"Carrying small" - where, exactly, is my baby hiding?

[sunandfire]

This is a strange post, and I'm not even sure I'll be able to form my thoughts into an actual question.

I'm currently 28+6 weeks, and "carrying small". I can suck my belly in some, and it wouldn't even really look like I was much pregnant. However, 'fundal height'-wise, I'm measuring accurately. Anyway, it's hard to imagine/believe that there's actually a 28+6 week baby in there because I just can't see it from the outside! Also, an account dedicated to premature babies (who go on to become fully developed, healthy babies) often appears on my 'Discover' page on Instagram, and it's hard to believe that my baby is the same gestational age as some of the babies featured on that account - "There's NO WAY that a baby of that size is fitting inside this tiny belly of mine - is there!?!?" is a common question. Although the babies on the page are tiny, of course, to me they're huge (when I think about their size in relation to the supposed size of the baby that's currently inside me).

Anyway, I guess my question is: what is the science behind carrying small? Where does the baby hide? Whenever I look at my belly, it's really hard to understand how an actual baby of a supposed size is actually fitting in there! Is it that he's "sitting in my back"? Might my uterus be tilted backwards (although I haven't been told this)? I guess, for my own reassurance, I'd just like to know how this is possible. For ages I was really quite worried about the fact that I was "carrying small", so I guess this need for reassurance and a way to understand the science behind this stems from some lingering worry.

Again, sorry for how strange this post is, and thanks for taking the time to make sense of it and maybe even respond to this absurdity! ☺️

For me it meant the midwife could feel all of baby and also my bump went within hours! Only got 5 pounds to lose to get back into my target weight!

I carried small with all 3 of mine.

With dd1, I wore my normal clothes until 36 weeks - normal jeans (don’t wear leggings), but had to wear baggier tops as my boobs got (even) bigger. I basically looked like I’d just put a bit of weight on. Dd1 was 4 days overdue, and weighed just under 7lb, so not huge.

With dd2 (2 years later) it was the same, but had to start wearing maternity trousers a bit earlier - maybe 30 weeks? Lots of my regular clothes still fitted though. I measured so small for dates that I got re-dated, twice! Which I knew was nonsense, as knew when dd2 was conceived. Dd2 proved me right, and was born 2 days after original due date (so allegedly 2.5 weeks early ) Dd2 was just under 8lb.

Ds (another 5 years later) was the same again, except I was a bit heavier generally before I got pregnant. My consultant (ds was going to be my third Caesarian) was concerned from around 30 by how small I was measuring for dates, especially since he was my third. Given my history, I knew I was likely carrying small, and given I could feel ds wedged up under my ribs, regularly kicking my lungs and stomach to bits, I wasn’t too concerned. Consultant remained concerned, right up to the point he delivered 9lb ds, and he promptly asked for a re-weigh, as he couldn’t believe ds could be he size he was (I was measuring about 6cm smaller than I should, by this point).

I think I probably look bigger now than I did during any of my pregnancies!

@PandasRock thanks for sharing that! Can't believe you were in normal clothes for so long with your first! Seems that you're showing more with each pregnancy, which is to be expected (from my understanding?). I think I'm going to deliver about 2 weeks late, because I also know my exact date of conception/ovulation. That might explain why I'm "carrying small" - I'm literally 2 weeks less pregnant than I'm being told I am.

I went to the emergency obstetric unit today (for an unrelated concern), and measured 27cm when I'm 29+1 weeks. Quite concerned about that, because at my last antenatal appointment, in which I was 27 weeks, I measured 27cm then too - so has baby not grown at all in two weeks??? :(

Mine was at the back. He was sitting back to back and so my bump was tiny.

It skewed my perception of pregnancy. I see women 28 weeks and assume they’re full term because they’re bigger than I was at 36 (when I had him). He was 7lb 10 so not tiny.

Fundal height is a shit measurement. Ask for growth scans. I had those and they were far more reassuring.

I was also in my own clothes until around 30 weeks and even then I only needed baggy shirts because trousers were fine. I got all sorts of comments too