Anyone having regular growth scans due to risk of IUGR?

[Crayz]

Hi everyone. I hope I'm not too late in posting here.

Vixen-I hope everyth works out for your baby and yourself.

Moggi-Congrats on a decent sized baby!

I have been closely monitored for IUGR recently as well. Our daughter has been measuring small since about 24 weeks? Now at almost 30, she's measuring about 2-3 weeks smaller. They have booked me for bi-weekly scans, have me steroids to mature her lungs, and are sending me for non-stress tests.

No signs of DS, tested for viruses that came back negative, no cystic fibrosis, no blood sugar complications, she's symmetrical, she's active, and her heartbeat is good. Her organs all look great.

I am a tiny person, 5'3" pre pregnancy weight of about 107. So far, I've only gained a little more than 10 lbs. All the women in my family are small. My husband is also small, and so is his family. I'm thinking it's just genetics and they're being overly cautious, but I guess I can't really find out until she's here (if they don't take her early). As of right now, she's still growing steadily, just not as big as they'd like. If she stops growing, I will have a c-section.

I would rather them be cautious.

Some of you may want to ask about steroids to mature the lungs faster JUST IN CASE. Little to no side effects, and it gives baby a much better chance of survival and less oxygen needed if they are born early. Vixen especially, I would ask about it at least!

 

[vixxen]

Have been given the steroids now myself and am being given blood thinning injections nightly too now.Not as painful as the steroids though.
Am in the hospital now for the rest of pregnancy as my hospitals policy is that if there is a problem with oxygen and blood flow then keep the mommy in till delivery and in my case means cs.
I have been given my own room now and day release so hopefully that will make life for me a little easier!
Moggi i hope i last as long as you!

 

[Hellylou]

Ah Vixxen - I feel for you! Hang in there

My growth scan last week showed all well for dates so far. Next one at 28 weeks, and hopefully bubs will be growing just as well.

 

[Crayz]

Vixen, good for you on the steroids. I swear it's "Miracle Grow."

Maybe it's just my imagination, but my belly has popped since getting those shots, and I just had the second one on Saturday.

I'm sure staying at the hospital is not pleasant, but at least you're being monitored closely, and it has to put your mind at some sort of ease knowing you won't have to travel far if you need anything.

Here we get typhoons really badly, and because the pressure changes, if you're 24 weeks +, you have to stay in the hospital during the whole thing in case you go into labor. You don't get a private room, you get a big room with no beds to sleep on the floor with probably 20 other women and their husbands! Typhoon season starts June. FUN.

Last year we had a typhoon that lasted 4 days.


Anyways, my first stress test is tomorrow. Hopefully all goes well. I also have a scan.

Hellylou, so good to hear about your scan results. Is your baby catching up to the growth chart?

 

[Hellylou]

Hi Crayz - baby was measuring bang on average for size on the chart and followed the line more or less from the 20 week scan, but they did say with proteinuria the growth can be more of an issue from 24 weeks onwards so the next scan at 28 weeks should be a better indication of how things are progressing. Fingers crossed!

Good luck with your scan tomorrow

 

[Crayz]

Hi Crayz - baby was measuring bang on average for size on the chart and followed the line more or less from the 20 week scan, but they did say with proteinuria the growth can be more of an issue from 24 weeks onwards so the next scan at 28 weeks should be a better indication of how things are progressing. Fingers crossed!

Good luck with your scan tomorrow

That's great news!! I wish I was in that same boat, but I guess we'll just keep checking to make sure she is growing. At this point I'm thankful for growth and steady, healthy heartbeat.

Thanks for wishing me luck. I just had a scan on Friday, so I don't think there will be any change since then, but the non-stress test is new, so hopefully that goes good. She's moving around like a ninja right now, so I'm happy.

 

[vixxen]

Had to discharge myself from hospital to day as social services was giving me crap! my kids safe happy still attending school wont say more still very angry!
I've got my growth scan again tomorrow hope its ok though getting very paranoid about the cord flow i wish they could give me an estimate when they think it will reverse (thats when i will be given an emcs) if its only absent like i have they are happy for me to go on as long as baby still getting what she needs!

 

[Crayz]

Had to discharge myself from hospital to day as social services was giving me crap! my kids safe happy still attending school wont say more still very angry!
I've got my growth scan again tomorrow hope its ok though getting very paranoid about the cord flow i wish they could give me an estimate when they think it will reverse (thats when i will be given an emcs) if its only absent like i have they are happy for me to go on as long as baby still getting what she needs!

Vixxen, Good luck on the growth scan. I hope it's good news for you! I'm just glad you had the shots in case hey need to take your baby early. I've read that they make a huge difference in whether they need oxygen after birth, and for how long. So that should at least put your mind at ease.

