Baby not growing at 35 weeks. Advice please.

[mrslurkalot]

Hi I wonder if there are any midwives or doctors out there that could put my mind at rest.
DSIL has been told today that her baby has not grown for 2 weeks, she has also has reduced movement. Her midwife sent her to hospital where they monitored the heart beat, said all seemed ok and sent her home.
This just doesn't seem right to me, why would the baby not be growing at this stage?
I am concerned as a good friend lost her baby at 33 weeks earlier this year due to restricted growth.

Not a MW or a Dr but had dd1 stopped growing between 35&37 weeks and had grown v.slowly from under 20 weeks.

IS your SIL going to be scanned again ? Was this after other scans ?

I was scanned v. regularly from 20 weeks and got more frequently as it got nearer the end. Once dd1 stopped growing I was admitted into hospital and she was delivered.

Does she have any follow up ? If not, she must have some - and monitor movement (although its hard to monitor movement objectively once you know there's a problem).

FWIW, DD1 - who was 4lbs 9oz at 37 weeks in 5 next month and no resulting problems.

Hi Wheelybug,
Thanks for your reply.
DSIL saw her consultant a week ago who spotted that the baby was a week smaller than her dates, and booked another scan for next Tuesday to check the growth.
My concern is that if there is a problem with the placenta , as there was with my friend, this may be too late.

By the way she wasn't scanned today.

hmm yes i'd want more follow-up tbh, i had an identical situation (baby stopped growing at 31 weeks, found out at 33, absolutely TERRIFYING) and i know that i went from having an alright scan (placental blood flow, fluid, hb etc) one day to a serious loss of fluid the next while i felt no different. the reason they found out was because i was in hospital anyway, but i know that they said they wouldn't have let me go more than a couple of days without a scan. i had the baby by cs the afternoon of the last scan.

i'm sorry if that panics you but i'd be doing some footstamping tbh. btw dd2 was born at 33+6 at 4lbs 1oz and breathed by herself from the off. amazing, really, given that she hadn't grown in a fortnight. she is now a little yobbo of a one-year-old who only this morning stripped a remote control down to its component parts.

so, she was measuring small, and is awaiting another scan to check up on that?

meanwhile she had reduced movements and went to hospital where they scanned her and said all seemed ok in that regard?

i think it's quite common to feel like baby isn';t moving much. after a while you become used to it, and maybe don't notice it so much. if she has been scanned and baby seemed fine and heartbeat was alright then she should be reassured by that- i am not sure what else they could have done for her today??

was she scanned last week and told the baby was a week smaller ? If so, I don't think there is (at this stage) much cause for concern. Size by dates is based on measurement against an average. By this stage dd1 was weeks and weeks behind. DD2 would have been probably more than a week behind at this stage too and was born at term on the 25th centile, weighing 7.1 oz.

So, its good they are checking but they will look at the different measurements and then be able to tell whether there is a problem or if baby is smaller than average. Basically, they look at the circumference of the abdomen to spot growth problems - if its small that shows an issue and they will probably do doppler scans which show the flow of placenta blood round the baby - a baby with a growth problem will show increased blood flow to the brain because the body knows that's where its needed most.

Am off to bed now but will check in tomorrow if you need any more layman's thoughts.

Thanks all, and night night Wheelybug.

As far as I know she wasn't scanned last week and definitely not today.

ohh, if it's just been done on measuring bump with a tape measure i honestly wouldn't worry!

i measured small with ds3 and he was 9lb 11 !!!!!

hope all goes well with her next scan and you can both put your minds at rest

if she's been measured with a tape i wouldn't be overly concerned, it's a bullshit way of measuring growth tbh. i presumed you'd meant that she was scanned.

Oh blimey - yes agree ith the others, if a tape measure than its rubbish.

With dd1 I measured bang on date every week and she was born at

if it's just from the tape measure then the bump not growing in 2 weeks isn't anything to worry about and could just be the baby changing position, moving lower etc. Generally you're only referred for growth scans if the tape measure shows you to be at least 3 cm bigger or smaller than the number of weeks pregnant you are. I assume your SIL's difference was less than this which is why she wasn't referred for a growth scan. The ultrasound scan she had will be related to the reduced movements not to the growth issue, and as they were happy with the outcome of the scan, all is well!

hi all new 2 mumsnet but need some advice been 4 35 week check with dr today tummy measured 31.5cm at 31 weeks now measuring 31 cm at 35 weeks. growth scan booked and really nervous!!up till today been told going to have a big baby(my son 8lb 2oz) now really floored!!!!!! anyone no what they look 4 on scan???

hi my friend is 34 n half weeks pregnant but midwife told her last week baby is small and has stopped growing and is measuring 31 weeks shes only 16 an 5ft 2 5 weeks ago she was took in hospital as she was losing water and a little blood and started having contractions luckily they stopped then 3 weeks ago she lost water again and it stopped again.she has now been getting pains mainly in her back for the last 2 days but hospital said not to come in yet she has a scan this week babys heartbeat was strong last week and moving a bit.im so worried as i lost a baby girl 2 years ago she was stillborn at 6 months any advice welcome thanks