Tiny baby 35 weeks

[Billyjoearmstrong]

Just had my second growth scan, first was two weeks ago.

Estimate weight at 35 weeks exactly 4lb 10oz.

I’ve been having weekly Doppler scans as well to check placenta.

My previous two babies were small (6lb 4oz at 37+4 and 6lb 8oz at 39 weeks), but as soon as they were born leaped up the centiles and became absolute chunks. Eldest is now a 6 foot teen!

Two growth scans and she has followed the same curve exactly but I’m still worried about her being so tiny! The consultant is making a HUGE deal of it and is really worrying me.

I’m due a section at 38+6.

Is that particularly small? My nephew was 4lb 13oz at 34.5 weeks. He gained well and was a massive baby and is a massive toddler. Neither of your previous babies sound particularly small? My daughter was 6lb 14oz at term which was 25th centile.

Try not to worry anyway OP. Sounds like you're being well looked after if he is little, and of course it's not unheard of for growth scans to be wrong...

I didn’t think my other babies were that small until this pregnancy when a big deal was made out of it - which is why I had to have growth scans for this one.

They are saying this baby is 3rd centile.

That’s really not small though? Considering they put on approx 7oz a week not, if you went full term baby would be at least 2lbs heavier. Also, growth scans are notoriously unreliable. I think you’re worrying over nothing, in the nicest possible way.

That's not that small. My DD was 5.3lb at 38+3 weeks. You still have 5 weeks to go and baby is already over 4lb. You'll be fine.

Doesn't sound small. DTs were 35+1 at birth. DD was 4lbs 15 oz and was sthg like 25th centile and DS was 3lbs 8oz. He was small but fine now.

I wasn’t worrying until the Fetal medicine consultant started worrying me! I’m in every week for Doppler scans and every two for growth. They keep saying it’s very concerning as she is so small - so far placenta is okay. They have no other concerns about her.

I’m just so puzzled as to why they are so worried and keep talking about my ‘history of small babies’.

In one way it’s great they are keeping an eye on the other hand it’s just really confusing.

Yesterday they were talking about having to deliver at 37 weeks if the at scan in two weeks she’s still on the same curve.

Hi OP
That doesn't sound overly small to me, is the issue the amount of weight put on between the scans?
Try not to panic my DD was born on the 2nd centile at 38weeks, they had prepared us for bad news/poor outcome and everything. There is not a bit wrong with her - she's now a lovely but skinny toddler 22nd centile for weight and 75th for height.

Yes OP just like @Starshapeddreams my DD1 was born at 38+4 and on the 2nd centile.

And you know what, she is 5 now and just diddy! She only became heavy enough to move to a booster seat after she started school - Clarks didn't sell shoes small enough when she started walking - her bf outgrows clothes and passes them on, and we use them 18 mos later...... some children are just skinny!

No, the weight she’s put on between scans is okay. She’s stuck to the same curve and it was averaged out at 26g a day weight gain. So they were okay with that.

The consultant keeps tutting about my BMI (38). I’m fat, yes, and he keeps saying that obesity is an issue when it comes to small babies. But I was a healthy weight with my other two. I feel like they are making it a bigger issue because of my weight sometimes but that could be paranoia - it’s been mentioned so many times though.

@JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff see, mine were the other way!

They were both skinny things when born. Dd was 9th centile. By 6 weeks they were both 75th height and weight and stayed there until I stopped weighing them (because both times HV told me off because they should have stayed on the centile they were born on and told me to cut back feeds ). They are both tall children now and ‘normal’ weights.

So I just assumed this baby would be the same as it siblings.

I told the consultant that and he said “no, it doesn’t work that way” it did though.

I’m having similar. Scans every week. 3rd centile too. I think because I’m overweight the baby should be growing bigger. Been ok till last scan on Wednesday when they found a placenta problem. Another scan tomorrow and they’ve put me on steroids for babies lungs in case the placenta proves a problem. Could have to deliver soon. I’m 33+5.

It’s hard trying to be positive when they make it so stressful. I completely understand where you are coming from!
I hope you get on ok!

Our general cut off is 2.5kg at 37 weeks or 3kg at term. Smaller than that is considered ‘small for gestational age’. Yours were on the smaller side of normal I’d say. Just over 2kg and gaining 26g per day would imply that she’ll be a bit smaller than you’d expect at 37 weeks.

A lot of research has been done about birthweight and adverse outcomes in recent years and sadly a lot of babies who don’t make it were unexpectedly small for gestational age, which is why monitoring is now taken so seriously (despite the fact it is very difficult to do, and not as accurate as we might like).