I had the NST done for the first time yesterday and it went fine. The tech actually commented on how active she is. I also had a large cup of chocolate milk that I was slurping on. Every time I would drink some, her heartbeat would go up and you could hear her move on the little microphone. Like a swift ninja kick. It was really funny. She actually couldn't get a good picture of her because she was just non-stop moving.

She is very strong, so that makes me feel a whole lot better. It must be all the protein I've been eating. She'll be born with six pack abs and big biceps!

 

[Hellylou]

Had to discharge myself from hospital to day as social services was giving me crap! my kids safe happy still attending school wont say more still very angry!
I've got my growth scan again tomorrow hope its ok though getting very paranoid about the cord flow i wish they could give me an estimate when they think it will reverse (thats when i will be given an emcs) if its only absent like i have they are happy for me to go on as long as baby still getting what she needs!

Sorry to hear about social services

Good luck with the growth scan. Hope all looks well x

crayz - good news on your scan! Glad little one is so strong and active in there. She sounds like a fighter

 

[Crayz]

Vixxen-I was wondering about that social services thing, then it hit me.

Don't they know there is a very good reason you are at the hospital, and that if your kids are going to school, fed, clean, and whatever else, why do they interfere?

I'm so sorry as I think they are only putting your baby at risk.

My husband works for the gub'ment (as I call it) and it just works in the most backwards ways I swear. I'd call someone and fight that!

Thanks HellyLou! I appreciate that! Yes. She is very very active and strong, which could totally bite me in the behind one day! But for now, I'm delighted.

I have another appointment tomorrow. Maybe I should just stay at the hospital.

 

[vixxen]

Vixxen-I was wondering about that social services thing, then it hit me.

Don't they know there is a very good reason you are at the hospital, and that if your kids are going to school, fed, clean, and whatever else, why do they interfere?

My husband works for the gub'ment (as I call it) and it just works in the most backwards ways I swear. I'd call someone and fight that!

It should be alright with social services,though i think personally they are just protecting their own backs. My older children do have special needs so some help is welcome but when i find out they are having secret meetings and not telling me or my family who are looking after my children whats happening, has me really paranoid.
Yep the gub'ment is very backwards at the moment,but i understand money is an issue in all the services at the moment.

 

[vixxen]

When they say for me next to go in i will even if thats in a couple of days at least i have a little time to sort things out better.
Last week i only went in for a normal doppler scan then they said we are keeping you in and giving you steroids so i didnt really have time to prepare though i now know i 've got too sooner then i realised!

 

[Crayz]

I'm sure there are plenty of other families they should be worried about.

I really hope it all works out for you and by some miracle, they don't have to take your baby early. Not just because of health reasons (of course that's the most important) but because if baby has to spend anytime in the NICU, are social services going to come creeping around because you have to spend a lot of time at the hospital with the baby?

UGH. Praying for you and your family.

Tomorrow I have another Non-Stress test in the morning. Just thinking of all of the appointments I have makes my head spin. I know it's for a good cause, but I'm really looking forward to it being over.

If I have to have a c-section, I asked my OB/GYN to just tie my tubes. I'm not doing this again if there is a chance that there could be a repeat of what is going on now. I'll be happy and thankful for my one, no matter how she turns out.

 

[vixxen]

Yep probably more interference when baby arrives but i think at least i've got things sorted, i kinda gatecrashed the meeting
I am very worried about the nicu, though the hospital i'm with really are good at what they do so know they will try there best for my baby and keep her in as long as is safe for her.
I will be getting sterilized myself if i manage to get an elective cs rather than emergency as the notching on the cord can happen in subsequent pregnancies,though to be totally honest 4 will be more than enough for me.
Scan today has gone ok with baby putting on estimated 7oz in a fortnight so at 25 weeks her weight is estimated at 1lb 9oz which i'm impressed with!
My next flow scan is on fri then a talk with consultant again to see where we go from there.
As i have sorted the kids out a little better and social services i will be more than happy going back in as at least being there they can get her out quite quickly.
Crayz what do they do when they do the non stress test ? is that the heart rate monitor thing? not sure what its called only know they won't put me on it till 26 weeks heard so many babies on that machine in hospital felt like torture i wanted to hear my baby not theirs

 

[Crayz]

Vixxen-I know the NICU sounds scary, but babies are there everyday, and are very well taken care of. Without them, we may not even get to ever take our babies home, so don't be nervous. I'm sure if either of us have a little one spending time there, we'll both be petrified, but thankful. I live in Okinawa, Japan as my husband is in the military. Our hospital is seriously from WWII. I was really scared about her having to go to the NICU here. My doctor assured me that our NICU is the best, and if I was in Guam having the same issues, they would have sent me here. That made me feel a lot better!

That is great news by the way for the growth scan! The baby is getting bigger quickly!! I'm telling you, it's the miracle grow steroids!

Yeah. At is point, I should ask for a key to my own room. I'm happy you got everything sorted out in case you go back in.

