Is there something wrong with me

[pastabakewithcheese]

This is my second pregnancy in which the baby has slowed growth in the third trimester, with my first DC the growth slowed down in the 35th week and the doctors wanted to deliver at 36. Nothing wrong with placenta or foetal movements.

Now with this pregnancy the baby is on the smaller side and I've been having regular growth scans every two weeks. Baby has dropped from the 12th centile, to the 7th, now at the 4th and I'm 32 weeks - a lot earlier than my first pregnancy. They're going to do placenta and fluid checks next.

An I just destined to always have this problem? I can't think of any reason why, doctor didn't say much about the cause either. Really just getting me down and I can't do anything about it. I'm average 5'5 in height but I'm quite slim. DP is on the bigger side and only a few inches taller than me. I'm not sure if genetics play a part, my friends that have had children are all of similar measurements as me and they've all gone to term with a healthy baby and no growth problems.

I don't know what to do, if the growth is still slow they're looking to c section before 37 weeks and I'm just really upset this is happening again

Just stopping by to say sympathies, that sounds really stressful. Hope you get some answers at some stage, but most importantly this baby is delivered safely. I know nothing about this, but lots of things in pregnancy seem to be just a matter of chance, so possibly you’ve just been unlucky twice?

Keeping fingers crossed for you that all goes well.

My DD2 was small and no reason why. Everything was normal but her growth just slowed down at the end. She was born naturally at 39 weeks but was only 6lbs and it was all very peculiar. We had had six weeks of worry and scans and tests but a reason was never found. She’s totally normal sized now (at 15montys) and me and DH are both taller and bigger than average people. Just one of those weird things.

Good luck, I hope it’s all okay for you.

I know someone who has this pattern with their pregnancies. The doctors would of course get concerned and monitor closely, then induce. Turns out it happened also to her sisters and mother and GM. All similar sized babies at birth (and slightly early) but all healthy. So quite possibly just genetics. Of course there's no guarantee of that so all the extra care is important.

Sorry to hear that it's distressing for you though Do you have a supportive midwife you feel you can really talk to?

Thanks all. I did wonder if it's genetics, but all my mums pregnancies were normal, my MIL said she had small babies (6lb/7lb) but none were a cause for concern and all were delivered naturally - I just wondered does the dad's side of the genes play a part in the slower growth as it's not the maternal side. Doctor didn't say anything about that too and was more concerned about the baby not getting nutrition which made me think it could be my body that's the problem.

I'll bring it up with my midwife at my next appointment as that's my birth plan appointment, it's the premature intervention that's worrying me as the doctors will obviously act before the chance for things to go wrong happens and I can't help but wonder if they leave it alone I might just have a normal delivery at term

The dad's genes are normally responsible for the encouraging the baby to grow big, with growth being reigned in by the mum's genes (because it's not in her interests to be squeezing out giant babies!). The resulting size is a balance of the two conflicting genetic drives - so maybe the balance is skewed on the smaller side in your pregnancies. I suppose nobody can really know without a genetic expert investigating (which there would be no value in).

Good luck for the rest of the pregnancy and birth though, I hope you find some peace and rest from worrying. Speaking to your midwife about your concerns sounds like a good plan.

No advice, but I’m having growth scans due to small first baby and although the feeling seems to be that all is well and baby is “normal” sized, I’m worried things will slow down before next scan and no-one has actually explained what will happen if this baby’s growth does show to have slowed down. Aside from the fact that I know several people who’s babies were scanned and the predicted weights were WAY off (so not sure how much I trust them) I’m really reluctant to let them interfere as I have a perfectly normal/ healthy 2yo now who just happened to be small when he was born. In my case, bump measurements in first pregnancy were as expected so weight wasn’t noticed till baby had arrived. I just want to be left alone tbh!