Short Femurs

[Babyboop]

Hi, I had my 20 week scan last week and we were advised that our baby boys femurs were very short 25.6mm and he could have dwarfism. Everything else is in the normal range. I’m very very bad at waiting and we have to wait 2 weeks for blood test results. I’m 5ft 2 with no issues and Dad is 6ft. I feel like I’m going to explode and I can’t function. I’ve been signed off work sick. I’m constantly crying and feel sick. I know no one can give me any answers but has anyone got any experience of this. If so what was the result when your baby was born.

Thank you for this. It looks like everyone had a positive outcome but you had to go through a huge amount of distress to get there. It’s just a waiting game for us now I’m convinced he’s absolutely fine but gotta jump through the hoops x

Hi, I'm in a similar situation. At my 20 week scan the baby was on 70th percentile for head and abdominal circumference, but less than 3rd percentile (off the chart) for femur length. His femur was only 26.4mm and I was 19 weeks 3 days.
I'm 21 weeks now, on 30th I will be going for another scan to check femur growth and I may be referred to a specialist consultant if there are still concerns.

I've been so worried, googling everything and learning what this could mean. I know how you felt regards to the worry :( I'm a worried person most of the time so this really has been hard.

From what I have read, (extensive, anxiety producing study, but bear in mind I am no mathematician or scientist!), my baby is about -1.5 standard deviation ('z-score' in some studies) from normal, and skeletal dysplasia is mostly seen with standard deviation at -4, rarely -2. Also I came back as low risk for DS, and the abdominal circumference was good, so far I'm not seeing signs of iugr. Considering these factors, I'm leaning on the diagnosis of 'false positive ' or 'normal variant'. Although it all can change at my next scan... which I'm so worried about. I just hope my baby is healthy and doesn't have a severe form if skeletal dysplasia.

I.know every case is different but I had this with 2/4 of my pregnancies and all was fine, they are just a bit short and stocky as teens now,not excessively at all, just compared to lanky brothers and DH. I am 5ft and DH is 6ft so I think half took after me and half took after him. I used to get some quite weird measurements and scans and I think it's maybe having short mother, tall father? All worked out in the end for us - though watch out for shoulder dystocia at the births (happened with my 2 chunkier ones). Hope it all works out ok for you x

Heya, my cousin was repeatedly told about their baby "measuring small" and it turned out to be a load of bollocks They now have a charming 5 year old boy.

IMHO medical practitioners are just very risk averse so tell you every little thing. Good luck!

@LookAtMissOhio I know exactly what you’re going through and it’s hell. The worst thing I did was Google pictures. I sobbed for days. We then decided that our baby is healthy everywhere else that we should still be happy because we are still having a baby and there’s nothing wrong with him unless the bloods say so. I repeated ‘my baby’s blood tests are normal’ in a happy voice until I actually started to feel excited. I trusted my gut feeling and write this down on my pinboard in our bedroom, so I said it, saw it and felt it hundreds of times a day. This did help me but may not help others.

We didn’t see our baby’s legs until our 20 week scan. I specifically asked to see them but he was lying in a very difficult position. The man that did the scan called us back in and explained the femurs are short and bowed so we had to go to FMU for a specialist scan. We have now had three scans there and a blood test that took 1 month to get the results.

20 week scan femurs measured 25.6 mm 3 standard deviations below average.
23 week scan femurs measured 32.9 mm
25 week scan femurs measured 36.5 mm

FGFR-3 bloods came back as normal his femurs were no longer bowed at the 25 week scan (his legs were actually stretched out for the first time with his feet next to his face) they said they can’t rule out the rarest forms of skeletal dysplasia (this is to cover their backs) but it’s likely to be normal variant. They are still showing short but showing steady growth. Back to FMU in 6 weeks. They apologised for the stress it had caused.

I’m 5ft 2, my husband is 6 ft with thighs the same length as mine. There wasn’t scans when he was born so his parents may have experienced the same if there was.

We have to go for weekly growth scans now but we have been advised that his weight may not calculate correctly because it’s established from leg length and tummy circumference. His estimated weight was 1lb 4oz at 25 weeks.

