Short femur- worried :s

[sailorgirl1]

Hi guys 31+4 today and had a scan on nhs (random scan because I couldn't feel baby)- all ok thankfully but I'm worried about the femur length it was 56mm (in the 7th percentile). They didn't seem worried but I'm thinking the worst- dwafism, downs etc, me and partner are both short (5ft4 and 5ft7).
Anyone else had this?
It was ok at a private 28 week scan. Could the equipment differ slightly too?

Thanks xx

 

[lynnikins]

my DH is 6ft4 but both the boys were born with short femurs lol they are all in proportion now but their main body lenght is in their torso not their legs , moreso with ds2 as ds1 has done a leg growthspurt recently.

 

[sailorgirl1]

Did yours show short on the us too? Xx

 

[mumanddad]

This happened to me last week, she asked me to stand up after the scan and then my hubby and said well your not both short.

I asked why she said that she she said baby has very short legs but not to worry.

 

[bebedreamr]

Hey hun!
I know what its like to get a small thing back from your ultrasound that isn't perfect and makes you worry! In the case of a shorter femur, it probaby just means that your baby is short! I was surprised, neither my DH nor myself are particularly tall (I'm 5'3) and my baby is about a week or two ahead in growth of their femur. But my little girl has some fluid on one renal pelvis that they want to look at, which can be a soft marker for downs... still nothing to be overly concerned about.
Being pregnant is such a rollercoaster!

 

[sailorgirl1]

Def a worry I feel sick about it all to be honest

 

[mumanddad]

what else did they say about your scan, i was told that everything else was great all fluids where good too, so not to worry.

My family are short but my hubbys family are tall so he has obviously got my side of the family's growth

 

[bebedreamr]

Def a worry I feel sick about it all to be honest

I know, its sometimes sooooo difficult to get a worry out of your mind! Sometimes I think that if it isn't something we need to be concerned about, then they simply shouldn't tell us because knowing does more harm than good. Grrr! Try and do something nice and relaxing to take your mind off it. Femur length and small ultrasound markers like that really aren't something that can accurately predict any conditions. Thats the scary part about pregnancy, is that hardly anything can be predicted and then the amnio or CVS that can predict something carry a risk of losing the baby. What helped me was saying to Addy, "I love you as you are, little girl" and that made me feel better. All the worrying in the world won't change what is, and chances are your little boy/girl are just perfect as they are
xoxoxo hope you feel better soon!

 

[lynnikins]

Did yours show short on the us too? Xx

yes looking at the scan reports from both boys their femur lenght was tracking low around the 25centile at 20wks where all their other measurements were tracking 75-97.5 centile and both were born 98centile and ds2 shot off the top of that chart quick he was a really long baby too at 57cm

 

[hwills41]

Oh dear, I know your worry. Our LO is also measuring short - I think in the 20 percentile. They tell me not to worry, but obviously I do! My husband is 6'1 and I'm 5'9 so obviously I'm worried because it seems weird she would be short Her stomach is also measuring a little behind... I guess overall she is measuring 1 week behind. My Dr. is not at ALL concerned, which concerns me! She has always been measuring a little behind on the femur length, so who knows, maybe this is normal. I also tested high risk for down syndrome, so of course I think down syndrome as well! Ugh.

Anyways, know that this is normal and doesn't mean anything! They are keeping track of it, and you will be monitored from here on out I'm sure.

 

[vintage67]

My baby is now 19 days old and I just wanted to say that I went through the "short femur" scare as well. My son's femur length spent several weeks in the 9th percentile. My husband and I are not very tall, so I tried not to worry, but as you know that's impossible!

Looking at him now that he is here, he is quite a long baby, born 21 inches long actually! But, if you look at his legs, the length is in the calves. The thigh bones (femurs) do look short in relation to the rest of the leg. I am still not concerned as I'm sure this will even out. I look down at my own legs, and I can see that my thigh bones are a bit short as well, in relation to the bottom part of my leg. I am about 5 feet 5 inches tall on a good day; probably more like 5 feet 4!

