Tell me your growth scan accuracy stories please! Baby measuring big!

[5star123]

I’m 39w+3d and growth scans are showing my baby to be on the 97th percentile and estimate its current weight to be just over 9lb. I’ve seen a couple of Doctors and they are recommending that I am induced before I reach full term next week and have even offered me an elective section because of the baby’s size.

My first baby was 6lb 14oz (although was 5 days early) and I know bump size isn’t everything but if anything I am smaller with this baby than I was with her. I’m not uncomfortable and just don’t feel like I’m carrying a 9lb baby. To confuse things even more I had a private scan at 39w which measured me to be bang on my due date and baby to be weighing 7lb 7oz - the NHS doctors are adamant that this is wrong.

Can you tell me your experiences of growth scans and how accurate/inaccurate they were? I would desperately like to avoid intervention but it’s so hard when you have Doctors advising otherwise!

My baby was deemed big at 36 week scan - estimated 9lb 10 at full term if continued on same trajectory.

Offered induction at 38 or ELCS at full term.

I elected for the csection and baby was born at 9lb 9 at 39+6 so pretty much spot on :)

My bump consistently measured 3 weeks ahead. Diagnosed GD. Growth scans suggested baby was "off the charts" big. Born at 39w (ELCS). 8lbs 6oz. I was a bit disappointed- I was anticipating a monster baby funnily enough he was my smallest baby and yet with my other two there were no concerns over size and no GD. They were both 9lbs. Weird.

I had exactly this too!

First baby growth scans as measuring small , reduced fluid and growth, scan day before induction estimated around 5 lbs , she was born at 6lbs 6oz .

Second baby growth scans due to first , measured 50th percentile and born bang on that at 7lbs 8oz.

Third baby growth scans again just due to previously having them , measured slightly over average but was a boy after 2 girls, was expecting around 8 pounds and was born at 10 pounds , but my easiest quickest birth by far, no one really mentioned much about his weight after he was born just 'he is a big boy'.

Good luck!

Mine was predicted small at 5lb 6oz and she was 5lb 3oz so pretty close.

I was told at a growth scan at 37weeks DD1 was 7lb already, she was born at 41weeks weighing 7lb15oz. She had a big head and long femur so measured big on scans, she's still the same 😂x

My friend had an elective c section as she'd been told baby would be huge 9lb + . Her DD was a totally normal 7lb 3 and my friend was not happy she'd had a c section when she could have tried naturally.

32 and 36 week scans I was told I was having a big baby. At 36 weeks I was told he was already measuring 7lb+ and that they can put on a pound a week in the last few weeks. I went full term, they wouldn't induce. I went in at 42+1 to be induced having repacked my hospital bag with mostly 0-3 month clothes rather than new born as I was fully expecting him to be well over 10lb (I was mentally prepared myself for a twelve pounder). He finally arrived at 42 +4 weighing an absolutely bang average 7lb9. I had to send DH home to collect more new born clothes.

I was told we were having a big baby, just under 6lb delivered. I would have been furious had a taken an elective section.

From someone that was there too, I would never ever ever recommend early induction to anyone. I did it, it was hard, and I’m still recovering 15 months on.
if I was faced with the same dilemma again, I would wait for it to happen naturally. DD was 8 pounds at 38+3, I was expecting 9+

Had growth scans throughout the 3rd trimester due to 40+ pregnancy. Was consistently told DD was on the 97th percentile and she was 9lb 3oz when born at 39+5. I was due to be induced at 40 weeks anyway but went into spontaneous labour.

I asked about a CS when told she was so big and treated like it was a rather silly request. I ended up going through full labour and signed the consent form for an EMCS plus all kinds of horrible things before finally delivering through ventose. Still feel a bit pissed off at being fobbed off tbh!

Well, my baby has just apparently shot up the percentiles over the last week. (Got sent to a consultant because baby looked so small at the 20 week scan, consultant scanned me and said that while baby's on the small side, it's not scary small as suggested after the 20 week scan.) One measurement had moved up by 25 percentile points in that week!