He is incredibly cute on the 3D scans and I can’t wait to meet him. We’ve agreed that nothing is coming out of my uterus until 4/4/22. I’ve also written my predictions for date time and weight at birth on my pin board and keep repeating that too.

Please let us know your progress and I hope it’s a positive result like ours.

Sorry I replied to @LookAtMissOhio instead of @Xxdxx2020. I’m still trying to get the hang of this app 😂 please see my reply above.

@Babyboop Thanks so much for all that info! It is good to hear from someone in the same boat as me and a similar gestation. I wish us both luck with this :) I'll update after my scan on 30th xx

Hi, I had my scan today at 21w5d. It is good news so far, the baby's femur length has moved from below the 3rd percentile line to just on it (it is either 3rd or 5th percentile, not sure). I spoke to a consultant afterwards who is not concerned at all, she said this is now in the normal range (just!) and there are no other abnormalities, I was low risk for DS, and the abdominal circumference is now in 87th percentile which indicates no growth restriction. I will have a rescan for reassurance at 28 weeks, but I have been reassured this baby is just a short one and nothing concerning xxx

@Xxdxx2020 that’s excellent news. Now time to relax and enjoy. We had our first weekly scan yesterday and he’s growing well, femurs are still small but still thought to be normal. Sometimes technology isn’t a good thing.

UPDATE. 27 week and 2 day scan today. Our little ones following his own growth line. Yes his femurs are still short at 40.2mm but they are growing at a steady rate and are straight. His weight is estimated to be 1lb 14oz but again this could be less than his actual weight due to his short Femurs. Another little block in the road today. Apparently I have a low lying placenta on the last three scans (first I’ve heard about it) and my amniotic fluid is low. Last week it was perfect. I’ve decided not to listen to the scan results because we had one lady that measured his femurs 3 times with 3 different measurements. I know I’m doing everything I can to look after our little man & literally cannot do anymore.

Aw it is a good thing that he is growing consistently and straight :) do you know if your placenta might move up later? The fluid measurement might be a bit inaccurate too?

I came to the realisation that our baby is who he is meant to be and there is nothing I can do to change it! So embrace the pregnancy and look forward to meeting him :D I think if any medical specialist was concerned now then you would be investigated more rather than monitored? I bet you can't wait to just have him in your arms and forget all about scans x

My thoughts exactly. My placenta was higher but is now 20mm over. It could move up as he gets bigger so I’m just being as careful as I always have. My husband is really supportive too. I’m hyper mobile so I’ve got a lot of pelvis and foot pain. I think I would be miserable if I wasn’t so baby happy. I just keep saying it’s only pain & following my physio’s advice.

So it’s our big 6 week review tomorrow. Apparently our little man is still small. At 30 weeks he was 2lb 10. His femurs are still short but following his growth line. Apparently last week his head shrank so he’s 3rd percentile now. I want to ask about this issue now. I keep having a horrible doom feeling that we won’t be coming home with our baby. Is this normal, has anyone else had this. Im refusing to have anything in the house until last minute because im getting paranoid. I feel fine other than this happening about twice per week. Is this just normal anxiety 😟

Hi Babyboop, sorry your feeling this way :( hope your review goes okay. It must be a good thing that his femur have continued to grow steadily. Has his head slowed down on the growth chart? By how much? My last baby moved up and down the percentile charts (never out of normal range though), so it is normal for the rate of growth to fluctuate. Maybe some growing energy is being directed to his legs and not his head for while!

I think its normal you are feeling this way because you haven't had an easy pregnancy with this worry ongoing. See how this review goes, and if it is positive news (actuallt, regardless of the outcome) then maybe do something small and positive to look forward to, like by a cute baby outfit or baby book? Or maybe try relaxing or a guided meditation for 10 mins and feel him kicking and bond, that could reassure you that he is right there and in the safest place to be. And just think how resilient little babies are, how they can survive being born premature and are born amidst war and famine...

Our next scan is 2 weeks with a consultant to check on femur length growth. I'm feeling fairly positive because he is really active, kicking my ribs and reacting to loud noises. Honestly though I think worrying is part of being a mum, I won't stop worrying when he is born, I'll always be checking that things are okay.

