Measuring big at 21 week scan, can you help with positive stories and reassurance?

[TeeCee]

My lovely friend, and girlfriend to my cousin, went for her 21 week scan a couple of weeks ago and apparently they're having "a giant with a big head"!!!!

At 21 weeks it already had the measurements of a 32 week foetus.

Anyone have any experience with this and did they end up havinbg a 'giant baby' or did it all even itself out over the rest of the pregnancy and was born an average weight?

She isn't overly concerned but any new mum gets a little apprehensive at the though of delivering a whopper. CAn you help me to help resassure her please?

TIA - TC x

Funny timining. A friend and I were talking at the weekend and she had been told that she was having a very big baby (she's somewhat petite herself). The baby was 6lbs and 5 ozs!

my DS2 consistently exceeded the 98th centile for all measurements (they never equated it to actual weeks).

I was sent for tests for Gestational Diabetes and umpteen scans (all predicted a whopper).

He was born at 38 weeks, weighing 8lbs5 with a head circumference of 38.5cms!

11 weeks ahead does seem excessive though. Is she sure of her dates?

She is being scanned regularly becasue she has high blood pressure.

I presume they have her datyes sorted.

blimey, 11 weeks ahead does seem excessive doesn't it. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Hmm. Probably not what you/she want to hear but I scanned big at all of my scans - for example baby was already 8ilbs at 32 weeks. Everyone said how innacurate the scans are and I shouldn't worry.....my son was 10ilbs 4oz and 62cm long when he was born at 41 weeks!! (I am 5ft 4ins!)

I couldn't have done anything different though even if I had thought the scans were accurate. Like so many other things in pregnancy you just have to go with the flow.....

The good news for her is that if she does have a big baby it will probably sleep like a dream because they can take much bigger feeds than smaller babies....well, it worked for me anyway.

Keep the stories, info etc coming. It's great and I'm emailing her your posts.

Thanks everyone.

She just emailed to say:

They didn't seem too concerned, they just said that they don't alter the dates, its just means that its a big baby.

But its not actually big in the body, its length was 40cm (which is normally the length of a 32 week baby) and it has a large head circumference (20.5 cm).

DP was 48 cm when he was born but I was 58 cm and only 5lb 7oz, I think the big head comes from my dad! DP's sister was nearly 9 lbs, so who knows???

At my 12 week scan the measurements were small for the dates so maybe its had a sudden growth spurt? I've got another 5 scans booked already, 2 of which are growth scans, as women with high blood pressure often have small babies ( Ha, I do like to be different....)