Baby measuring 7 days behind - update after high risk doc

[chocolatepie]

Update 2: Saw high risk doctor on Monday afternoon. He agreed baby is measuring behind but said that in 80% of the cases, the baby is just naturally small. He asked about our birth sizes, and those of our siblings and their children (we are all normal 7-9 lb babies) but then said that we could just make small babies for some reason. In the 20%, there is something wrong with the placenta or cord that is slowing his growth.

He is taking back over my growth scans and we'll have them every 1-2 weeks. If at some point he stops growing from one to another, they'll assume there is something wrong and induce. He hopes to get me at least to 37 weeks if not 39 weeks. I'm currently 29. 

I see him again in 2 weeks for another scan and we are hoping he has put on at least 4 more ounces; he said most babies have a growth spurt between 30-32 weeks and often put on 8 ounces but we'll settle for 4.


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Update: OB reviewed the sonogram yesterday and she IS concerned; said his head and abdomen are less than 10% so they are sending me back to MFM for a scan and his opinion. I see them Monday afternoon. I appreciate them being proactive but now I'll be anxious all weekend!

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Had my 28 week growth scan today and he's still measuring 7 days behind - he was measuring the same 4 weeks ago at my 2nd anatomy scan with MFM. So at least he hasn't slowed down anymore, but it still makes me anxious.

My midwife said that because I was already going to have growth scans every 4 weeks, nothing really changes right now and to not worry. But I do  

Googling gives me a laundry list of possible causes for slowed fetal growth but the only one that applies is anemia; my hemoglobin dropped again in the last couple of weeks even after iron infusions (they pulled labs again today to see if they can figure out why).

If he continues at 7 days behind, will they adjust his due date? I see that has happened to people online. They plan to induce me at 39 weeks so if he's already a week delayed, I'm hesitant to go a week early. 

Any insight?

[boymomof2]

Could he just be small? I'm not sure if that applies to babies still in utero but I know outside my son was only in the 3% for weight and height since birth but I'm only 5'2 and his dad 5'6. He's just a small kid. He's now 11 and just got in to a size 10 when he's been a 7/8 for the last several years.

[stellelinds25]

I don't have any insight, but I didn't want to read and not post. If your midwife told you not to worry, then TRY not to worry! And stop googling!!! Baby will be FINE and even if he's a peanut, it sounds like he's still looking healthy!

[Susie]

I would really try not to worry.  My first baby measured behind pretty much the whole pregnancy after the due date was set at the 9w u/s.  My LMP, ovulation, and dating u/s due dates spread over almost a week, 11/15, 11/22, and 11/21 respectively.  They were using 11/21, and I was measuring behind that.  I had GD in that pregnancy, so there was a lot of discussion of how far they'd let me go over.  I really wanted a spontaneous labor, and was worried about what due date they were using for my deadline, since there was a 6 day spread.  In the end, I went on my own on 11/16, closest to the least accurate (LMP) due date calculation method.  She was born 5 days before the 11/21 due date that she had been measuring "behind," at a healthy 7 lb. 1 oz.  

They might have adjusted if I'd been significantly off earlier, like 12w, but by 28 weeks there are more factors going into the baby's size than just rounds of cell division, KWIM?  And worst case, if they induce at 39, and you really are off by 7 days, then you're still at 38w which will be ok.

[Poppy]

I really think it's NBD.

Did you have an ultrasound in first tri? They really prefer those for dating and as far as I know would not adjust your due date based on a later measurement if the early one agreed. Ultrasounds are notoriously inaccurate for size in 3rd tri. My kiddo measured quite large throughout 3rd tri but was perfectly average at birth.

1 week off just doesn't seem out of the ordinary to me. I know that for many fetal conditions, they consider 5th percentile to be the threshold of concern. I'd be shocked if 1 week off at 28w was close to that threshold.

[kellikans]

Still lurking even though DD is 7 weeks (already!).

My first was measuring 2 to almost 3 weeks behind. He was iugr, though, and that was discovered at my anatomy scan. But I had a lot of placental issues with that pregnancy. He was born at 36 wks via scheduled c/s weighing 4lbs3oz and today is completely healthy and super smart, he's just small for his age (<5th percentile). His pedi thinks he'll catch up at some point and that there's nothing to worry about. We aren't tall people either ... I'm 5'4" and DH is 5'7".

My second was about 1-2 weeks behind. She was born via c/s at 37+2 weighing 5lbs4oz, but other than her being small, she is completely healthy and my pregnancy was pretty normal (other than a suspicion of accreta, which I had with DS - turned out to not be the case).

All that to say, I wouldn't worry too much unless his growth really slows down. And remember that different techs or even doctors can all get a different measurement even on the same day.

ETA: with both of mine I ended up having growth scans every 2 weeks starting at 28 weeks through the end of each pregnancy.

