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May 2026 Babies 🇬🇧

Reading manipulation at hospital

I raised concern at my 36w appointment about my belly appearing small for the 9th month. I was told this can be normal for my petite, athletic build. As part of routine care, fundal measurements were taken.

What shocked me was how quickly the measurement was done - within 2 seconds - and then plotted above the average line, even though my previous readings had been consistently below average. I wasn’t reassured and asked for a growth scan, which was declined as everything was considered “normal.”

For peace of mind, I arranged a private scan, which showed the baby is indeed measuring small but still within the normal range. At my next appointment, I shared this report, but the midwives refused to review it, saying they rely only on their own references.

They repeated the fundal measurement, and this time it showed below average again prompting them to finally recommend a hospital scan due to the inconsistency in their own readings!

What concerns me is this discrepancy. It’s hard not to question whether that earlier “above average” reading was deliberately higher, especially given how different it was from both previous and later results. This is a top-notch hospital in London and the midwife is senior staff, so this is disheartening. Would you do something about this?