So either my baby had a massive growth spurt or the scan wasn't very accurate. I'd expect a later scan to be more accurate, but there's still going to be a margin of error.

I’m in this position right now! I was initially sent for a growth scan because I was measuring far too small, way off of the chart. During the first growth scan I was told actually baby is measuring too big and I’ve had frequent growth scans since plus a test for GD which was negative.

I was told at 34 weeks baby weighed 6lb already, however I am still measuring small! My first baby was just over 7lb and I’m probably the same size as I was with him. I’m very petite and my midwife just says my bump is pure baby.

I’m worrying that the clothes I’ve packed for the baby in the hospital bag will be too small and the baby really will be huge!

I had grown scans as DC2 was measuring as ginormous. Had tests for gestational diabetes which were clear. Because I was 42 at the time I was under consultant care and advised to be induced at due date. DD2 arrived and was 8lb 1oz. Hardly ginormous!! However she's now 8yo and is on 99th percentile for height and weight!! So maybe they were right about her, just 7 years early.

DD1 was estimated at 8lb was born 9lb10oz after an emergency C-section due to failed induction . DD2 was elective ( due to estimated weight ) at 39 weeks 8lb14oz . Now pregnant with DD3 who they estimated 3lb8oz at 28 weeks waiting to see what week they will decide to do Csection this time .

I would 100% get a second NHS sonographer to scan you. My friend was told she was at risk of GD so on some diet for half the pregnancy, they then decided at a scan at 37weeks that baby was measuring only 4lbs and they believed that growth had slowed so wanted to induce.... she had a private scan two days later who estimated baby to be 6lbs. Baby came on their own at 39weeks weighing just over 6lb8 which is fine considering she was a little early. Tbh they offered me a growth scan in my pregnancy because of the size of my bump and I declined because they are so inaccurate, my baby was born 1 day early at 7lbs4... honestly trust your gut ❤️

I had this with DD1. At 38 weeks they were saying 9lb 5oz and badgering me into induction. Went into Labour at 39weeks exactly spontaneously and she was 7lb 5oz. Later discussion with a a consultant during my second pregnancy suggested that it may have been the placement/thickness of my hip bones, although he did also add “growth scans aren’t that accurate”.

Thank you all so much for telling me your experiences. It seems like these scans are either bang on or wildly inaccurate and not much in between 🤔It’s so hard to know what to do for the best. I have a stretch and sweep tomorrow so I’ll speak to the midwife and see if things are looking favourable down there and go from there!

It's such a mixed bag as to how accurate, but I had a scan at 39 weeks estimated 3900g and 39+5 estimated 4,200g and he was born (planned induction) at 40+2 4,108g so really pretty accurate for us!

I should add that the head and leg measurements are on the 50th percentile. It’s the belly that is measuring very large which is bumping the weight up! Which is why they were concerned about gestational diabetes but I’ve been tested twice and both times it was negative. I read that the belly measurement is the hardest to get accurate which is making me doubt it even more!

A couple of years ago I was told my baby was smaller than it should be and had regular growth scans. I can't recall them telling me the estimated weight but said baby was small nonetheless. I had high BP through my pregnancy which they said was impacting the babys growth, therefore I was induced on my due date . Baby was 9lb 4 !!!

Dr Sara Wickham has a really good book called ‘inducing labour’ it runs through the different reasons for inductions, where they come from and it explained the induction process more in-depth than anything else I read.

it’s quite short, I think I got through it in a day when I was about 40 weeks 😂

Thank you so much for the recommendation - I’m just on her website and am ordering the book now!

@5star123 i had growth scans at 34/36/38 weeks due to me having a high BMI. From those baby was predicted to be around 10lb 7oz at 40 weeks 😬
Induction was recommended because of baby’s size and I mulled over the decision for ages. I eventually booked an induction for 39+5 and baby was born bang on due date 😊
my induction went very smoothly, although it did take a wee while. Baby was born weighing 8lb 11oz 😊

I measured small, estimated 7lb 6 at 40 weeks and came out 9lb 9 10 days overdue