[farfalla2011]

I don't have any personal experience, but it sounds like since he's still growing on track and not slowing more I bet he's just fine. Try not to worry, especially since your Dr isn't concerned. Although, I totally understand that it's much easier to say not to worry than actually doing it

[chocolatelove]

I can’t offer any experiences either except to offer hugs about the worrying part. I’ve had lots of risks, and I am a mess from worrying so much. It sounds like the women who have responded have offered much reassurance, but I know dealing with the worry isn’t easy. Hang in there!

[chocolatepie]

Aug 15, 2019 14:44:48 GMT -5 Poppy said:

I really think it's NBD.

Did you have an ultrasound in first tri? They really prefer those for dating and as far as I know would not adjust your due date based on a later measurement if the early one agreed. Ultrasounds are notoriously inaccurate for size in 3rd tri. My kiddo measured quite large throughout 3rd tri but was perfectly average at birth.

1 week off just doesn't seem out of the ordinary to me. I know that for many fetal conditions, they consider 5th percentile to be the threshold of concern. I'd be shocked if 1 week off at 28w was close to that threshold.

This is an IVF baby so we had an ultrasound before 6 weeks to confirm heartbeat so IMO the due date shouldn't move but this is all new to me. I just want to make sure he comes out when he's supposed to and not evicted too early. 

Thanks for the 5% info - my OB didn't tell me what point was troubling so I'm flying blind. She did review the scan yesterday (since I saw the midwife right after the scan) and just told me "he's less than 10%" so she's sending me to MFM and not waiting another 4 weeks for a scan.

[pinkpeony08]

I don't go here, but with my second I was also sent to MFM for concern that he was too small. I had to go in for weekly ultrasounds. He continued to grow along on his 8th percentile curve. He was 6 lb 10 oz when he was born 2 days before his due date. I found it helpful to ask every MFM doctor I saw (different people were covering the clinic different days I was there) about implications and what it meant in terms of potential induction. I quickly found that everyone had a difference answer, which showed me there was not a clear guideline about induction. I ended up delivering 2 days before my scheduled induction (they wanted to induce me 4 days earlier but I begged for the weekend because I was up at night with prodromal labor every night for a week).

Both my kids are just plain small - 16-25% even now. My first was on the 12% for the first 5 years of her life, now she's up to the 16th - a whopping 44 lb at age 7. But they are both very healthy. I am pretty petite and my husband is 5'6" and my husband was 5 lbs at term.

I hope you can get some reassuring answers.

[chocolatepie]

Aug 16, 2019 14:28:33 GMT -5 pinkpeony08 said:

I don't go here, but with my second I was also sent to MFM for concern that he was too small. I had to go in for weekly ultrasounds. He continued to grow along on his 8th percentile curve. He was 6 lb 10 oz when he was born 2 days before his due date. I found it helpful to ask every MFM doctor I saw (different people were covering the clinic different days I was there) about implications and what it meant in terms of potential induction. I quickly found that everyone had a difference answer, which showed me there was not a clear guideline about induction. I ended up delivering 2 days before my scheduled induction (they wanted to induce me 4 days earlier but I begged for the weekend because I was up at night with prodromal labor every night for a week).

Both my kids are just plain small - 16-25% even now. My first was on the 12% for the first 5 years of her life, now she's up to the 16th - a whopping 44 lb at age 7. But they are both very healthy. I am pretty petite and my husband is 5'6" and my husband was 5 lbs at term.

I hope you can get some reassuring answers.

This is helpful and reassuring - thank you.

[Jalapeñomel]

So many hugs.

[kellikans]

I know it wasn't what you wanted to hear from your OB, but I hope you get some answers next week. Fwiw, DS was like 5th percentile during my pregnancy. He's still barely on the curve at 2nd percentile, but like I said, he's healthy and has been meeting all of his milestones on time, if not early.

Hugs to you. I know it's nerve wracking.

[farfalla2011]

Sorry you have to be worried all weekend, but I hope you get a better update on Monday! Sending lots of hugs.

[springlover84]

Hope everything went well on Monday!

[chocolatepie]

Aug 21, 2019 10:57:27 GMT -5 springlover84 said:

Hope everything went well on Monday!

Thanks so much! I got busy and didn't post an update so I just did in the OP.

[sunflower17]

Fingers crossed that your little one grows as planned. Deep breaths, growing a human is stressful.

[pinkpeony08]

chocolatepie thanks for the update. I hope baby grows right along the current growth curve and all is well. When mine was measuring small, I tried to eat a lot of protein in hopes of it helping. Not sure if it did, but it didn't hurt.

[sloan]

chocolatepie hoping you’re the 80% and just making a small, healthy baby. Anecdotally H and I and all our siblings were all normal sized 7-8.5 lb babies and yet my son was 9 lb 13 oz, so the opposite but I guess what I’m getting at is you don’t necessarily make a baby around the size you’d expect based on the previous generation.