However, you sound like you just make small babies and are being carefully monitored so I’m sure your obstetric team will recommend an early caesarean if they are at all concerned about your baby’s wellbeing so please don’t get yourself panicked about it.

Interesting.. why are they making a big deal.. my lo was 5lb and stopped growing around 32 weeks. They were not worried at all. They tried to long it out and I went in for 2 week scans after 32 weeks and still the same but they were not concerned. Doctor at fetal medicine said I could easily go till 38 weeks then get induced. But I had 6 episodes where I didn't feel movement and got induced at 36 weeks and 6 days.

Yes when she was born she was small. But tiny clothes were too tiny for her and she was wearing new born for a bit but then picked up quiet quickly.
Now she is at the higher end of the percentile.

Please don't worry.

Mine were weeny too - 5lb 13 at 39 weeks and 4lb 2 at 36. Now normal adults. But we're a small family, all around 15th to 25th centile height wise. I was never going to produce whoppers!

My baby stopped growing at 36 weeks and she was born by elective c section at 37 weeks. Although she was only 4lb5oz she was very healthy and we were discharged in two days. She’s four months now and doing great! It’s really good they are monitoring you as there can be concerns about placenta function, although my placenta was fine. They decided to bring baby early because they reasoned that she wasn’t thriving in the womb and would do much better outside of it! As she was term this made sense to me. Also worth noting that smaller babies tend not to do as well during labour and can struggle- the consultant midwife told me this. So an elective c section was a good option for me. See if you can speak to a midwife to clarify things as it sounds like the consultant doesn’t have a great bedside manner.

No he really doesn’t!

Midwives have been a bit crap to be fair. They insisted on measuring my belly after the first scan and said the baby was over 90th centile from their measurements. But that’s totally inaccurate as I’m very fat. All she said was she thought the scan was wrong as I’m very overweight so of course I would have a bigger baby. The FM consultant says as I’m so fat, of course I’d have a smaller baby

Do you see why I’m so confused?!!

My obs consultant doesn’t even speak to me when I see her (well, she’s a jr doctor on the team - I’ve never actually met my named consultant), I walk in, they tell me to ask the FM consultant about scan results and hand me back my notes. so they aren’t much use. So it’s only the Fetal medicine consultant that talks to me but he just keeps saying how concerned he is that she is small. It’s a bit of a mess really.

I can’t wait for it all to be over. If this was my first baby I’d be beside myself with the care I’ve had, but sadly, over three pregnancies this is far from my worst experience so I wasn’t expecting much.

(I was originally referred to Fetal medicine for the growth scans as at my 20 week scan it showed a problem with my bowel from scarring from previous sections - subsequently, after many opinions, second opinions I’ve been told it’s actually not an issue after being told my risk of death during the section was huge, so that’s a relief. But that’s why Fetal medicine are Involved, they usually wouldn’t be).

There is nothing I can do now but wait and see anyway I guess and if they want to do the section earlier then so be it.

I’m just glad this is my last baby and that they are monitoring the situation.

Hey OP, DD was the same and was a dinky Dora. I had fortnightly scans and saw the consulant weekly from early in my pregnancy. My first was 6lb2 and 39+5 so I was down to have extra scans as he had a small gestational age. Anyway long story short with DD (my 2nd) growth slowed down a lot, placenta also worked fine and I was booked for an induction and 38 weeks, went into labour about 4/5 days before after a sweep. She was 5lb8. She’s a dinky one now still and at 11 months is 19lbs.

My consultant was good, some babies are just small, and said clearly I make small babies. Same with you too!

I would be ready for a potential induction to be talked about though....

Good luck 🌸🌸

Just saw bout induction, I’d say they will section early at 38 weeks, given their concerns that they have voiced....

@itisntfriday0000000000l I’m already booked in for section at 38 +6

Next scan is at 36 +6 so I’ll see what they have to say then if they will move it forward by a week maybe.

It’s all so bloody exhausting though. I just can’t wait until she’s here and it’s all over. She can keep me up screaming all night for a year - I swear I won’t mind a but after the stress of this whole pregnancy!

@Billyjoearmstrong be careful for what you wish for 😂😂

I hated my pregnancy too.

FTM and didn't enjoy the whole thing at all. Once I ate raw meat and thought I did something terrible. Oh the stress :/

I was in a very similar situation OP.

The doctor had predicted my baby will weigh only 3-4 pounds full term and was extremely concerned. In reality, while she was small in size, my daughter weighed over 7 pounds at birth (37 weeks).

She was small, but very very fat! She had so many double chins. I was unable to see her neck until she became a toddler.

Baby's measuring 4 pou ds 2 ounces at 35 weeks i have placenta previa and am scheduled a section at 36 weeks