Baby measuring large at 35 weeks

[ScienceMummy15]

Hi,

This is my first time posting but I'm so confused and upset. I'm 35 weeks pregnant with baby No 2 and last week measured off the scale at my community midwife appointment so was sent for a growth scan. I'm petite and for both pregnancies have carried my bump very much in front. Last time I was measuring towards the top of the scale but never had to go for a scan. My daughter was born pretty much on her due date at 7lb 4oz. I went for my scan on Friday at they told me that this baby is already estimated at 7lb 6oz with 4.5 weeks to go it was such a shock. I don't feel like I'm any bigger than last time and I can't believe there is that much more baby inside of me!

I'm booked in for a GTT in 5 days, community midwife regular appointment in a week and another scan and chat to the doctors in 2 weeks time. I can't sleep because I'm going through all the eventualities in my head. I'm scared to eat anything in case I make everything even worse and I'm getting so sick of having the same conversation over and over again where people feel like it's OK to comment on my body/how big I'm looking/how long they think I've got left.

Any experiences of being sent for a GTT so late in pregnancy? The midwife I spoke to on Friday seemed to suggest th

Sorry, hit post too soon!

They seemed to be suggesting that I could be induced from 38 weeks so what is the point in testing for GD at 36.5 weeks? Also is there any way I'm coming out of this without being induced? Seems to me like the growth is either still high next time and they will induce or it will slow down to a more normal size which would have its own concerns

TIA

I had a growth scan at 38 weeks and was told I would be looking at a 9lb baby at 40weeks. She came out nearly 4 weeks later at 7.5lbs. Growth scans are not massively accurate.

I'd go for the GTT test - if that comes back positive and they want to induce at 38 weeks then you have more facts/different reasons as to why they want to induce so can make an informed decision.

If it's negative, as @wibblewobbleball says these scans can be wildly inaccurate! I was hoping for an early induction due to size when they told me I was looking at an 11lb+ baby, and that was from several consistent scans, not a one off error. They wouldn't induce just for a big baby, ended up being induced at 40+2 as my blood pressure was rising and gave birth at 40+3 to an 8lb2 baby, so not huge at all!

Good luck

This happened to me with my first. He was as big as predicted - 9lb 8 at 38 weeks (came naturally, wasn’t induced and no one ever suggested that would be the plan).
I was monitored closely with my 2nd for various reasons and she was predicted to be big as well, but again no one ever suggested induction. She came on her due due date and was big too (9.12). Both births were fine, the second was far far easier.
Good luck!

My 37 weeker on scan, estimated to be 10lb + came out at 6lb 7oz.
4 weeks worry (she was late) for nothing.

That said I would go for the GTT test as those results could have a bearing on how long they let you go.

A lot of people seem to say that about the scans. My husband is tall so I do wonder if it's just long legs throwing off the measurements. Hopefully the test comes back negative but it's not been an easy pregnancy so I'm convinced it will be positive. It was only really the last couple of weeks I was even thinking about labour etc and had started to picture something that could be a positive experience. I think that's why it has upset me so much. Last time I had high blood pressure and ended up with forceps and I was hoping for less medical intervention this time. I'm not opposed to induction in general this time, would actually be handy for child care

Thanks everyone, I didn't realise they wouldn't induce based on size alone. That's what the midwife seemed to be suggesting but it's such a lot to take in.

I guess if I've got diabetes it's better to know and to have the information. I just can't imagine having to cut down on chocolate 😂 I've had a lot of nausea this time and my diet is still a bit restricted by what I can stomach

I think the induction stuff is very dependent on where you live. I was induced due to a big baby, on my due date. He was 10lb 2oz so scans were accurate in my case. It was still a positive experience (with interventions, but treated kindly and with respect throughout, listened to, and lots of time to make decisions). I didn’t have GD so that wasn’t a factor.

I agreed to the induction mainly because I did my research and balanced the risks of shoulder dystocia against the induction risks and decided to go ahead. I could very easily have said no or waited longer and you will have the same options.

It sounds like your provider is doing their job right. Measuring you, sending for a growth scan, testing for diabete and talking about different outcomes/options.

Growth scan aren't 100% and having GD or not also doesn't necessarily mean baby will be big or not. They are just measures of risks and will allow you to make the best informed decision.

I know it's hard but try to take each day as they come for now. Think practically, do some research, and more importantly focus on what you want/ would want and discuss with your provider. If an induction of a predicted big baby scares you given your past experience, perhaps a planned c section would be better? I don't know but these are things to consider.

Good luck Mamma!

Thanks all. The midwife who gave us the results was nice and everything but was kind of laughing at how in shock I was. I couldn't process everything fast enough to think of these questions at the time. I'll have a think over the next week about what my preferred options would be. I don't even really know what I'm worried about, I think half of it is just hormones!

If you have got GD, don’t panic! I was diagnosed at 24 weeks and been managing it with diet alone since (now 35 weeks).

I highly recommend this GDUK website that has tonnes of recipes and information. They have a big section about the pros and cons of induction too.

They also have recipes that include chocolate and feel very indulgent, so you don’t feel like you are missing out! ☺️

Thanks @Firsttimetrier! If I can still have some chocolate I think I could probably cope! The guidelines i had seen are a bit depressing and I have quite a sweet tooth but I'm sure there is better support out there

I've had GD and it was fully controlled by diet - I think they only induce if your sugar levels are out of control even with medication. My baby was supposedly 'off the scale huge' but he was only about 8lbs (to put that in context, my previous DC were all roughly the same weight in pregnancies with no GD so that's not big for me). I wouldn't worry too much even if you do have it as you don't have long to go anyway. I had an ELCS for other reasons relating to my previous delivery and they did make noises about doing it early at 38w when they thought he was a monster baby but they ended up doing it at 39 w as standard. And he was totally fine! Good luck.

I know people say that growth scans are not accurate and babies always come out smaller but just for a flip side look at it I had a baby 3 and half weeks ago who weighed 10lb 15oz at birth he was estimated from growth scans to be delivered around 8lb 8oz at 39 weeks. He was breech so maybe this affected ability to measure properly on scans. My baby is currently 11lb 6oz at 3 weeks old so the growth scans can show a smaller baby. I would always take medical advice when it comes to babies.

I was diagnosed at 36w with GD after our baby measured suddenly huge (7lb 15oz) at the scan and they had me test my bloods for a few days.

I was already booked in for ELCS at 39+1 and they haven’t brought that forward nor asked me to take medication, just control by diet.

Definitely join the Gestational Diabetes UK Facebook group. I have understood that GTT post about 34 weeks aren’t reliable and they should have given you a monitor to identify it, so it might be worth asking about.

Thanks everyone, really useful advice! I had a look for the guidelines for my local hospital and there was a really useful leaflet. Sounds like if things stay the same (predicted weight over 95th centile) I would be offered induction from 38 weeks. I'll only be 2 days off that when I have my next scan so I'll be sure to go in with questions.

Thanks @Porridgeislife, I'll look that up too. I did wonder if things wouldn't all be messed up by this point. Again, by the time the results come through I'll potentially be down to the last week and a half so it wouldn't even be too long to change.

Thanks for the reassurance everyone, I'm feeling a lot better. I didn't love the idea of induction but there is a certain practical benefit with needing childcare this time around, plus my daughter is starting school in September so if I went over things would be a bit tighter than I'd hoped. Silver linings!