Midwife growth charts- complete anxiety

[Millie890]

Hi
Just wondering if anyone else is in the same boat as me. I am 36 weeks pregnant and since my Midwife started doing my centile measurements with her old fashioned paper tape measure (surely they can think of something more up to date than that?!) none of her measurements on my growth chart have made any sense. I'm now being sent for a second growth scan even though my 3 scans so far have shown the baby's growth is fine. It's causing me to be really stressed and worried that something is wrong when there likely isn't anything wrong.

Has anyone else been driven mad by tape measure-led growth charts? (No disrespect what so ever as I know they have guidelines to follow).

Thanks

What are the measurements showing, why is she concerned? Could this be to do with other concerns, not about your baby's growth, eg excessive fluid or water retention?

She hasn't been specific but I think it is growth related, the scan said the blood flow and fluid were good. One week a different midwife did a measurement which was way higher than her chart so I was sent to have that checked out then we were fine for two weeks then at my appointment yesterday she said that the baby had only grown 1cm in two weeks according to her measurements and had dropped slightly into the percentile below again. It's really confusing!

Fundal measurements are wildly inaccurate and I honestly think they should be done away with.

If all scans to date have been satisfactory and you aren't worried, then just decline any further measurements and scans.

Also insane for a midwife to be worrying about 1cm at 36 weeks, baby might have dropped further in to the pelvis.

Even growth scans at this gestation are very inaccurate.

You've got a week until you're full term, you'll be absolutely fine - sorry they've made you so worried.

Yes we had this and I thought the same. It didn't help I was measured by 3 different midwives between week 25 and week 38.

At week 33 they said baby was going to be very big for me (I'm quite small). Scan showed 50th centile. At 38 weeks they said baby had not grown since 33 weeks another scan still on 25th centile.

She was born at 40 weeks at 6lbs 1oz so on the small side but not worryingly so x

Honestly take the measurements with a huge pinch of salt they are known to be incredibly inaccurate!

DS1 was measured below 50% entire pregnancy he came out 110th percentile for height and 98th for weight!
DS2 was measuring big came out bang on the 50th for both!
As long as movements are good and the scans are showing blood flow and fluid is fine then relax.

So first my first I measured about 2-3 cm behind. I am tall and they said that was the reason.

Fast forward to birth. My waters broke, went to triage and was sent home. About 20 hours later I was in labour and back at hospital. So my waters had been coming out for a day.

When I was being checked in - they measured again and I was now about 4-4 cm behind and starting to get concerned about a small baby coming.

Couple of hours later my 7lb baby arrives or actually his big head gets stuck!

Thank you everyone! I feel better now I know that others have had the same experience :).

I had the same. Bump always measured below what was expected (And I am not a small person) so had lots of extra growth scans. All totally fine. 😀

With DD1 the tape measure turned out to be more accurate than the subsequent growth scans. All was well though.

My measurements have been up and down since the second time I got measured, leading to two growth scans. All was good on growth scans but my baby has measured quite small (just above 10th centile) but there aren't any concerns about that. It is very stressful and worrying though, as much as everyone says not to worry!

I had a tiny baby on the 1st percentile but she was perfect and healthy. I do think these scans cause a lot of unnecessary stress and I'm glad my scans were wrong as they showed a larger baby so I wasn't worried about it during pregnancy and the doctors couldn't try to interfere by inducing her early.