Baby measuring small

thank you! Glad to hear you’ve had extra scans for baby measuring small. I’ve had nothing like this offered, but I don’t know if that was unnecessary. I’m a high risk pregnancy and feel like I’ve had less midwife engagement than those who are “normal” risk. X

My baby was measured on the 18th percentile at 20weeks and 30th at my 32week scan. (I’m having growth scans due to low BMI on booking)

Bump was last measured at 30weeks and I was measuring I think it was
3 weeks behind they said I was measuring very small but they weren’t concerned at all as it’s not very accurate and I’m a small person.

I measured small with my first by a couple of weeks but never had extra scans. X

They don't worry below 10fh percentile or if it looks like baby has stopped growing.
Mainly because all babies really are all shapes and sizes.
It's also not necessarily 100% accurate on scans. They can be up to something like 10-15% off either way. At one point they told me my bump was small and hadn't been growing so baby was small. Baby was "above average". Then they said 50th percentile.
Then they said she was on the 65th percentile.
She was actually 25th percentile born.

They told my SIL that her baby would be really really big. So we didn't buy any newborn stuff because they insisted she was a really big baby.
She was born 6lb something... And my mum was running around M&S last minute.

Nearly 7 months later my baby is on the bottom percentile line. She is absolutely perfectly healthy, growing and developing and learning absolutely fine.

Babies come in all shapes and sizes and provided they are growing (i.e) getting the nutrients they need, and are healthy. Try not to worry!

I had growth scans from 28 weeks. My little girl was always between the 3rd and 5th percentile. A few consultants tried telling us that there could be something 'wrong' with our baby. The amount of times I argued back saying how I'm 5ft 1 and my family are short, I was a tiny baby at only 5lbs so I knew my baby would be tiny. Anyway, fast forward and I now have the most perfect baby girl. She's still diddy, growing on the bottom percentile for growth but honestly, who cares?! She's healthy and developing amazingly - small but mighty. Please don't let them worry you, all babies are different. I came to realise that they need an average and cut off somewhere, it's just numbers! X

thank you for this! I’m definitely not worried if baby is “small” per se, my other babies have been diddy at birth but fine during pregnancy. But just want to know more so that everything is functioning correctly that should be while baby is in there? I just don’t seem to have been told it’s all fine and nobody also seems to have checked x

babies absolutely come in all shapes and sizes, I’m more so worried that placenta may not be functioning as it should be more than baby “being small”.

I’ve had extra scans at 22, 24 & 28 weeks (& have more at 32 & 36 weeks) because I was told baby was measuring small at 20 weeks (2nd centile). The later scans have put him on the 25th, 36th and 15th centiles so a real range. He’s also been consistently measuring about a week behind where he should be.

If baby is being awkward for scans, measurements can be inaccurate, and if your midwife has measured your bump I understand that is even less reliable than scans!

I honestly wouldn’t worry unless the professionals are concerned.

i was told my baby was small at about 30 weeks. She was on the 16th Centile. I had a scan on week 38 due to reduced
movements and she had gone down to 11.2… She was born on Monday (12th May) and she was 6lb 2oz.

I’ve got friends who have also been told that their babies were measuring small but they came out 8/9.

Sometimes they aren’t always accurate - but i wish you a safe rest of your pregnancy and a safe delivery 🤍

At my 20 week scan I was freaked out and told baby was under the 5th centile - got referred and a lot of fear mongering was done which really affected my whole pregnancy and caused health anxiety- I was told there wouldn’t be a way for me to make it to full term and things weren’t likely to improve , they can’t rule out any issues etc. tried to push amniocentesis even though the scan showed baby looks completely fine anatomically. Fast forward to 30 weeks , now my baby is measuring in completely normal range and it’s all been flipped on its head and been told nothing is wrong... I’ve definitely learnt to trust my gut because I’m small myself and I know instinctively my baby is healthy and happy and the size she is meant to be. And babies grow on their own curve and come in all shapes and sizes!

I was sent for an additional scan when I was measuring small...did they not rescan you?

I was always told this, had a 6.11 baby. It the midwife is concerned theyll send you for a growth scan, some women just have small babies x

Omg I could have wrote this myself… my babies are the same also! I’m carrying twin girls and I feel like they say all these scary things when there is no need… my consultant said she’s happy as long as they are growing and going up on there chart and they are! But I had all this health anxiety and went down a spiral I have only just snapped out of it the last few weeks after speaking to the consultant x