Baby weight, confusing.

[deste]

DD is 32 weeks tomorrow and due on 4 of September. The baby is weighing 4.4 lbs and she is on the 50th percentile. Everything is going well. Her friend is due on the 2nd of September and her baby is weighing 4.2 lbs but she is on the 90th percentile. DDis 5’2 and her friend is 5,4. DDs friend has been told they might induce her before her due date because they think she might have a big baby. They have said nothing like that to DD.

Her question is “how come her baby is bigger but a lower percentile than her friend and how come her friends baby is looking to be big at birth and hers not. DDs baby was smaller than friends 2 weeks ago but she seems to have overtaken friend this week. She is a bit worried that she is going to have a big baby. DD is average size for her date and friend is a lot bigger. Any explanations welcome.

Best practice now is for growth scans to be tracked against a "personalised" centile based on size of mother and father. This is more accurate and is why an apparently smaller baby might be a higher centile
for a different woman. The weights are also estimates and are often out - a baby can't be weighed until it is born. Incidentally why is she having growth scans? This may also affect the recommendations.

I'd advise your DD to focus on the information that she gets from her own care team as it is customised to her and her pregnancy and try not to worry too much about what others are told. Clinicians will in general be looking at the whole picture which she won't have.

Midwives were adamant that I was going to have a small baby because I'm very small build I'm 5'1 and was 7st when I got pregnant definitely not now though haha!

Imagine their shock when my 8lb 7 porker came out?!

I really wouldn't worry at this stage, although I know that's a hard thing to do

I think they say baby gains about half a pound a week so if baby continues growing at the same rate then it would be 8lb4-ish at term. So slightly over average and I don’t think 50th percentile but definitely not worryingly big! I’m guessing it might be a personalised growth scan and that’s why she’s being told something different to her friend? Also growth scans are notoriously inaccurate so take any weights with a huge pinch of salt! If the medical professionals aren’t worried then you shouldn’t be either.

They attend the same hospital and were both there today.

My DD was getting extra scans because her PapH levels were very low and they thought she was having a small baby. Her friend was having extra scans because they think she is having a big baby.

It’s not me that’s worried it’s DD and she asked me to ask on Mumsnet.

4.4 lbs doesnt sound big... :S I was 33 weeks pregnant and he weighed 6 lbs exactly (im 5ft 3 and overweight), they said he will probably measure around 8lbs ..... I will find out this week but at 4lb i would say thats normal.