Yes, the NST is where you sit in a recliner and they hook your belly up to a bunch of heart rate monitors and a microphone. They monitor the heart rate for about 20-30 minutes. They check to see the heartbeat increase, and when it does, it must increase for 10 seconds at a time. So if and when you need them, bring a cold drink with you to get baby stimulated. It's so weird to listen to them get all jumpy after you drink something cold or sweet (or both).

 

[jojo23]

hi girls hope you dont mind me coming in... im 36 weeks and am now having twice weekly scans due to baby being small. they havent actually told me its IUGR so im a little confused but figured you girls can offer some advice
so basically baby has plenty of fluid around him and the placenta and cord flow are fine but his abdomen and head are measuring about 3 weeks behind. they didnt tell me what percentile he is in but at my 28 weks scan he was 2.1lbs and 20th centile.
he measured 5lbs at my 36 week scan. the doctor doesnt seem overly worried and im getting plenty of movement but im a little concerned as to why they are bringin me in twice a week.... baby is head down and consultant said if he hasnt gained much weight by 38 weeks they will bring me in and induce me as baby would be better off out than in!

im worrying myself silly as i had quite a late loss last year and there was never a cause found but when i gave birth my little girl was measuring way behind her gestational age ( born at 22 weeks but measured 17-18)

Little man was quiet during ultrasound the other day but as i mentioned he's moving fine in general, actually had a really active day today!

so im just a lil confused and wondering where i slot in really and what they will do from here on in!!

hope everyone is getting good news and thanks in advance for listening xxxxx

 

[Crayz]

Welcome JoJo, of course we don't mind! In reality though, we wish you weren't here

Since you are 36 weeks and baby is already 5 pounds, I would also be confused as to why they are concerned, but I'm not a doctor. If your son is measuring small for gestational age then I would imagine they are just being cautious at this point. Better to be cautious than not concerned at all! I'll bet it's protocol. If you're confused, just make sure you ask a lot of questions at your next appointment. Write them down if you need to before you go so you remember. Sometimes I get in there and I'm so overwhelmed, that I leave even more confused than I went in!

I haven't gotten an official IUGR diagnosis yet either as she is still growing, just not as big as they would like. I guess it all depends on baby's measurements of head, body, and arms in relation to each other, or just in relation to other "average" babies in general. Our daughter is on an upward curve, just on the bottom curve. She is very active, good fluid, all other tests came back negative or normal.

Lots of movement is a really good sign, so you have that going for you!

One important thing is whether or not your baby is measuring symmetrical, or asymmetrical, as asymmetrical has more of an indication of chromosome abnormalities. Don't stress yourself out though, because that's not always the case.

Just remember that babies, just like people come in ALL shapes and sizes, and maybe yours will just be a tiny little guy! My husband was a large baby, but today, he's 5'5". You just never know!

I hope it all works out for you and you'll just have a little peanut on your hands who will probably grow to be taller than your SO.

 

[jojo23]

thanks so much!!! at every scan he has just measured slightly behind but his head circumference and abdomen etc are all around the same size just smaller than expected.

they kept changing my dates as well so i was never sure exactly how far but last week they gave me a definite date of 22nd of June as a due date which would make me 36 weeks and baby measuring 33weeks. they said they would rather monitor me at this stage and if baby needs to come at any stage they can start me which i dont mind as they know best!im pretty small myself im only 5'2 and when i was born i was in around the 6lb mark and so was my OH he was just 6lbs and was actually overdue. he's quite slim also so hopefully little man is just taking his time gaining the fat he needs lol.

the only thing im worried about is that if my placenta and the cord flow etc is fine and he doesnt grow much more that there could be a problem with baby. i will love him heart and soul regardless but id hate to think he is having difficulty in there. glad to hear your little girl is growing even though she's taking her time fingers crossed our little ones get nice n fat in the next while lol xxxx

 

[Crayz]

It's like our pregnancies mirror each others.

I'm very tiny at 5'3" 107 pre-pregnancy weight. I look like I'm 3 months pregnant, but I'm 30 weeks. Baby is measuring at around 27.

I was a tiny baby, my brother (my mother's first) was around 6 lbs. full term. My SIL just had a 5 lb. baby 3 weeks early, so she probably would have been around 6 lbs. full term. My family and my husband's family are full of tiny women, so I'm thinking genes are against me and you, and we make small babies. Sometimes doctors can be wrong. I've heard of women being monitored for IUGR and being told their babies were small, only to have a 9 lb. baby. You just never know, and it's not an exact science to measure in utero.

My doctor said that he does actually see this pretty often, and the majority are just small babies. I'm praying that's all it is.

 

[jojo23]

awe seems like small babies are just in our families!! yeah my doctor said when everything is lookng fine it just seems like he's gonna be a smallish baby. he also said they get so used to seeing bigger babies lately that when they see a smaller one they kinda go oh ok whats goin on here! how regular are your scans hun? xx