@Xxdxx2020 thank you for your reply. We have now been discharged from FMU but still need weekly scans. His estimated weight is 3lb 6oz But his femurs are still short at 47.8mm. Apparently he’s just below the 5th percentile and all his long bones are short but within the normal range. He’s very active nudging my ribs and bum at the same time & I have a lie down with him everyday watching and feeling his movements. Apparently he will probably be delivered at 37 weeks even though the placenta is functioning correctly and blood flow is fine.

[quote Babyboop]@Xxdxx2020 thank you for your reply. We have now been discharged from FMU but still need weekly scans. His estimated weight is 3lb 6oz But his femurs are still short at 47.8mm. Apparently he’s just below the 5th percentile and all his long bones are short but within the normal range. He’s very active nudging my ribs and bum at the same time & I have a lie down with him everyday watching and feeling his movements. Apparently he will probably be delivered at 37 weeks even though the placenta is functioning correctly and blood flow is fine.[/quote]
This is exactly how my little girl was, all her long bones were small but fine for her size. I had her at 36 weeks, can't remember if I said that or not in my earlier posts. It turned out that I had velamentous cord insertion which was why she was so small. All my blood flow etc showed fine at every scan I had. I opted for a c section out of personal choice but was later advised it was unlikely baby would tolerate induction due to her size - have they given you any options yet? Glad to hear things are ok though, I've kept checking back to see how you're doing!

@lucea87 I’m yet to get to that conversation. Apparently they will decide at 36 weeks when I will be induced or have a c section.

With him being our one and only I wanted to feel labor (I know it sounds crazy) but I will choose the best option for him.

I have a telephone consultation tomorrow so I will mention what you have said.

Thank you ☺️

Hi @Babyboop, how's things going?

I have just had another scan. It showed the femur length now around 10th percentile, it has never been above 5th before! However his AC has fallen a fair bit, bringing his EFW from 50th percentile 2 weeks ago, to 10th now :/ I need another scan in 3 weeks, I'll be 35ish weeks then.

Hi @Xxdxx2020.
The more people I speak to the calmer I get. Our maternity photographer said she’d had 4 kids every single one of them were too small, short femurs, brain abnormalities and suspected cystic fibrosis. They are all healthy and well. She even sent me
Copies of the letters bless her.

We had our 36 week scan on Monday. My placenta has moved so c section at 38 weeks has been cancelled and he’s free to arrive whenever, but won’t allow us to go over our due date. Apparently his femurs haven’t grown in two weeks but his estimated weight is 5lb which apparently is normal. He’s dropped back down to 10th percentile. His femurs are now 1cm too short. His AC & HC haven’t grown at the same rate as usual but have shown growth. Blood supply to placenta and everything else is fine.

After everything we have been through the consultant isn’t concerned in the slightest and we have another scan booked March 21st to check on progress.

So continues the rollercoaster of pregnancy and trying to treasure each baby wiggle.

I hope everything turns out well for you. X

Hi @Babyboop please let me know how everything turned out? I am going through the exact same thing with almost the exact same measurements. Please 🙏🏼🙏🏼

@Janejanedoe86 Hi, we were meant to have a c section 21 March but my placenta has moved so I’m having a scan on that date instead. I’m hoping for a natural birth because he’s going to be our one and only & I feel it’s an experience I should have. My official due date is 4/4/22 and I will be induced on this date if I don’t go into labour naturally due to being IVF. Please contact me if you don’t hear anything because I genuinely want to help but may forget with the lack of sleep. It’s so difficult not to worry but we’re used with it now because we’ve had scans every week since 20 weeks, he’s growing on his own little line perfectly, the test results were normal & his femurs are no longer bowed. Evidence of this takes a few weeks to gather. Apparently it’s more difficult to measure femurs as they get bigger and the consultant wasn’t phased that his femurs hadn’t grown on the 36 week scan. As long as you’re doing everything you can to keep you & your baby healthy there’s nothing more you can do. I’ve been extremely vigilant with this & that knowledge I has helped me. Our babies are coming regardless & they will be adored and cherished. Take care of yourself 🥰