Still, I cried all the way home from the ultrasound when they told me that about short femurs! It's so hard not to worry!

 

[tannembaum]

DD's legs were measuring WEEKS behind and you can clearly see on scan pics how little they are. I'm 5ft 1ins and OH is about 5ft 9ins so we didn't ever expect her to be big. She is now a happy healthy 17 month old, her body is slightly longer than her legs (so is my mums) but there is nothing wrong with that, she's just short like mummy

 

[sailorgirl1]

Thanks guys u make me feel better about it all.

Everything else fine thankfully- at 20 weeks legs were ok, at 24 weeks (private) they were 15th centile, 28 weeks on target again and now in the 7th percentile.
Really u guys wouldn't freak out then?
Nothing u can do anyway I guess- the legs could be normal and the baby have something wrong so why's the point in worrying?
I have short femur so does dh but I'm still panicking?!

I feel worried 'i have a feeling'- or is it just cos when you're worried you feel like that? Anyone else?

Xxxxxx

 

[Sweetk1]

I was adamant my son was going to have downs, his BPD/FL was out of normal range, it's a ratio they use as a soft marker for downs. I also had a 1/300 chance and although that is low risk, it's only just low risk !
Anyway.... My son was born and he has the longest legs, hes just 2 and he's over 3ft.

 

[Lady_Bee]

My baby has pretty short legs at 30 weeks. I think maybe in the 20th-25th percentile or something. They've been short the whole way through!

I don't think you should panic!! There's such a tiny chance of something being wrong it's barely worth considering. And even if you and your partner both have long legs, when a baby is born they still have so much growing to do that their proportions don't really reflect what they're going to look like as an adult!

 

[sammynashley]

Hiya Hun

I had this with DS my waters leaked at 28 weeks so had a scan to make sure the fluid wasnt too low only to come out and be told I needed to see a consultant because the femur length was short and they needed to rule out things like dwarfism and downs but in the end I was re scanned everything was fine I was just told it's down to genetics and not to worry DS in now coming up 16 months he's fine just has small legs and long body!!

Also had my 20 weeks scan this time and told again femur length is short but they aren't concerned atall again it's down to genetics so try not to worry Hun!


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[sailorgirl1]

Thank u ladies. I guess if small
Legs is in my family it's to be expected. Do u think they can catch up again cos at last scan they were just under average! Seems to vary at each scan x

 

[Lilli]

Hey hun,
Please don't worry, each baby is different and some bits grow faster than others or at different rates. What i mean is, some weeks the arms will grow more, some weeks the legs and by 40 weeks it'll all be pretty much proportional.
I cant remember which scan it was, (i had a couple extra for other medical reasons) but in one of them my LO's legs were 11th percentile. Now he's a couple of months old and is 91st percentile for his height, i dont know what his leg length is, but he's totally proportional (big all over) and his 3-6 month baby grows are too short in the leg!
Also remember that the femur measurements at your stage are literally millimetres, no matter how experienced the sonographer is, there must be a margin of error and 1mm will make a massive difference, so if they aren't totally accurate placing the markers, it'll create a low reading.

 

[nasima1984]

Hi, My DD is now 13 weeks.when i was pregnant with her they told me she had short femur (below 3rd centile)and may have downs syndrome. i was worried sick and stressed over it. she was born 7 weeks premature but she does not have downs syndrome and everyone in my family say that she will be tall.i just want to reassure you that the doctors do scare you alot so dont worry too much.When i look at her now i think even if she did have downs syndrome i wouldve loved her the same, probably even more because she wouldve been my special princess.children are the same for parents no matter how they are.

 

[mommysboys099]

i am 27 weeks 4 days and i have a confermed case of dwarfism... i was scared to death about bb being a dwarf but now i am glade that he will b able to grow and behave like a normal kids.. my bbs arms and legs r in the 3% and the head and body is in the 10th%.... my husband is 5'11" and i am 5'3". and i have other short ppl in the family and have 2 normal sized children.. but if the dr is saying that they are not worried... id listen to them,,,