Baby measuring on 2nd percentile

[Bethandfreddie]

So I had my 20 week scan today, and my baby is measuring small for gestation. They checked if the blood flow was okay, which is was, and said that everything else (structural) was fine. All my screening tests at 12 weeks came back low risk too.

I've got a scan in 6-8 weeks to see if she has caught up, and if she hasn't then I'm being referred to a specialist.

I've been told not to worry, but how can I not worry about it?! I'm really really hoping she will be okay, she's a wriggler and has been since about 14 weeks! I just want a healthy baby girl.

Hand hold 💐 I know how stressful it can be.

My baby was on the 5th percentile and I had to have regular scans throughout the pregnancy (10 altogether!). By the late third trimester be had caught up and weighed 8lb at birth and perfectly healthy! He's now big for his age at 10 weeks 🥰

Try not to worry (easier said than done I know), I'm sure she's perfectly healthy ❤️

My baby was born on 5th centile, and dropped to 2nd centile for most of his (healthy!) life so far - 18mo - although haven't had him weighed in a long time now.

I realise it is a bit different when on lower centiles during pregnancy, I didn't quite have that experience because he was like 20th centile at 20weeks, and about 10th centile during growth scans in late pregnancy due to small bump. But as far as I understand it, the placenta function and cord flow are really key so its really positive that those are looking good. You will be well looked after and monitored more regularly - I'd expect you will have several extra growth scans and they key thing is how they continue to grow and the placenta/cord flow.

I guess what I'm trying to say is try not to be overly worried, they will keep a good eye on you and bubba and chances are, all will be good.

At the end of the day, there will always be babies on the lower centiles. My babe was about 5lbs 10 at birth (5th centile) but other than some feeding issues and jaundice in immediate few days, he has always been perfectly healthy (and adorably diddy!).

Take care and i hope all works out well x

Small baby here too. My midwife told me not to worry about the 20 week scan measurements, as long as everything else was looking good they should catch up. My baby is now around the 10th percentile (that was at a 28 week growth scan) and no issues, I have extra growth scans just to check in on her as we go but so far so good. Get to see her again in a couple of weeks when I’ll be 32 weeks.

I was in hospital earlier this week for something unrelated and the consultant also said there’s nothing to worry about size wise, I was concerned she was small because of the heart issue I was in with but totally unrelated. The doctor said some of us just make little minis ☺️

My first baby was the same and was born on the 0.4th centile but she was perfectly healthy, full term and only 4lb 11oz. It’s possible that baby will catch up and if not, try not to panic :)

I’ve had five teeny tiny full term babies, all on max 0.5 percentile throughout. 2 are now taller than 6ft, and all of them healthy and happy. Try not to worry. This whole weight by scan thing is not an exact science and nor is it necessarily indicative of worrying things in the absence of other symptoms.

Thank you all for your replies, it's very comforting💕

I don’t think centiles are well understood. If I’m telling you something you already know then please disregard but I think sometimes understanding the growth charts helps ease your worry.
The centile charts are made based on your BMI and the average weight/sizes of babies born to women of the same BMI.
Essentially, if they took, at random, 100 babies of women with the same BMI they would, hypothetically speaking, show the range of weights on the charts. There would be 2 babies below the 2nd centile. The smallest 10 babies would fall on the 10th centile and below. The biggest 25 babies would be on the 75th centile and above. And so on and so forth.
When babies measure small, growth scans are recommended. If, for example, a baby’s growth stays on the 2nd centile throughout the pregnancy, follows that line on the graph and there are no other concerns (ie cord blood flow, placenta issues), then there wouldn’t be any concerns about the baby, they are just in the smaller range of what’s expected. The reason they’re more closely monitored is to look for faltering growth, when a baby falls down through centiles. This is known as growth restriction and would need more investigation. A baby on the 75th centile at the 20 week scan can also have growth restriction later on but babies that are already small are more at risk if their weight tails off, because it would make them smaller than is deemed healthy. A baby following a centile, whether big or small, isn’t a cause of concern unless accompanied by other issues.
Please trust them when they tell you not to worry. I work in neonates and closely with maternity, fetal medicine etc. If there’s one thing that can be said for these services, it’s that they’re honest with parents. If they were worried, they would tell you.

Thank you for explaining to me! I appreciate it.

Not sure if anyone will see this but I had a growth scan at 26 weeks and she is now just above the 10th centile! Got scans every two weeks now til she arrives just to make sure she keeps growing.