the hospital door

I'm sure they have a name for me by now but I cannot help it I'm afraid. I'm a women on a mission to make sure I do not miss if there is something wrong and absolutely terrified.

Movements is your only tool at the moment and you should use it.

Hope all works out fine.

My daughter had this happen at 32 weeks with her 2nd DC. She was having extra scans for reduced movements and baby dropped from 30th to 5th percentile, est 3lb 12oz. All other signs were fine, such as placental flow, waters etc. They were talking about delivering early if there was no improvement in growth in 2 weeks. Baby had moved up to 10th 2 weeks later, then 20th at 36 weeks when they decided to leave him where he was.
He was born naturally at 39 weeks weighing in at 7lb 14 oz with no problems. He put all his weight on in the last few weeks.

It's so worrying isn't it? Hope your next scan is more reassuring

Thank you so much for your replies.

FeelingForSnow that is encouraging that she has picked up a bit. Had you been scanned for growth before 30 weeks? I'm just wondering if your baby showed a decline like mine or if she was more up and down. My obgyn doesn't seem to think we'll see a growth increase at all, with the way his weight is dropping. I hope your next scan goes well and that there's no drop.

StayAChild, that is so encouraging, thank you! That sounds very similar to my situation. I'm glad things worked out well for your daughter.

Sorry you're going through this. My DD1 had IUGR due to placental failure and was born at 40+5 under the 3rd percentile - 5lb 11oz. I had to have an EMCS as she didn't cope with labour but she was perfectly healthy with top APGAR scores. She's just turned 2 and is now 75% for height and 90% for weight!

With DD2 there was also talk of delivering early as she started to fall under the 10th% at 30w (problems with the placenta again) but she then had a bit of a growth spurt. She arrived spontaneously at 38w and was 6lb 4oz.

It's good news that the placenta is working well and it may be that the baby has a growth spurt like mine did. When I had the 30w scan with DD2 the Dr instructed me to take it easy and lie down on my left side for an hour morning and afternoon to increase the blood flow through the placenta. I also brought my maternity leave forward to 34w as I was doing too much.

Please try to take it easy from now on! Are you working still? Can you get someone to help with DC1 do you can rest a bit? In my case I really think slowing down and resting more at the end may have made the difference - there is certainly no harm in trying!

I didn't have any scans before 30 weeks. My bump measured 3cm behind and hence was sent to do growth scans.

I was also at my local MAU with reduced movements for a couple of times and one of the midwifes there picked it up.

At 20 week scan her head was around on the 40th centile and tummy on the 50th.

The fact that they haven't actually seen any problems makes me feel calm and I'm hoping that she she will be a bit smaller. Her dad was born 5lb all healthy but tiny and ax his mum says his head was the size of tangerine.

It might just be that. But I do monitor her movements very much and I am preparing myself that she might come early and be tiny.

chloechloe our situations are so similar! My DD was also born at 40+5, weighing only 5oz more than yours. I've been taking your advice and lying down on my left side. Luckily I'm not working, and have lots of family help with DD.

Thanks for the reply FeelingForSnow, I've started being really conscious of movements now too.

Haven't read all the replies (sorry!) but just to add , my son was induced at 37weeks due to being on 5th percentile, low AFI and few movements - we were monitored closely and the made the decision to induce at 37w when I was 36w. My google research suggested this was quite a common thing to happen. Baby was for 5lb 5oz, absolutely fine and has pretty much stayed on the 5th percentile. Some babies are just smaller than others. Congratulations on your pregnancy :)

Hey Owl, I'm in a similar position.

Currently 28 weeks with second baby, already have an eighteen month DS. She measured about 40tg/50th centile at 20 weeks and last Friday her AC dropped to 8th centile so I've another scan next week to monitor.

Like you I'm a very anxious person, particularly as DS was 95th centile for HC and 50th for weight overall. On my growth scans for him he was consistently at the top end of the charts so I know it's not just a case of me only growing small babies!

I am v short (5'0) but was a big baby (7'13) but my husband is also short but he was a teeny 4 1/2 lbs. I'm hoping our little girl is following his genes but I'm not overly convinced as his mum has a blood disorder which I led to iugr...

How many weeks are you now?

To be honest hunny I wouldn't listen to anything the docs say about your little ones growth and weight. They had my DS down as a small baby in the 20th centile and said he would be born around 7.5 lbs if he came on his due date. Well he was 12 days late and weighed only 6lb 15oz which put him on the 5th centile. So he was a lot smaller than they "predicted". He's 4 months now and weighs 18lb. None of my babies grow at the normal rate until they are born and then they flourish. Just take what the doctors say with a pinch of salt x

I don't have any experience of having a premature baby but my DD was induced at 40+10 when they realised my bump was measuring 34 weeks (this had been missed by the midwife ).She was 6lb on the nose and 1st percentile. So I wanted to say, it's great they've picked it up that your little one is small and they will look after you now - sounds like you've had some great tips on this thread too.

I'm now pregnant again and having regular scans to keep an eye on babies growth - currently 20 weeks and as of 3 weeks ago baby was 50th percentile. I'm half expecting an early delivery though as small babies seem to run in my family.

All the best, rest up and take care

Really sorry to hear that you are going through this, you must be feeling very worried and stressed.

I had my 20 week scan recently and baby was in 60-80th percentile for everything (although 95th for head size...my son was the same), other than estimated weight where baby was at 20%. The sonographer didn't have any concerns about it, but I went home and worried a lot then did a bit of Googling and read multiple sources that said that estimated weight by scan is not considered accurate.

Has your midwife given you any advice on what to do/eat? Advice about relaxing more and trying to lie on left side is good (I have wondered if lower weight is due to me sleeping on back/right side as baby is on the left and it's really uncomfortable for me to sleep on my right...)

Good luck, try hard not to worry too much, try to rest, be aware of movements and don't feel bad for stuffing yourself with ice cream and cake!