HELP! Does anyone understand this centile graph

[Sprinklerainbows]

Can anyone tell me what centile the cross has been plotted on?

the lady who did the scan was in a huge rush and told me to need to go back in a few days for a rescan to determine if I need a fetal medication referral for size measurements, especially her head size. Is it plotting on the 5th or 3rd centile? I can’t tell and she rushed us out the door before we had time to ask questions!

the actual measurement is 160.2mm

thanks in advance

It’s the third, it says at the bottom

It says at the bottom.

The lower line will be the 3rd centile. Middle line 50th, and upper line 97th. So it looks like you're close to the 3rd. Can't say how close though.

I don't know how accurate this is, but on this website there is a calculator.
www.babymed.com/tools/hc-head-circumference-calculator#

Apologies. Was typing too fast. Hope you are doing ok, and baby has caught up on measurements at the re-scan. Try not to worry

@ChickpeaPie @Dyra

thank you both for your replies! I don’t understand why she said it’s technically in the normal range, when online it says the 5th is the lowest centile for ‘normal’!?

I know it doesn’t make a difference as we have another scan in a couple of days but my anxiety is through the roof 😩

@Ivesaidenough thank you I did come across this and it says the 5th but it’s American and I have a feeling it’s different to the uk, can’t be sure though!

It IS in the normal range if 5th is the lowest centile for normal.

Out of 100, someone has to be the 5th smallest. Try not to worry!

@Dyra thank you 🤍 I just keep feeling waves of panic. My sister in law lost her baby in utero, and was plotting similarly so it’s sent my mind crazy. She still hasn’t got answers 2 years on so can’t be sure if
it was a generic cause or not 😩

@MassiveSalad22 thank you I really hope so it’s just that it says the graph is 97th-3rd centile? And the x is on the lowest line so is that the 3rd or 5th 🤣

Anything between the 3rd and 97th centile is considered to be in the normal range.

A one-off reading isn't worth a lot. You (and your HC professionals) need to know if this represents a trend - a baby who was on the 50th centile and is now on the 3rd isn't growing/thriving and needs looking at. Also, is the baby in proportion - a 3rd centile HC potentially matters more if the baby's body is on the 50th centile, but if it's a small baby all over then maybe it's less concerning. And what sort of size are the parents? You don't expect a big bruiser of a babe from two very petite parents (though obviously it can happen!) and vice versa.

Please try not to worry. Your baby may well be fine. If there are any problems brewing, then screening like this will pick them up so that you and the HCPs can take steps to minimise them.

The line is the 3rd centile yes, but it looks like the cross is just a little bit above it. So probably the 5th. As you're on the borderline, a re-scan when baby is just that little bit bigger, so more accurate measurements (for now), will confirm if you need to be seen by MFM. How were the rest of baby's measurements?

Sorry to hear about your SIL. Completely understandable you're anxious. Keeping everything crossed all is bigger at your next scan.

@mauvish thank you for your reply. The other measurements were all over the place. The AC is around the 30th centile and the FL is around the 7th. Maybe she’s a little on the small side all over but the head was around 2 weeks behind.

I’m hoping it was more of a positional thing causing it to be slightly off rather than a super accurate reading. My son who’s now 2 measured on the 50th and so I wasn’t expecting to be told she was small this time round.

@Dyra thank you that makes sense. Also the scan was rushed because I was incorrectly booked in (another reason I’m hoping it’s incorrect!)

the AC was on the 30th centile and the FL is just below the 7th

Thank you, I’m not sure I’d be so anxious had my SIL not lost her baby. Trying to keep a cool as possible head (and also not think about the fact they also said I have a low lying placenta covering os 🤦🏼‍♀️)

She’s now dropped below the ‘normal’ range, she’s on the 2.5 centile. So we have been referred to fetal medicine but glad we are on their radar now, atm no one seems particularly concerned which is good

Hey OP, just wanted to offer some reassurance about small babies. My DD was on the 2nd percentile at birth, they had no idea she was so small. I’d only had one growth scan which estimated her to be around the 20th. So not sure if scan was off or if her growth slowed afterwards. Either way, she was completely heathy, no issues at birth and is now almost 3, measuring just below 50th for height and weight!