@Babyboop thank you so much for replying! My first msg was abit vague because noone ever replies but since you did ill give you abit of background. I had a scan with NIPT test at 15 weeks and they said femurs were short. So had my 20 week scan brought forward to 17 weeks and was told all long bones under 1%tile and club foot and clenched hands plus narrow chest indicating lethal dwarfism. So obviously i think this is hopeless and spend the next 2 weeks preparing for a termination. Had another scan at 19 weeks and the long bones have grown abit to 5% except the femur still under 1% but no club foot and hands are okay. The achondroplasia test came back inconclusive because i dont have enough fetal dna in my blood, this happened twice with the nipt too which is making them think its actually a problem with my placenta. Had an amnio there and then and has come back negative for downs etc but still waiting on achondroplasia. Im so scared and feel bad because everyone writes on here that they will be okay with a non lethal dwarfism and honestly i dont think i could be. My partner has a 5 year old already with downs syndrome so another one with dwarfism would just be too much. I have unexplained infertilty and concieved on clomid finally after 8 years of trying. Im just so scared everything is going to come back negative but everything stays under 5%ile and im going to live in absolute fear til shes here then be heartbroken if she has dwarfism. But then i cannot end a pregnancy on just them suspecting she has it as there are so many stories where they are wrong.
Im so happy you are in a good place and sounds like youve been able to enjoy the last part of your pregnancy. ❤️❤️❤️

@Janejanedoe86 there are so many emotions involved. Please don’t feel bad for any of them because they are all valid and should be voiced and listened to. I don’t want my baby to have a genetic condition because i don’t want him to suffer or be bullied just because I wanted a child. This is normal. I’m 40 my cousins little boy has downs, ivf was my last chance and I didn’t have an amino so when it was mentioned I was really scared. I chose to have the test for dwarfism because it was testing my blood and not going near the baby. This took one month because after a week they called me and said they didn’t get enough blood to run the test. I was extremely upset. It took 4 weeks to get the results in the end and they were honestly the worst days of my life. Our little mans bones were bowed like a banana but now their ok. They’re all squished up in there and they don’t account for the features of the parents. Baby’s have to fall into specific category’s otherwise things aren’t normal. My husband has short thighs and short upper arms but he’s 6ft. I’m 5ft 2 yet no one looked at us. They only measured his femurs in a straight line not the curve. I’ve heard so many people saying they were told their babies had medical conditions yet as soon as they were born it wasn’t mentioned again. If your placenta isn’t working like it should they can deliver your baby early. I was told of this happened to me they would only give me aspirin to thin my blood until he was old enough to deliver. My other cousin was told her baby would only survive for two hours and could have one of three conditions and he is perfectly healthy 3 year old and very clever. Truth is no one really knows, hospitals have to tell us what they see otherwise we could sue them. It’s one of the worst waiting games their is. I actually enjoyed the IVF process, but the wait when you’re told there may be something wrong is horrific. I used to sing everyday when I had upsetting thoughts. Baby’s blood tests are normal & sometimes even have a little dance. I also wrote it down and stuck it on my bedroom wall. I tried to keep a positive state of mind. Other people sharing their stories are the only thing that helped. I’ve even followed people on TikTok. Also a chat with one of the hospital staff helped. His friend had just had a little girl with dwarfism and he said she was the light of their lives. Very minor issues. Dwarfism covers such a wide range of issues but they can be very minor. Googling the condition made it 100 times worse. I genuinely feel for you but hope as time goes on that you can relax a little and the results of your scans improve x

So our little man has been born today. Labour started at 3:30am with the odd back pain but I was able to sleep through most of it. 10:30 am I lost my plug and went to get checked over. At 3pm I was 4.5cm dilated and it was too late for epidural or pain relief so we did it on gas and air whilst I begged for pain relief on every contraction and apparently stated if I was an animal they would put me down. His heart rate started to drop so they were going to do a cut but two more pushes and he was out. He is 6.5lbs and the only issue is a little tongue tie. No one is concerned about any of the findings on the scan. Caleb is our first baby. Honestly it’s amazing how your body starts to push all by itself. Literally felt like I was doing the biggest poo of my life. Push into your bum ladies. I have a low grade second degree tare and feel like I have a bum like a baboon. It still doesn’t feel real but I’m taking things hour by hour. Thank you to every single one of you that has supported me through this journey. It’s been a hell of a ride. Now for the next chapter.

@Babyboop I've just read your story and am so so pleased your baby is here and all is well. What a ride! Congratulations to you! Xx