i am 35 weeks pregnant and i have only gained 8 pounds total, and i was not overweight to start with. Yesterday at the Dr. i was measuring only 29.5cm with no weight gain in the past 2 weeks, i am scheduled for an US on Tuesday to make sure the baby is measuring ok. I am really worried, what could be making her measure small?
Thanks
Crystal
I've worried about this a lot just because I worry about anything that could happen. Right now all you know is that YOU are measuring small. The tape measure isn't always accurate and it's not always an accurate estimate of the baby's size. A few weeks back I was measured at 2 cm bigger than my dates. My doctor wasn't worried but I wanted an ultrasound to see for myself. It turned out my baby was actually about a week smaller than her dates. So even though I measured larger, she measured smaller. Since that appt. I have measured right on for dates so I'm thinking that one measurement was off. Also, amniotic fluid levels can throw off fundal measurements. It could be that for some reason your amniotic fluid levels are low and the baby might be normal size. How is your diet? Do you get enough protein, etc? In any case, good luck at your ultrasound and let us know how it turns out.
I also am measuring very small, about 5 1/2 weeks too small. My little girl is also very small, and I have had ultrasounds to track her growth over the entire pregnancy. The last measurement they did on her, she was in the 26th percentile. My pregnancy has been extremely difficult and that is why my baby is so small. I was pregnant with triplets (two identical conjoined babies, and then a singleton). We lost the conjoined babies at about 15 weeks so that is a big reason for our little girl's small size. She had to compete with the conjoined babies for so long and her placenta probably did not develop as well as it should have. As a result, I have really low amniotic fluid. On top of all of this, I had been so extremely sick for the first 6 months (vomitting constantly) and have only gained 7 1/2 pounds.
So, in a nut shell, that is why my little one is small. I would not worry about the size of your baby until you have your ultrasound and know for sure what the size in fact is. I wish you lots of luck and would love to hear how your ultrasound turns out!
Best of luck
cmarie
__________________
*Angel Baby July '05
*1st IVF...Triplets due 12/3/07
*Conjoined Angel Babies May '07
*Olivia Grace born 10/23/07...our little miracle!
I had the same problem during my pregnncy. By the time DD was born I'd only gained 7 pounds it turned out I had actuallly lost because when I got home from the hospital I was 20 pounds lighter than at the end of my pregnancy. I wasn't overweight either So it could just be that you lost weight as far as the weight thing goes. Also the measuring really small I measured a few weeks behind at one point and they sent me to an ultrasound she was in the 20 percentile so they didn't worry. The weird thing was her head and legs were 4 days ahead but her abdomen was three weeks behind. When she was born she was 6lbs 4 ounces which is 12th pecentile but she's almost 3 weeks now and she's already gained a whole pound so she's doing well. Also another reason you might be measuring small on top of your baby being small is that maybe the baby has dropped. I was told that once the baby has dropped your measurements might be off a little bit. So that might account for some of the gap. Hope this helps.
If it helps at all, I have decided not to trust those measurements anymore. I had an ultra sound done at 37 weeks and my baby measured 2 weeks behind. Well I went on to deliver an 8lb 11oz baby on my due date.
Good luck tomorrow and let us know!
I know that each time my dr measures me she tells me that it can go 2 numbers below or above and still be fine. For example, last week I measured 27.5, even though I was only 26.5 and she said that doesn't necessarily mean that I am "1 week ahead" that it is just a general guide. So I wouldn't worry unless your dr seems concerned. Remember they are not measuring your baby, this measurement is from the pubic bone to the top of the fundus. And when you are talking about cm, it seems easy for it to be off a little.
2nd baby i was tiny in my belly and the dr said i would be lucky to have a 6 lb baby!! no reason for it my stomach measured 30 wks when i was almost 40 and i went on to have a healthy 7lb 9 oz baby so i wouldnt stress it also there might not be alot of fluid and thats prob what they are checking for.i went to the hospital with problems at 24 wks and the nurse took my mom aside and asked if i was eating and that i shouldnt be that tiny and my mom said no she eats like a horse its genetics which too bad for me now i no longer have lol then the nurse went and got me some toast lol dont stress it!!
