How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
I will be 39 weeks this coming Tuesday. I had an ultrasound this past Wednesday and the dr told me the baby was measuring at 5 lbs (give or take 10%). I'm just a nervous wreck wondering why he is so small. Are the ultrasounds off on measuring weight or are they pretty accurate? I'm scared to death he is going to pop out weighing 4.5 lbs. Even if he does weigh that little will he be okay since he is full term? My 2 babies I have now were small when they were born. My first was 6lbs, 13 oz. My second was 5lbs, 13 oz. I've been joking all along that this one was going to weigh 4lbs, 13 oz to be in sequence with my other two. The dr said he is healthy and has been throughout the entire pregnancy. I've had no complications at all. Do you think he will be okay? I'm just praying the ultrasound is just not measuring him right. Please wish me luck.
Re: How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
I know they are accurate according to gender, but with weight, I'm not sure. Sometimes just by measuring your stomach, they can get an "idea" of the babies weight. I don't think anything is fool-proof, the doctor can tell you that the baby will be 7lbs and be born weighing 9lbs.
Each baby will weigh different, just because you had an average size baby, doesn't mean somewhere down the line that you won't deliver a big one. None of my kids weighed under 8lbs, so I wasn't lucky with a nice 7lber. Don't worry about the weight of the baby, its the health of the baby that matters the most.
Re: How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
With my third child the doctor said that I was measuring to have around a 6.5 to 7 pound baby and my ultrasound confirmed that. I had him one week later and he weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce. There is no way he gained that much in a week. They said that they can only estimate not be accurate. With my first two they did not even give me an estimate (a different doctors office) because they said there was no guarantee. I had a friend that they induced her two weeks early because they said the baby was going to be very large and she weighed a little over 5 pounds. So I don't think I would get to upset about it.
Re: How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
I went overdue on my first pregnancy so they scanned me to make sure that she had not yet made a bowel movement in my womb. I asked than what she may weigh, and I was told at the hospital anywhere between 6-10lbs. I asked well which one is it and was told not an exact science at the later term of pregnancy. She weighed 8.8 lbs.
Re: How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
wouldn't it be funny if your baby wieghed 7lbs 13 oz?
you never know with the u/s i know one lady who the dr. said the baby was about 8 lbs so they didn't need to induce just yet, well three days later they had to do an emergency c-section cause her DD wieght 10lbs 13 oz!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YIKES!
__________________
4 Kids in 2 1/2 years...
ready to put my body back together!
Re: How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
Hi, I had my third baby almost 3 weeks ago. The ultrasound predicted him to weigh 11 pounds. He was born weighing 9 pounds 5 ounces. I asked my doctor about this while I was preg. and she said the u/s can be off a pound over or under. If I were you I wouldn't worry about his size, I did and it drove me crazy. I had returned all the newborn clothes I had because I thought I was going to give birth to an 11 pounder. I wish you luck, and god bless
Re: How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
My doctor was pretty good, she told me anywhere from 7.5 to 8.5. So I think she covered the pound difference. He hasn't been born yet though, so I will keep you posted. I will say I think she is right that he will be a big boy, I always thought so being my belly is so big and I can feel him EVERYWHERE!
Re: How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
I was told my baby would weigh somewhere between 7 and 7½ lbs based on the sonogram. He took several measurements of things and used that info to determine the weight. I was also told the info could be off about a half a pound either way.
Re: How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
i wouldnt worry so much about baby's weight, just as long as doctor says he's healthy. with my first one, doctor said i'll have an 8 lb baby, and it being my first, i was terrified. but i was a 9 lb 4 oz baby and my mom was only 4'10", 120 lbs. so im bigger and taller than she is and if she could do it, i can do it too. but when i had my girl, she only weighed 6 lbs 15 oz. and she was hard enough to push out. hehehehe. now that i'm pregnant with my second child...after almost 6 years...doctor said that she'll (yup, another girl)...be slightly bigger than my first...he guesses 7 1/2 close to 8 lbs. so...i just pray for a safe delivery...for i was traumatized with my first. G'luck!
Re: How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
I am not sure about weight but when it comes to predicting the sex of the baby it is more difficult to predict a boy than a girl. Usually if you are told you are having a girl it is in fact a girl. Girls can however be mistaken for boys quite easily. Fingers or the cord can look like a penis from on a screen espcially if the picture is not all that clear.
Re: How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iona_23
i wouldnt worry so much about baby's weight, just as long as doctor says he's healthy. with my first one, doctor said i'll have an 8 lb baby, and it being my first, i was terrified. but i was a 9 lb 4 oz baby and my mom was only 4'10", 120 lbs. so im bigger and taller than she is and if she could do it, i can do it too. but when i had my girl, she only weighed 6 lbs 15 oz. and she was hard enough to push out. hehehehe. now that i'm pregnant with my second child...after almost 6 years...doctor said that she'll (yup, another girl)...be slightly bigger than my first...he guesses 7 1/2 close to 8 lbs. so...i just pray for a safe delivery...for i was traumatized with my first. G'luck!
Ive had luck with both predicting weight and gender with U/S.
Im always checked as I tend to haev large babies and Im a very small person.. sure a large baby is ok if its healthy, but not if its too large to move through the canal and not have an emergency C section. Im not as small as your mom but my first was 9.11 and got stuck.. baby went into distress, I went into distress, had to use forceps and gave me a stage 4 tear that took FOREVER to heal. A good doc ( and I have high risk specialists) will take measurements of EVERYTHING and then estimate the baby's weight and head circumference to make sure you dont do what I had to go through with my first.
Re: How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
i think the accuracy depends on the skill of the ultrasound tech. they do it based on a series of measurements...
for me, i was in the hospital for 6 weeks because my water broke at 28 weeks. my first u/s had myson weighing 2 lbs 8 oz...just before i gave birth, they had him weighing in at 5lbs 8 oz and he was born 5 lbs 6oz
Re: How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight.
I wanted to bump this thread and let everyone know my SIL had an ultrasound 5 days before her water broke and they gave the baby a weight of 8lbs. At birth, the baby was 8.1lb, so that was pretty darn accurate!
How accurate are ultrasounds at predicting weight. 
G'luck!
