Baby's head measuring small / difficult sonography appointment

[summerhillgang]

I am almost 38 weeks and hoping for a home birth. I went for a scan today to confirm baby’s position. As predicted it was head down, and deeply engaged (1/5) as palpated by our private midwife. So just a box ticking exercise.

However the sonographer was struggling to get a head circumference measurement because the head was so low and actually really hurting me / putting me at weird angles to try to get to it. So based on her measurements she put it down as being on 5th percentile. However another head measurement (BFD, which I believe is the head width) was normal.

At 31 weeks scan, the head was also low down and the NHS sonographer said it wasn’t possible to get an accurate measurement, but was noted down at 35th percentile, so completely normal. She said it was likely to be bigger but couldn’t get to it.

Everything was normal, pretty much 50th percentile, during 20wk and 12wk scans.

I didn’t think much of it during the scan today, as obviously these growth scans are notoriously inaccurate, but midwife has suggested seeing a specialist (possibly just covering herself). I am so close to giving birth that I don’t think further investigations at this stage would be great for mental health, and also the head is super low so what else can they tell me?

I have been Googling stuff and it’s freaking me out as obviously can be very serious but normally would have come up on earlier scans.

I was really happy the baby’s head was engaged and have done all the right things to promote a good position. It’s my first baby and finding this all hard to process. Feels like potentially just another hurdle / piece of scaremongering.

Bump

Is there anything else going on? Why are you having so many late scans?

Both my babies had small heads on 20 week scans. But DH and I both have smallnormal heads, small hands and feet too! It freaked me out for my first, but by the second I ignored. Both girls are completely fine, small build, highly intelligent young ladies. Remember growth charts are averages so you always have a huge range, it generally means nothing.

@BigWoollyJumpers no nothing else going on, just that my mid wife (who I employ privately to oversee my homebirth) needed ultrasonic evidence the baby was head down as I think she had a surprise breach recently, so it was just a box ticking exercise really. As we thought baby is head down and fully engaged, it was obvious and tbh should have just put my foot down.

At 32 weeks I had a scan after a small cervical bleed, so that's when they identified baby's head was already very low. But head circumference was still 35
Percentile and within normal range, even though they said then it wasn't going to be an accurate measurement.

Thanks for reassurance and glad it worked out fine for you with your girls ❤️

That's all good to hear. Hope the birth goes well, good luck.