Early Scan - Baby smaller than expected

[Rabula00]

Hello everyone

I went for an early scan yesterday (mainly as I have had no symptoms up until this point - well apart from sensitive boobs!). I thought I was 7+5 but baby has been sized at 6+2. I'm a bit worried about this as my cycles are very regular. Sonographer said not to worry and I know the most important thing is that there was a nice heartbeat.

Anyone else in the same position? I'm 40 and it's my first baby so of course I'm worried about anything and everything!

@Rabula00 Not from my own experience but I know a lot of babies will measure small and then have a growth spurt after. Growth measurements early on can give quite substantial variations once you factor in things like late ovulation, delayed fertilisation and late implantation and at this early stage you're talking a fraction of a mm per day so there's a risk of slight inaccuracies too. Try not to worry, I'm sure baby is absolutely fine.

Edited to protect OP's privacy

Thank you @HidCat. It's so difficult knowing what's "normal" and what isn't!

A couple of girls in our group had early scans measuring as much as 9 days behind what they thought and then by their 12 weeks Scan, baby had caught up plus a few days extra. They are so small at that stage that it only takes baby to be laying in an awkward position for the sonographer to get the measurements wrong x

I went for a scan at 8+4 and was told I was only 6+6. Baby had a strong heartbeat.
Unfortunately I miscarried naturally at 11+3 (by my lmp) the baby had died just after my scan.

I knew something wasn’t right though - I had no symptoms whatsoever (was my 4th pregnancy) and it would have meant I got my bfp at 4 days past ovulation, so I was expecting it to happen.
That’s not to say it will happen to you - we’re all different and it’s possible you just ovulated later than you thought.

Do you have another scan booked or is it the 12 week one based on your new dates?

Early scans aren’t worth it. I had one scan at 6 weeks and they couldn’t see anything so I had to come back 10 days later. On the second early scan baby measured a week behind at 6 weeks instead of 7. By the 12 week scan baby had caught up again and my due date moved back to the original calculation.

I’m now 24 weeks and baby is growing well. Good luck OP, this is very common with early scans.

Yes as above have said early scans are more for reassurance and aren't for accurate dating- the 12 week scan is often known as the 'dating scan' . The twelve wk scan is apparently more accurate then the 20 week scan to date the progress as well

I had an early scan at 8 weeks and baby measured 6 weeks 4 days. We went on to have scans almost every week until 12 weeks (slow growth but strong hb) until I mc at 13 weeks.

I know this isn't what you want to hear and you're probably searching the internet for positivity. As others have said they often do have miscalculations and so id try not to worry until your next scan. If it helps you could ring your epau and ask for a scan in a week to check growth? That's what ours did.

I hope you get a good outcome. I know it's a really really shit time.

Pm me if you like :-)

Almost the exact same thing happened to me. Went for a private early scan due to a bit of brown discharge. I thought I was 7+4, dated 6+2 (with good heartbeat). The sonographer that day was very clear that I wasn't to worry, and dates are not accurate at this stage, and heartbeat was a good sign.

I knew when he/she was conceived (well, I knew when the sex was, conception could have been a few days after, as sperm can survive up to 5 days, and I'm not sure when I ovulated). So I was worried too.

I had another scan at 10.5 weeks, again for brown discharge. The baby was fine again, and was now dated only two days behind what I thought. So had caught up a week.

At the 12 week scan, when I was given my due date, that had gone down to one day behind. So perfectly plausible that conception happened the day after we had sex.

I am now 16 weeks and all is fine (actually had another scan this week just because they couldn't a few things due to position at 12 week scan). And no more discharge - their best guest was a bit of cervical irritation.

Really hope yours is a similar story x

When was your lmp and when did you get your bfp?

It’s so difficult- it can go either way. Do you know what the heart rate was? That can be an early predictor of pregnancy outcome.

Early scans are viability scans tbh, not accurate dating scans.
I wouldn't worry, I had a viability scan at 7+2 had a big bright red bleed at 10weeks and baby was still ok at 11+6 week scan.

As cold as it sounds if something is going to go wrong between now and your dating scan there's not much you can do to stop it or change it so best to remain as calm as possible until then.
I've known people who have had early scans And at the next scan it turns out the foetus stopped growing a day or so after the first scan.

Focus on the positives, baby is in the right place and I assume you heard or saw the heart beat?

Good luck for the future

I went for an early scan at 8 weeks and was told I was more like 6/6.5 weeks, by 4 weeks later baby was measuring 12+1 so had caught up,

I was told it's very difficult to get an accurate measurement so early.

I'm currently 25+2 and baby is growing well with no concerns about it's growth at the 12 or 20 week scan 🙂

Did you ask for a re scan op?