Growth restriction? Experiences/reassurance

[mumtobe251]

Hi there,

I'm very anxious due to being told my baby isn't growing at the rate he should be. On 23rd December I had my first growth scan (at 32+4) and was told my baby was weighing approx 3lbs13oz which I thought was fine but apparently is on the smaller side?? Placenta and cord all fine, had a Doppler on 30th again all fine which was really reassuring, but I had my 2nd growth scan yesterday (34+4) and I'm being told that my baby has only gone from approx 3lb13oz to 4lb3oz in 2 weeks so now I'm freaking out!!! I'm back in Tuesday for an MCA Doppler, then I'll have another growth scan in 2 weeks where they will decide whether to induce me/give me a c section at 37 wks based on how he's doing/growing. The main thing at the moment is the placenta and everything is working perfectly fine, however I am watching his movements like a hawk incase of any slight change and I feel like I'm going out of my mind with the worry of it all :(

Has anyone had any similar experiences or found their growth scans to be inaccurate? I'm worried if he only gains such a small amount in the next 2 weeks again I'll be delivering a very small/poorly baby at 37weeks? Reassurance would be great as I'm so upset and anxious thank you xx

My daughter was an emergency section at 34 weeks and she weighed 4lbs, so your baby will most likely be fine if he needs to come out now. He's mostly developed now, and by 37 weeks he's fully developed just needs to gain a bit of weight.

The absolute best thing you can do is monitor those movements. Do you have a kick count chart? Anything that's not usual FOR YOU call your midwife. Do not think 'oh well I've just had a scan' or 'I've got a scan tomorrow I'll wait'. If your placenta starts to fail, he's better off out than in.

I know it's hard but try not to worry. Take each day as it comes, count those kicks. x

My baby was small for gestational age. She dropped down the curves consistently from 20w and was 9th centile at 36w. At the 36w scan, they recommended induction, which was booked for 39w but she arrived of her own accord at 38w and was 5lbs 12oz.

I had been taking asprin throughout my pregnancy and had to stop it at 36w. When i went into labour, my BP was through the roof (155/110) and obviously BP can affect baby's growth so i do wonder if something had been going on for longer than anyone realised. So make sure as well as looking out for baby, you are remembering to look after yourself in terms of preeclampsia signs etc.

As my baby was very tiny so she had a bit of trouble latching and was syringe fed for 24hrs but that came good in the end. She was poorly after birth for reasons other than her size (infection and sepsis) but is now a healthy (if still very small!) 6 month old. She dropped to 2nd curve during her illness and has basically stayed there ever since.

The one thing to prepare yourself for is that because DD was small they wanted her on continuous monitoring during the birth so that meant delivery suite rather than birth centre. I was a bit sad about this before hand but actually during the birth, they spotted her heartrate was starting to dip very early so we got her out ASAP. So i was happy with the advice I'd had in the end.

Every person and pregnancy and baby is unique obviously, but just wanted to share some positivity...

My dsis had growth scans all the way through due to growth restriction. She also had abnormal cord flow and was to be induced early due to this. This week she gave birth to a perfectly healthy (albeit dot of a thing at 5lb 6oz) baby at 39 weeks. The baby is thriving and there is no indication of any of the concerns that plagued her pregnancy due to growth thankfully.

I'll add that DD's sepsis meant she spent 2 weeks in NICU / SCBU and they are amazing places with brilliant staff, so if your baby does need to spend any time there, they will be wonderfully looked after.