I had multiple extra scans over concerns I was measuring a small baby. He was 10 pound 2. They're just covering all potential issues but even a very very tiny early baby has an great chance of catching up now with the quality of our doctors, the worst thing is stressing out when pregnant

Try not to let the measurememts worry you! My baby was measuring between 50-60th centile for everything at 20 week scan. Then at my first fundal height measurement i was small so sent for growth scan- again baby was over 50th centile across the board.

When he was born he weighed 3rd centie! So goes to show those growth scans arent always accurate. Hes now 18 months and 90th centile for height. Even if they are small they soon catch up

Thanks everyone. The baby has also got an echogenic bowel and there’s some other concerns so we’ve been sent urgently to a different hospital. Obviously still hopefully she’s just small but not sure atm really. We’ll know more tomorrow

Hi Sprinkle, how it's going? I'm currently going through the same thing..HC 3rd centile, 24 weeks ga.

There's a study up in Sheffield which can do a fetal MRI to identify if there is any issues with the brain, did they talk to you about that? Worth mentioning to just make sure everything is fully investigated. Best of luck, and look forward to hearing from you!

@Jp195 sorry to hear you’re in a similar situation
she’s still tiny and completely off the chart. The bowel is still echogenic. Everything else organ and brain wise was looking good!

her head and all the limbs are off the chart atm. Head >3rd centile

we turned down the amniocentesis so we won’t know for sure if it’s a chromosome/genetic condition. She said she thinks it’s very unlikely to be edwards or Pataus but a possibility she has Down’s syndrome
as there are some markers to suggest.

there’s also some signs I may have a placental issue and so we will have to stay at the London hospital to be monitored from now on. We have to have a scan there every 2 weeks and then they’ll decide if she need to be delivered etc (if growth stops)

thats great you can have the mri! It’s not something that’s been mentioned to us though x

have you had any updates

Hi @Sprinklerainbows, I'm sorry to hear that.

Why don't you give the NIPT a go? It's non invasive and 99% accurate to pick up down syndrome, it's just a blood test. Of course, that's ultimately your choice if you did want to know!

The MRI went well, no brain abnormalities were seen, thank goodness. She just has a tiny head at 3rd centile.

I'll pray for you and your baby's good health ❤️.

This. Someone has to be on everything. So this means 95% are bigger. 4% are smaller. There's nothing wrong with this, also factor in your size, DH, ethnicity etc.
My baby was born 2nd percentile, and now above 50. But definitely do ask your midwife etc questions, but try not to worry like I did, it did more harm than good.

@Jp195 good to hear about the mri!

we will be having the NIPT but just haven’t booked it in yet. I’ve been putting it off not sure really sure why!

I hope the her little head catches up! And the rest of the pregnancy is straight forward for you! Will they continue to monitor throughout?

@MrsMikeDrop I do totally get this and the positive stories are great. However everyone’s situations are different and measuring small (within the normal range on the 5th or above) is one thing, but actually growth decline and falling out of the norm is something to worry about.

for example my baby had OTHER markers to suggest something serious going on. Under the 3rd centile for growth in most areas which was a decline from the 2 weeks prior, an echogenic bowel and signs of placental insufficiency (which can cause the baby to completely stop growing) and increases the risk of stillbirth. We are being monitored biweekly with by Fetal Medicine specialists now

Hi @Sprinklerainbows yes, they're going to keep scanning every two to three weeks just to track the growth.

I've heard stories where it's caught up in size, so try not to worry too much. Make sure your nutrition is also optimised in terms of your pregnacare tablets, omegas, and make sure you get a decent amount of protein. And do all the diagnostics you can!