Bump size (measuring small)

[Madaleinerw]

Hello all!

Am 36+4 and am measuring at 31cm... bit of back log for you

From 25 weeks I was always measuring 2cm behind. Got to 33 weeks and I was measuring 30cm so had a growth scan at 33+4 and all was perfectly normal with bubs weighing in at 5lbs exactly. All happy!
At 35 weeks we reached 32cm but then at 36 weeks we went down to 31cm! So had another growth scan today and baby is weighing a lovely 6lb5oz .

So all in all I'm very happy and have no concerns as such but more wondering out of curiosity when I can actually expect to have a 7/8lber as predicted? I know these scans can be notoriously inaccurate!

The bump measurements are very inaccurate - depends on your weight and fluid as well. I had to have a growth scan as was measuring behind at 39 weeks, scanned later than day and told 7ish lbs, next week baby was born at 7.5lbs. As long as your scan is fine, I wouldn't worry at all

@Mangoandlimes ah thank you! Yeh it was pretty obvious from quite early on that I wouldn't have a big bump. I'm just chuffed that the scan shows an entirely different story . Looking forward to proving all those people wrong and having a lovely healthy baby!

This happened to me in my first pregnancy. I was sent for a scan around 37w and my baby ended up being 9lb . Seems so ridiculous to base it all on a tape measure up to down when we all come in different shapes and sizes!

I hate bump measurements! Far too much weight given to them. First pregnancy I was generally 10th-25th centile until final couple of weeks when I went to 50th centile on bump size - which instinctively told me baby had grown pretty big very quickly. I already knew I had lots of risk factors for a big baby, including a growth scan placing baby on 90th centile.

I endured a really long, pretty traumatic birth (spanning days) because the midwife who over saw the final part of my labour insisted baby was “small, if not middle of the road and you probably just don’t respond to pain well”.

A few hours after she went off duty, I gave birth to a 10lb-er, who had experienced significant head trauma due to being stuck in my pelvis and labour not progressing. I also suffered a major haemorrhage. The midwife who took over from this midwife was shocked and said I should’ve been offered intervention much sooner than I was - all because a stupid tape measure thought I had a small bump and a midwife used that to underpin her entire judgement.

This pregnancy I am well below 10th centile for bump but baby is measuring large side (week 33). This time the consultant has told me how stupid the bump measurements are.

I am naturally just over 8 stone and 5ft 3 when not pregnant. Of course my tummy will measure smaller than some. Every woman’s size, body shape and how they carry baby - alongside factors such as amniotic fluid levels will all play a part.

I had to go for growth scans every two weeks from 32 weeks onwards because I was 'measuring small'. One of those times I had to spend 5 hours in triage after the scan because baby hadn't grown enough (according to their charts). She was 8lb 5oz born and has been on the 98th centile ever since!

I’m 39 weeks with baby number 1 and measured small - approx 4 weeks behind - on the one occasion I’ve been measured (GP rather than midwife appointment) but my hospital actually doesn’t measure fundal height at all during antenatal appointments due to how little relevance they say this apparently has to the overall health of baby. It’s a major London teaching hospital with really good reputation for maternity and neonatal services so I feel fairly confident in their judgment on this. I did go through a phase of being really concerned by other peoples comments about how small I look (and the fact that I have only gained about 6kg) but the midwives have all been really reassuring that everyone is unique and so many other factors can influence how your bump ‘looks’.

I am enjoying the fact that even at full term I am not suffering too much from aches/pains and physical discomfort that would probably result from a huge bump!

Baby was estimated at about 5lb 8 at my 36 week scan with no concerns at all re.health and is predicted to be between 6-7lb at birth so I’m excited to see what his/her final weight is. I keep reminding people that despite my ‘petite’ frame I weighed almost 9lb at birth myself!

Good luck! I think you have the right attitude - I wish I’d learnt to ignore the well-meaning but ignorant comments about how small I look a lot sooner.

Im not convinced all the midwives know how to read tape measures tbh. At 38 weeks, one measured me at 33cm and 10 minutes later (id been lying perfectly still, bun hadnt moved) a different one measured me at 37. I came up small the whole pregnancy, baby was perfectly healthy 6lb 13. DH and i are small too.

My measurements were so inconsistent they gave up at the end. I had a scan at 36 weeks and that's cvs was spot on.
I think bump measurement only really works if you have the same person every time and if they get it right every time!

I can’t believe they still use the bump measurements..my bump was normal size and baby was delivered small, for my height I was told, just over 6lb and if she weighted few grams less she would have to stay in hospital... Bump measurements are definitely not accurate.

Bump measurements are ridiculous mine was 25 at 31 weeks. I had fortnightly scans and was induced at 37 weeks, she was 5lb 3oz. Yours sounds fine.

@swishswashswoosh wow a 9lber

@fool11 silly aren't they! They can't expect all woman to grow the same size bump!!

@20viona ahh that's what they were expecting for me yesterday but amazingly baby gained much more weight than anticipated. They were expecting it to have not grown at all in a few weeks. Hope buba is ok