Aspirin after small baby?

[Whathefisgoingon]

I’ve just had my booking appointment and the system triggered a recommendation of aspirin starting at 12 weeks, following my sons birth at 6lbs3. Absolutely was not expecting this and had never heard of it!

Thing is, the placenta/flow etc was all checked as was baby at a scan around 37 weeks and there was never any concerns re growth. I dramatically reduced my dietary intake of carbohydrates from week 36/37 and I believe that is why baby was born smaller, but is 6lbs3 really that small!?

Anyway, I said I don’t want to take aspirin unless something shows there is a need for it at the scan etc.

Anyone had this before or have any more info?

i wouldn’t have thought carbs have anything to do with it, women with hyperemesis don’t have noticeably smaller babies

I think it’s one of those things now that is routinely recommended if you meet any of the potential risk factors, rather than individual circumstances.

I’ve been advised to take it because my mum had pre-eclampsia and we were premature and very low birth weight. I’ve never had issues with blood pressure and nothing else to indicate baby will be low birth weight as it’s measuring ahead at the moment, but have read that there’s an argument for all women taking it as it helps with the general blood flow to maximise the nutrients baby is getting.

I can only speak for myself but I’ve had no side effects from taking it and if it gives my baby any potential benefit then I’m happy to do it.

just be aware though that if you’re taking vitamins like Pregnacare there’s a warning on the box not to mix with blood thinners due to vitamin contraindication (vitamin k I think), so would be worth checking with your midwife what’s best.

My first son was premmie but a really good weight of 3lbs 15oz, he was 31w3d. With my second I was put on aspirin incase second was premmie too to ensure he would be a good weight. It confused me a bit because although my first was premmie his weight was really good for his gestation. I took it as advised as there were no risks and my second was born at 39w1day at 7lbs6, which is pretty much average. I would take it as advised, it won't do any harm.

My daughter was 6lb 12oz at 41+1. My midwife told me I may need to take aspirin but they would tell me at my 12 weeks scan. At the scan they said I was just over the threshold for needing it. The only reason she was considered small was because she was that weight at 8 days late so would have been even smaller on her due date. I’m only 5ft though so wasn’t really surprising she was on the smaller side. This one is going to be born 13 days earlier than her big sister (ELCS date confirmed) so likely to be smaller or no bigger at least.

I also had very little conversation around the fact my first child was officially SGA, until my booking for number two! First was 9th centile on my personalised chart in the end but only had problems identified at last MW appointment at 38+6. Anyway for my second I was put on aspirin and had extra scans, these suggested this baby would be even smaller so we were planning early induction, and so on. Then at my last growth scan she was measuring about the 40th centile so all bets were off and they left me alone until I went overdue.

I guess what I'm saying is to take their advice and all monitoring offered as you never know what twists and turns are to come. It's one of the reasons we aren't having a third, that second pregnancy was so stressful even though the baby at the end of it (and the birth) was much more 'average'. So I don't know if the aspirin helped but it certainly didn't seem to hinder and it was such a small dose I didn't think it worth worrying about, personally.

Thanks all. I had never heard of this before but I guess I will take it!

They did say from 12 weeks, is that right? Will the hospital confirm once I’ve had the first scan, or do I need to chase it up?

Will they do additional growth scans due to my first being small?

It's really common to be on aspirin. The dopplers from your last pregnancy don't matter. Nor does your change in diet.

You had a previous SGA baby, that's enough indication for prophylactic aspirin from 12 weeks.

Don't tell the pharmacist you're pregnant or they won't give it to you.

The first scan is irrelevant size wise. The growth problems that aspirin prevents occur later in pregnancy. So no, they won’t use the scan as confirmation. Hopefully a midwife will remind you but I’d just take it from 12 weeks.

Subsequent scans will depend on your hospital policy. At mine you’d get monthly from 28 weeks, and then more regularly if size became a concern.

@Whathefisgoingon I'd probably bring it up if you have a midwife appointment alongside the 12 week scan (in my trust that was when they did screening bloods and took height and weight too, you see the sonographer then have a midwife appt as well) if they don't, they will tell you the right dose and if I remember I got a form to hand in to my GP for the records to get the aspirin on prescription.

However i think I didn't want all that bother so just bought OTC aspirin tablets and snapped them in half to get the right dose for me, I'm NOT advocating that as health advice but faffing about chasing and fetching prescriptions for something that cost pence and was easily available elsewhere didn't suit me 🙂 obviously I took the advice on dosage and also made sure I took the letter to my GP anyway for my records at their end as, as we know, they don't seem to crossmatch GP and maternity notes...!

You show a real lack of scientific and medical understanding if you think reducing carbs led to you having a baby on the 2nd centile. Therefore I would listen to what actual doctors say about the health of your baby

@Persuaderama Interesting you think that seeing as it is readily available information online.

From 36 weeks pregnant I was consuming less than 1,000 calories a day, and less than 20g carb.

Baby was always measured on track to being over 7lbs.

I think you’re mistaken.

My point is that even if was an issue, why was it never picked up? Surely some babies are just small!

In any case as I have said I will take the aspirin. I had never heard of this before and my initial reaction was shock - obviously! Aspirin is hardly a jelly baby.

How old are you? I didn’t have aspirin for DC1&2 but was advised to have it for DC3 due to age.

@bunnypenny 34. They said It’s only due to my first borns weight at birth.

@Whathefisgoingon point me to this info and research readily available online then please. The only thing I can find is studies showing low carb diets during pregnancy can lead to serious birth defects due to folate issues.

@Persuaderama But it wasn’t just low carb, I said I was under eating generally. At the time I didn’t realise, of course.

I rang the hospital today and the midwives said that whilst he was small he wasn’t “worryingly small” and the system just triggered all of this as a precaution.

I'm on low carb/keto diet over 20 pregnant and baby is bigger than average so far, so I don't think there is anything to do with that, unless you were starving yourself. I also take aspirin due to ma age and so far no harm to me or baby, its precaution, helps placenta to work properly.

You keep changing the narrative so this is pointless. Just take the aspirin yeah?