Very small baby - Induction

[MnM156]

Hi all,
I am just a worried FTM. I had a scan at 31 weeks and then at 33 weeks. Baby is only weighing 3 lb 13 oz at 33 weeks. Was 3 lb 5 oz at 31 weeks. It is growing but is very small. I have been told that I would have to be induced at 37/38 weeks due to his small size. Just looking for some reassurance here. Has anyone had such a small baby? What are the risks? Was anyone induced due to small measurements? Should I be worried? What should I prepare for? I have a face to face meeting with my midwife next week so I will ask her these questions as well but wanted to ask you mamas as well to get opinions. My next scan is after 2 weeks.

The baby has unilateral Talipes but everything else looks very normal apart from the small measurement. There are no other causes of concern. The consultant has told us that structurally everything looks just fine.

It seems a bit odd that they aren’t waiting a few weeks to see if the baby grows a bit more before deciding whether or not to induce you.

I was induced at 37 weeks because of other pregnancy complications and DD was 5lb12oz. Tiny but absolutely perfect. She needed no additional care. They never said why she was so small and in fact we were expecting a big baby. A small baby doesn't always mean there's anything wrong. My advice is to buy some tiny baby sleepsuits because DD was in them for over a month.

Some people just do have small babies.

Were you small, how about on your maternal side generally?

I had a c section at 36 weeks as my twins had stopped growing.

They were both born at around 4.5lbs. Absolutely perfect, strong and healthy. Just very tiny

All 4 dc were small 5lbs and under.
Dc3 was born after induction weighing 4lbs 10Ibs at 39 weeks. We spent a few weeks in hospital and feeding was difficult but all was well.
Some babies are smaller, as for risks as with all keep an eye on movements. I was diagnosed with IUGR After Dc3.
Be prepared for a smaller baby, smaller suits, keep them warm, feeding is usually very little but often. Breastfeeding was hard as due to size they struggled to feed so expressed and cup fed. I also expressed colostrum for the first hours which helped.

I had gd in 2 of the pregnancies but not the others and delivered small not big babies as usually associated with gd. I had growth scans throughout every 2 weeks and providing baby was growing (albeit slow and small) and cord flow was ok I continued without induction. I was induced twice due to tailing growth.

I was induced for DD2 at 37 weeks as she had stopped growing. Consultant decided better out than in. She was 5lb4oz; her older sister came naturally about the same gestation and was 5lb2oz.

No issues at all other than a teeny tiny mouth at first so you really need to shovel the boob in if you breastfeed

Mine was born at 37 weeks, 5lbs 4oz. IUGR due to pre eclampsia. Had him early following steroids to mature the lungs.

Absolutely fine. I could fit him in one hand.
Teeny tiny, absolutely perfect but bloody starving!

Anyway, now a 5ft 7, 17 year old, who cannot be filled, eating me out of house & home! Bloody hulk of a kid.

Will be fine!

@RandomMess
Thanks a lot for your reply. I have no idea about my maternal side. My mother passed away when I was 12 and we kind of lost touch with her side of family afterwards. As far as I have heard me and my siblings were of good size.

@scotgal99 I wondered the same and asked one midwife in passing and she responded that such small babies do not have a lot of fat reserves to bear a normal labour
I will clarify the answer again on my next appointment.

Thank you all for giving me hope and reassurance. I am just praying for him to be around 4 pounds by 37 weeks. He is very active otherwise. Moves around a lot which calms my nerves. I hope everything goes well. It is all very scary right now. Thanks again for your replies!! Really appreciate it.

Yes this happened to me! Induced at 38 week and baby was absolutely fine. Just be prepared to stay on hospital slightly longer and there might be a chance of nicu. Are you being classed as IUGR? The placenta stops working as well as so babies tend to be quite skinny. Just so you are prepared for their arrival. They are now 5 and have caught up to where they would have been if it wasn’t for the IUGR and one of the tallest in their class

IUGR/SGA babies are at slightly higher risk of stillbirth. There is a clinical algorithm that determines when is optimum delivery by induction date;

patient.info/doctor/small-for-gestational-age-babies

These babies are also more at risk to become distressed during labour, so you will most likely be hooked up to a continuous fetal monitor , there is a slightly increased chance of starting induction but ending with csection or instrumental delivery if the baby gets distressed. So you may want to talk to y about this

www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/guidelines/gtg31/

My membranes ruptured at 37 weeks and he was only 5lb 11 - last mid wife app didn't pick up the fact I hadn't grown in 4 weeks the hospital did when I went in as my waters had gone.
He was perfectly healthy he just needed help learning to suck as he was early and to be wrapped up as they struggle to keep their body temp .
Totally missed for me so at least they have their eye on you.
I have to have growth scans in this pregnancy now because of last time
X good luck with labour 😊

IUGR is often placenta related, it could be that your placenta is no longer functioning at optimal levels so baby is no longer receiving enough nutrients and oxygen. In those instances baby is better to be born and commenced on oral nutrition. The reasons for waiting a few weeks are babies lungs are not ready. So they will be looking to find a balance between baby's growth and their lung stage. You will probably be offered a steroid injection in the instance that baby would be born earlier.
This was the case with my first baby, growth queries were flagged around 30/32 weeks and I was induced at 37 weeks. He was 6lbs 10oz in the end which doesn't sound bad but he was very long and very skinny so in that instance it was the correct decision. He had extremely little subcutaneous fat. Upon inspection my placenta was found to have significant clots built up which would explain the slow in growth. He is perfectly healthy today. Neither my second or third babies had growth problems and so far so good with this baby.
Best of luck.

I was induced at 38w because of something else but baby was 5lb9oz. I'm tall and my husband is over 6ft - she grew steadily in the womb, was just always small. Once born she shot up to the 50th centile in 4 weeks (she fed, A LOT). Im sure it'll be fine, good luck xxx

I will add OP I have never heard that from any health professionals regarding labour. All four of my babies managed labour just fine with no interventions whether spontaneous or induction. Try not to worry.

Yes just to add we were home in under 24 hours with my 5lb baby, no intervention at all was needed, just feed feed feed, which I did ok myself.