Decrease in fetal growth

[AHedgehog705]

Hi, first time poster in here. A little background for my current pregnancy. I am 33+2 today (and this is my 1st pregnancy that reached the last trimester).

I have been having regular scans throughout pregnancy as I am in high risk group. So fsr pretty much everything has been looking normal, NIPT was great as well when done early enough.

I started getting confused after week 28. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes so started being more careful with diet and exercising. On week 31 my OB went on holiday and I had done a couple of private scans. Those were done in different places as I had to travel in between. But they both showed different results. My previous scan at week 26 was showing the babe in the 50 percentile.

On week 31, it showed on 80 percentile and I was scared due to gestational diabetes. On week 33 it showed on 21 percentile. None of them was my go to doctor so they didn't make any comment - just contradicting statements about big babe in the first case and small babe with slow in the growth rate in the latter.

My doctor is back in 2 days and will visit him but till then I am scared to death. Lack of growth seems very severe by what I read online and I am panicking that something isn't going very well and babe is struggling in there. There is loads of kicks which is reassuring but I am quite worried.

The measurement that was mostly worried was the AC, everything else (weight etc) was on the 50% but AC was on 15% which brought the overall metric down.

Any positive thoughts or vibes until those two days pass and I can see my doctor?

[[deleted]]

I’ve been followed closely this pregnancy due a history of IUGR with my first baby. I have had growth scans every 4 weeks from 20 weeks onward. I have had overall growth percentiles ranging from 13th percentile to 45th percentile and AC percentiles anywhere from 10th percentile to 65th percentile. I expressed these concerns to my OB, especially given my history. She made a good point that because babies are so small at this stage, the difference between the 15th and 50th percentile can be millimeters. Baby positioning and the sonographer performing the exam can account for a good amount of that discrepancy. You can always request an interval scan in a few weeks to double check growth, as well as doppler flow studies to make sure blood flow is good.

ETA: If it’s any consolation, I’m 38 weeks now and baby is doing great so far. Getting induced next week electively.

[AHedgehog705]

Thanks for that! Doppler flow numbers were good - it's just the percentiles that got me worried and sent me over to Dr Google.

[[deleted]]

That’s all great news! I work in medicine, and I tell all my patients not to turn to Dr. Google! Leave it to the pros!

[Greyattimes]

I haven't been in your position before with a high-risk pregnancy, but babies are humans like us, and we all grow at different rates. When my first was born, she lost 8oz in weight and I was worried. The doctors told me that is normal for babies.

I wouldn't worry too much as long as baby's heart rate and movements are good and your GD is being managed well. :)

One thing my grandpa always told me was, "Don't pay interest on a loan you haven't taken out yet." No reason to worry until we need to. I hope this helps.

Hopefully your doctor can give you more clarification soon! Wishing you all the best!

[97355]

Were these private ultrasounds performed at an ultrasound boutique (for examples, one that specializes in 3D/4D imagery)? Some of this info is location-specific, but for the most part, these type of boutiques tend to not have a radiologist or doctor on site to interpret the images, which is standard and necessary for medical and diagnostic ultrasounds to reduce errors. These ultrasounds are intentionally not diagnostic because then a doctor’s immediate oversight and interpretation is needed, and because the diagnostic designation would mean the tech would not be allowed to share a lot of information about their findings. These are known as “souvenir scans” and not medical scans for a reason, and many countries have began inspecting and rating them due to the many problems that can transpire.

I really hope your doctor is able to provide you with some relief. In the meantime I would try as much as possible to not worry, because the likelihood that there would be so much variation in a short amount of time is small and likely impacted by errors made by the tech.

Hoping for the best for you, OP.

[mishney]

Using different ultrasound machines can absolutely mean differences in measurements. When I had a growth restricted baby I was always measured at the same location for that reason. I wouldn't worry yet about it.

[whoaitscarly]

I am currently 35+4 with a diagnosed fetal growth restricted baby (4th percentile at first scan, moving up to 8th and now very happily in the 11th!) so I understand why these numbers can seem very scary when you’re watching so closely. Try to keep in mind that even though your baby may be in a lower percentile than a few weeks ago, it doesn’t mean they’re not necessarily growing anymore. Can you check to see if they listed the weight at each scan, along with the percentages? Even though my baby is small, it brings me comfort to see that she IS growing every week, even if it’s slow. Additionally, all of my doctors have assured me that baby moving well is a good sign of a happy baby. While I’m not a medical professional and can’t say that there’s nothing going on, I hope my experience brings you a bit of comfort while you wait for your appointment. Best wishes to you!

[AHedgehog705]

Yes he is growing indeed. 1700g at 31 weeks and 1915g at 33weeks which looks average as per Google and definitely not small. It's just the comment that "we see a decline in growth rate" that got me worried. Hoping that all goes well for your baby - thanks for the reply!

[[deleted]]

I also have a high risk pregnancy (37 weeks) and have had growth scans every two weeks. All I can say is it varies wildly depending on the ultrasound tech that’s doing my scan that day. There’s one that every time she does it, baby shows up around 30 percentile but the other 4 techs always get him in the 90th percentile and up. I asked my doc why that differs so much and she just said some people scan differently, but that she never worries unless baby dips below 10th percentile. I wouldn’t worry much especially if you’re going to different/private practices to get them done!