Low fundal height?! How worried should I be?

[Gilmartin89]

Hi guys!

So had the 31 week MW appointment today and baba is measuring 29cm in fundal height. (At 28 week appointment he was 28!)
Booked in for scan in a week; but he also had a growth scan 5days ago which was spot on and why they aren’t scanning sooner. Can anything have gone badly wrong in 5 days?! I’m a natural worrier and super anxious already been in 4 times for increased movements.
Anyone any experience of this? Thanks

We're you measured by the same person? I have had experience of it differing according to who does it.

Have you noticed bump spreading out a bit? It might just be that your bump has changed shape a bit.

Great to get followed up but try not to stress about it too much because it isn't a totally exact science.

If the growth scan was fine then there's no need to worry. The fundal height measurement is not the most reliable way to judge growth. If they are worried they'll send you for another growth scan.

Yes same midwife!

I did feel like it felt smaller the other morning, which I told her, but I wasn’t 100% sure and thought it might just be my position and due to fact that it was morning as in evening I feel huge! He is breech which she said could affect it but all the stuff I’ve seen says breech babies normally measure bigger. X

It could just be baby's position. There are many many threads of other women having the same thing and it is incredibly rare that there is an actual cause for concern.

Fundal height (and scan too) measurements are as accurate as you'd want them to be. For example, at 28 weeks, I measured way above any curve with 30cm. It's because baby was breech at the time...

And my daughter? My last growth scan said she was measuring 7 lbs 2 oz at 38 weeks. She was born at 40+5 (so very nearly 3 weeks later) only weighing 6lb 13. So either she'd lost weight in those three weeks (very very unlikely) or the scan was wrong.

They shouldn't of even measured you if you only had a growth scan 5 days ago this goes against guidance.

I’m sure everything is fine, as pp said they are not the most reliable and baby’s position can be a factor. They are just super cautious, they don’t take any risks so it’s a good thing they are double checking. My baby’s growth slowed at 36 weeks and they got her out- she was 4lbs 8oz, perfectly healthy and discharged the next day. It is worrying having growth scans but they are a precaution and the fact baby was fine 5 days ago is excellent.

Fundal measurements are notoriously inaccurate, even growth scans have a ~2lb error.
My bump measured on the 10th percentile but she was born on the 60th percentile. In my trust you had to be below the 10th percentile for growth scans so I don't know how the growth scan compare with fundal measurements

My fundal height was small throughout. Baby was 8 pounds. I'm not even sure sure why they bother with this bump measuring nonsense, heard the same thing so many times and with so much unnecessary anxiety caused.