Antenatal Growth Charts - a load of tosh?????

[katyt1]

Hi,

I am pg with no 2, only a small gap (20months) and didn't have growth chart measurements with ds so am a bit bemused by their introduction.

So far have measured:
30wks - 30cms
33wks - 33cms [bear with me]
35wks - 34cms
36wks - 33cms
38wks - 34cms

Now according to these measurements, my bump shrank one week, bizarre right?

Also, according to the bumpf at the bottom of the page, I shd be referred for a growth scan as: 'curve not following slope of any curve on the chart' (was on top curve, now dropped to below bottom curve) but i don't want one, i don't want anyone messing with me really and i don't want anything to interfere with home birth so not raising any flags with mw or doc.

Just curious for opinions really, from midwives or other pg ladies, how much credence do you really give to these measurements?
When we must all have stories of friend's told their babies were huge or tiny and turn out to be normal.

any thoughts???

That sounds like a load of bollocks to me. Perhaps they stick a pin in you at your 34 week appointment?

Is this fundal height btw, I'm assuming it's not waist measurement . Perhaps it's how far you can throw the consultant if he annoys you? That might make more sense.

If it reassures you, a lot of countries don't measure fundal height. It has always seemed to me like a bit of an inexact science - why would a bump always grow 1cm a week?

growth scans aren't always entirely accurate either, btw (although I have had pretty accurate ones).

wmmc - waist measurement, ha ha ha ha rofl....
maybe in inches but not even close then either !

berolina - my point exactly! i mean i wasn't measured for ds, the mw just used to have a feel and say yes baby good size, etc.
now i am being measured and tbh the mw is ignoring the measurements anyway!

It depends entirely on the midwife as well, last pregnancy I was measured at three different fundal heights in the same week by different midwives (one of which freaked out and yelled 'breech' - she wasn't)

I'm sticking with my 'estimation of how far you could throw the person prodding you' theory anyway!

i do like the throwing theory, just wondering who i would like to throw the most, i mean i like my mw, maybe whoever invented the chart?

I think fundal height is generally taken with a big pinch of salt these days, although I'm sure there are cases where growth 'retardation' is suspected and then confirmed by scan. I was referred by midwife at 33 weeks (apparently measuring 29, when I had been 32 the week before . Sent off sharpish to be scanned for IUGR. Result being sonographer was extremely annoyed at midwives wasting her time - she said if anything the scan showed I was slightly 'ahead' of my dates, and that midwife should have picked up transverse lie of baby!
My sister (who is a midwife) had a nightmare time after referring several women for scans - only to find out that her tape measure had shrunk in the wash after being left in uniform pocket

with ds1 I was tiny, nothing until 6mths, then just a very small bump out front. Went into labour, asked MW what weight she predicted, ooh 7lb I reckon she says, 9lb 3oz ds1 was born a few hours later

Ignore them, they have no idea!

bump.

any other thoughts today?

I've been referred for a growth scan, too, katy1 (measuring 32cm at 36 wks). So hearing other stories is quite reassuring to me.
I've spoken to 2 people in last 2 days who also measured about 32cm at 36 wks only to have scan confirm all was well (and baby was indeed a decent size at birth, too).

That said, I know that late ultrasound scans can be notoriously inaccurate, even though doctors never say that to your face... and I've read that if the scan measures baby on or below the 10th percentile they will still suspect IUGR and want further scans, which seems outrageous to me. Below 3rd percentile fair enough, but 10th 'tile is probably only chosen precisely because even the doctors admit privately there's quite an error margin with late pregnancy ultrasound estimates!
Plus any hospital appointment is a chance for them to try hard to find something "wrong" with you. I'm also wanting a homebirth so they're extra motivated to scrutinise closely.
Sigh.
Good luck, however it goes with you!

Hi, just to say I agree with lljkk- and if you have the confidence and feel comfortable, you could refuse to have a scan if offered- nobody can force you to (though I bet you'll have lots of oppertunities to 'discuss' your decision). If you don't have confidence in the accuracy of a test- e.g. a blood test, would you still have it and act on the results? Why should it be different to a scan? (Hmmm, talking myself out of a job again!)
Personally, if your midwife is happy and not pushing you for anything, I'd be happy!
BTW, were all those measurements by the same midwife or different midwives? Same midwife would have an idea if she 'felt' it was a normal bump, irrespective of what she wrote in your notes, different midwives would measure slightly differently, and again have an idea if your bump seemed large or small for you.
Anyway, hope you're still chilled about it all,
mumofk

lljkk - hope the scan works out for you, like you say, they want to scrutinise too close for comfort sometimes, as if to prove your hb decision wrong...or myabe i'm just cynical

mumofk - yes i'm staying chilled, i mean with ds i wouldn't have known any of this and ignorance would have been bliss, as the midwife is happy so am i. some of the measurements were by diff midwives, but the last 3 (34, 33, 34) were by my normal mw.

I think it's complete rubbish. I measured 28cm at 32 weeks and went for a growth scan. All was well with the scan measurements. I am still measuring below the fundus charts quite considerably but I refuse to be worried anymore on this point.

I was told I was having a very small baby last time and my little one was 7lb 7oz - hardly tiny!

I haven't been measured so far here in austria and I'm 19 weeks.

I wouldn't worry

Diege - love the story about your sister

Hi katyt1,

I'm also 38 weeks pg and measured 33cm during the week. Went for a growth scan yesterday and the baby was measuring at just below the 50th centile, so all seems to be fine. I think it's a very inexact science. Although the MW had measured 33cm, the student midwife measured me first and got 35cm and after the scan (one day later) I measured 34cm...

Hope everything goes well, not long now!!

Those of you who have measured small fundal height for dates: can you feel the baby parts? I remember so clearly pregnancy #1 I could easily distinguish feet, bum, head... this time I can give myself a good grope and can't really tell something chunky is in there (although i can't breathe properly, either, as my lungs are squished up and the little blighter wiggles constantly).

Just wondered if I shouldn't be able to feel the baby more clearly. MW reckons she can and says head is down.

Oh well, just have to update. I had my urgent referral growth scan today... all looked fine (including stuff like fetus practice breathing and the drainage of blood from the cord to placenta). But best of all (heehee) they are estimated a birth weight of 8-9lbs -- ABOVE average, may I observe. No wonder I felt so "full of baby" in recent weeks.

Not that I trust late U/S scans (for previous mentioned reasons). But amusing outcome, nonetheless, especially for someone only measuring 32cm at 36 weeks.

hiya lljkk, glad to hear that the measurements have been proved wrong yet again!!
i meant to reply earlier, yes i can feel body parts, feet up at the top, bum & back down the front and i guess head or shoulders lower down.

did the scanner make any comments about you actually having a big baby and why you were sent for an urgent scan?!?!

can't wait to see what size baby turns out to be, and mine too, yes still waiting 39+1 now....

Hi Katy1 -- doc at hospital who did the scan began by asking me why MW was concerned, and I said it was probably because I had measured so steadily 1cm behind weeks, and then from 33-36 weeks I didn't seem to grow at all. Which I suppose was fair enough. I was never worried about the little sprite. Yes nervous about the scan, but that's because they try so hard to find something 'wrong'. I knew the resident womb occupant was (is) too active to be distressed about anything. I have only gone wide over the hips in last week or so, which I reckon is the uterous shoving everything further aside. I suspect there will be nothing left of me soon after the birth, mind.

Good luck on your "confinement". I keep naively thinking it can't possible hurt as much as last time... hahahahahaaaa