29 weeks, baby measuring small

[ShelbyPa1991]

At 26 weeks I measured 28 weeks and was sent for a scan to check baby wasn’t too big.Now I’m nearly 29 weeks and was sent for a scan and monitoring to be told baby is small and not moving as much as they would like. I’ve now got to go for more monitoring tomorrow and an in depth scan on Monday. Do I need to be worried? It’s stressing me out, first baby, first pregnancy.

Haha! I could've written this, but the other way around. Was told that my baby had stopped growing and I needed an urgent scan (based on bump measurements). Spent the weekend panicking. Normal on scan. Next time baby measured big, put under consultant care and talk of inductions and c sections. Normal on scan. Third time small, normal on scan. Born at 39+4 weighing 7lbs13. Best of luck. Hopefully you've just got a couple of weeks playing baby "higher or lower" with appointments 😂

Honestly try not to stress hopefully it was just that baby decided to not be very active during your scan. My 4th measured small at some of my scans so they gave extra ones just to check all was ok and she arrived at 37weeks weighing 6lb 4oz. Hope all goes well for you xx

Try not to stress although I know it’s hard! Scans are notoriously inaccurate.
my first was showing as average size until about 28 weeks when they said said she was small. The scans after that showed her growth going up then slowing down then up then down. I was induced at 37+2 because they were worried about it and I had a perfectly healthy 6lb6oz baby.

Currently pregnant again and it’s looking like the same pattern. I’m not nearly as worried this time round.

Keep an eye on movements and get to the hospital if you’re at all worried about that but otherwise trust your body and baby to know what theyre doing.

Please don't panic. We were told that we were having a small baby. He was 8lb14.5oz and 91st centile for length! They aren't always right.

I know so many people that have had growth scans and everything has been fine, myself included. Ask away at your scans, write questions down if you need to, just to ease your mind. My son was measuring small, then was told he was going to be 9lb, for him to be absolutely tiny when he arrived and none of his clothes fit him bless him lol. Now he's right he where should be, there's just no predicting it but it seems very common, try not to worry!
Re movements, if you're ever worried just go in and get checked, baby will have some lazy days but always worth getting checked

They monitored my second baby closely as my first was much smaller than expected.
however on every scan they give you a variance (in grams or ounces) of more than a pound either way, with a prediction.

they estimated my baby would be 7.5 lbs after several extra scans and it was just over 6! So smaller than their tolerance/variance!

take it with a pinch of salt, but know they keep an eye on more than just measurements.

Don’t worry until there’s something to worry about.
With my second baby, I was told he was concerningly small and sent for growth scans. My bump was consistently measuring 4cm behind what was expected - even though I’m quite a tiny person 🤷🏻‍♀️
Had the scan and they told me they were suspecting IUGR and if he continued to follow his curve on the chart, they were estimating no more than 4lb 8oz at full term. Placenta and cord blood flow were checked and everything was normal.
Started talks of inducing at 37 weeks - which I wouldn’t have done anyway. But he ended up arriving at 36+0, I went into spontaneous labour. He weighed 6lb 9oz 😂😂🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

Just to offer a slightly different perspective. I did have a baby that measured small on scans and he was born very small, 5lb 10oz at 39+5. He was fine though and we were discharged within 24 hours. So scans are not always wrong but the outcome is not necessarily bad even if your baby is small. I was closely monitored and well looked after.

In my experiences with both pregnancies they were way off. First baby went from measuring behind to then ahead again within two weeks. She was born 10 days late 8lbs11.
Second baby was measuring two weeks ahead and was born 4 days late 7lbs13. I really wouldn’t worry how big baby is as the scans aren’t 100% accurate.
Have you reported reduced movements? If they’ve only seen it on a scan that’s not really a representation of how they are all the time. Do you feel like the movements are consistent? My second moved a lot less than my first but that was normal for her. Now she’s here, she’s a lot more easy going so maybe it was just her personality!