20 week scan - baby measuring BIG

[BEJ9102]

I've just had my 20 week scan and all is ok but the baby is measuring large - on 97th percentile. They asked if my previous baby was large which she wasn't; DD was born around 7lb13oz, which I think was just above the 25th percentile and never had any issues with her size during the pregnancy.
They are sending me for a gestational diabetes test next week as apparently this could be why baby is so big. I was due to have one around 28 weeks anyway as I'm 38, but only my age is a factor as I'm pretty healthy with a spot on BMI and no pre-existing conditions or issues.
I just wondered if anyone has had any experience of this? If the baby is measuring large now does that mean it's going to be massive when it's due? That really freaks me out!
Also, I ate loads in my first trimester and haven't really done any exercise as I work at a desk long hours and during my first trimester I was feeling pretty rough I didn't want to do much at all, only eating made me feel better! So I'm wondering if this is why baby is now so big, although I myself don't appear to have gained any weight!

Hi, I was 26 when I had my DS. He was measuring big from 24 weeks onwards.

I had no gestational diabetes, ate perfectly healthy the entire pregnancy and stayed fairly active, I had a normal BMI too.

Baby was delivered via elective c-section one week early at 10lb 1oz

No idea why he was so big, I had polyhydraminos but no one told me until after he was born and it wasn't picked up on scans.

Thanks that's good to know. I keep wondering if it's my fault because I've been eating so much! Silly I know!
I have a growth scan scheduled for 34 weeks so I guess we'll see then. If he/she is still huge then I'd love to opt for a c-section!!

My baby wasn't 'measuring big' exactly but she was close to 10lbs.
Scans aren't always accurate either as my last growth scan at 40 weeks she measured 6lbs apparently. 6 days later, almost 10lbs 😂

@BEJ9102 they put me in a "big baby research trial" and they wanted to see the percentage of big babies who are born naturally with shoulder dystocia. This scared me, I opted out the trial and demanded a c-section, the consultant wasn't very supportive.

During my section the consultant had to use forceps as baby was stuck I was left with an extra long scar but IMO it was a much safer option for us and I felt safe throughout the procedure.

Have they said they'll give you extra growth scans? Xx

I was 38 with a mid-range of normal BMI and still had GD. If you get woken up a lot by your DD, it can affect your fasting sugar. I had a horrible pregnancy for various reasons but GD alone wouldn’t be too bad I don’t think.

Just to mention my DC was 7 lb 3 Oz which was the 50th centile. Maybe your older one was a little bigger than you thought?

Also I really don't think eating loads makes any difference. I think the baby takes what it needs, leaving nothing for the mum if necessary. But I'm not medically trained. What does your midwife say?

@pringlebells yes the have booked me for a scan at 36 weeks.

@GirlCalledJames that’s interesting to know. DD doesn’t wake me up often, she’s a great sleeper, but I almost always wake up in the early hours myself and struggle to get back to sleep for an hour or two.

@WednesdayAllTheWay maybe I’m mistaking her percentile for a little later on. She lost 10% of her weight in the first few days so maybe that made her drop down the chart. But certainly throughout the pregnancy they never said anything about her being especially big.
I haven’t spoken to my midwife about it yet, I might give her a call tomorrow to get her thoughts on it.