37 week delivery by choice

[Babyenroutee]

I have been having monthly growth scans and the baby has previously been on track and growing along the same line so they have been happy. At my scan last week (34+5) the growth scan showed the baby has dropped and is now just on the 10th centile (13 specifically). My consultant has booked me in for another scan next week where I will be 36+5 and said if the growth doesn't pick up, or drops any lower they will deliver the baby early at that point as it's probably a sign that my placenta is failing.

This waiting until my next scan has been so mind-consuming and leaving me feeling very unsettled. If the next scan at 37 weeks shows the baby hasn't dropped anymore but also hasn't picked up, can you advocate for a delivery at 37 weeks? If the consultant says let's monitor again for another week and then take a view at 38 weeks, I'm struggling to not worry, overthink and sleep.

Is this something you can discuss or will the consultant just make the decision based on what he thinks is best?

Thanks

Any help would be appreciated ☺️

You can certainly ask, no guarantees but no harm in asking. They'll do what they think is right for the baby and you though

Sorry you're going through this OP it must be really worrying. Ultimately though, they will do what is safest for the baby. There are risks to early delivery so they would have to weigh that up when considering what to do. If they won't deliver at 37 weeks, it's because it's safer to wait.

You can ask but the chances of baby having breathing difficulties following a c section are greater before 38w i think? So if growth decline has stabilised, they might be reluctant to do it. I had a baby where growth dropped from 75th at the start of pregnancy to 9th at 37w. Even then, my induction wasn't booked until 39w as it was felt DD1 would benefit from more time in rather than out. I went into spontaneous labour at 38w so managed to avoid an induction or c section altogether, which i wouldn't have done if I'd pushed for induction at 37w.

It might be worth asking to have a chat through all your options with the consultant midwife or the birth options midwife. Its a specialist longer appointment and really helped to put my mind at rest about the plan and give me time to ask lots of questions, which you don't often get in a rushed short appointment!

I think you may not need intervention, I had similar scans at 34+5 and I had baby a week later, he was fine no nicu, no jaundice just had to get prem clothes. Pack you bag, have a good meal and try to snooze x

Oh thank you that’s really good to know. I just really want baby to safely arrive so I can put my mind at rest. I’ll know more next week thanks again x

Delivery any time from 37 weeks onwards is considered full-term, so don't be worried if you end up delivering then. The likelihood of needing NICU drops significantly from 35-36 weeks, and drops again from 36-37 weeks.

After about 34 weeks, most of the energy is diverted to gaining fat, lungs,eyes and brain are all pretty much just waiting for the chunky news to develop. I was born at 25 weeks at 2lb4oz back in 85, my sin git 10 weeks and double size. Labour was 5 hours but midwives and doctors did not panic, they were aware but not overly worried. It's classed as late premature but many many babies are born this gestation and are super duper x

Thank you, I’m just unsure if they’ll do it at 37 weeks if I ask, obviously not if the baby has had a growth spurt but I am struggling to relax in the interim. X

I tries to feel OK with any relaxing, was eating toast and marmalade with a chaser of rennie and fizzy water,laid on sofa and crashed out for 2 hours then had another pee and waddled to bed. You are better off saying to yourself it may happen tomorrow and trust your body to do it's thing a teeny early. If you get to 37 weeks and there is bo change then cross that bridge then.

Oh my God, so many typos 🙄

Hi, I had the same thing happen to me too. However at my 36 week scan they found my placenta had moved up and baby was at a decile that they were happy with so in the end I didn't need to have a 37 week c section.

Hopefully the same will happen to you too.

Good luck with it all!

Have you had the placenta flow checked?

Just asking as I've been told that baby had dropped from 90th centile to 10/15th centile last week, however placenta flow is good.

I went to a private scan and they've double checked measurements and it's approx 85th centile and not the 10th as thought last week in growth scan app. Have you had the measurements rechecked by another consultant?

Hmm im not sure, do they check that in the general growth scans? I could see the blue and red bits coming up on the screen if that's it/ They didn't specify anything in relation to it.

Havent had a second opinion, have my second appt a week tomorrow tho so hopefully will know better then. Thanks

@Babyenroutee I was similar but the growth had dropped at my 36 growth week scan so consultant saw me after it and booked me in for an induction bang in 37 weeks the following Monday it was a huge relief- he did say I could decline and I'd have to go in for monitoring every other day but we decided it was best to get baby out!

Oh thats really good to know thank you. I guess mine will be decided on whether at the next appt it has increased at all or remains the same, as to whether I will deliver in the following day or two. Did your little one need any extra support after being born at 37w?

No she arrived at 37 and 4 days as my induction took a while..... She was tiny at 5lbs 4 but we were home the next day!

I was extremely stressed before the growth scan as my Dad had been diagnosed with terminal cancer 4 days before so I was a bit of a mess to begin with what should of been a routing gestational diabetes growth scan went south pretty quickly! I don't think I could of dealt with weeks of monitoring and I know being induced isn't for everyone but it was 100% the right thing for us

The consultant was so lovely I'll never ever forget him

My baby was delivered by c-sec a little early at 37 weeks. I had a diabetic complication, but baby was OK and hit all the normal milestones. We did need to buy smaller clothes though, baby was tiny at 6 pounds 6oz. Best wishes with it all.

Ah, that's great to hear. I'm glad it went so smoothly for you. I'm sorry to hear about your dad, too.
That's my concern, the not being able to switch off or relax waiting until 39 weeks, I'm struggling as it is so I agree in that if I could go at 37 weeks it would be the right decision for me..

Ahh a little tiny baby. I will be having a C/S too so unsure if they would do it at 37 weeks as some say they have breathing difficulties after CS as it is, but I will find out more next week. I don't have GD but I do have epilepsy and wonder if previous medication has anything to do with baby being small. My sister had two 6lbers too so it definitely runs in the family!

it would be the right decision for me..

It would, but they'll need to weigh that up with your baby, and if you're already opting for a section, statistically 38 weeks is better for them. It's a really good thing that your placental flow is fine.

They really panicked us about my son's size, and all the risks... the scans and bump measurements were crazily wrong, he was just under 8lbs. As soon as he was out, all the consultants and midwives were saying how wrong scans always are for estimating growth. I was absolutely losing my mind about if he was okay, and he was always absolutely fine. I'd even bought a load of 5lb baby clothes at one point...

6lbs 6oz at 37w is a great size! Mine were 5lbs 12oz at 38w and 6lbs 3oz at 39+3. 😵‍💫 Did they expect baby to be that size or were they thinking baby would be bigger / smaller?

I had diabetic /placenta complications with my last one, I was given two steroid injections a few days or so before delivery at 36weeks to help with breathing issues.

That is good to know, thank you for your response.

They usually would check the placenta blood flow in the growth scans, if the growth was slowing, I think the placenta flow doppler aspect would have shown it. Ask them at the next app, as that reassured me.

It's so stressful though, I couldn't settle over the weekend and have another growth check this Friday. The private scan helped me though, maybe that's something that could give you more information? They also check placenta blood flow too if asked.