Fetus Size Matters

Don’t worry Mummy! I think it’s the hospital protocol to mention the possible reasons for baby to be small. Usually, they need to wait for few scans after to confirm consistent insufficient growth. Personally, my girl was measured small up till 20 weeks. Then, at 23 weeks they said it’s better although small but considered their normal range. I remember at 37weeks my baby was measured to be about 2.9kg on ultrasound. Then I delivered at 39weeks+6days, baby born at 2.3kg. If you are very concern, and would like to do something for a piece of mind, you can try to drink maternal milk (as recommended by my gynae). Have you done the FTS or NIPT test? That should give some results on likelihood of Down syndrome. My girl tested moderate risk for FTS but she is born normal (praise to God). I received the call if I would like to do NIPT but went against it as the nuchal translucency showed normal.

hi mummy, I recall I was affected but with a different news: that my baby was much too big in size for the gestational age. I worried so much, was it my diet? am I not moving physically enough? then at the next appointment I chose another doctor to get a second opinion. she assured me it's going to be ok, and advised me what I could do. if you can, opt for second opinion. baby's estimated weight on ultrasound isnt accurate. which really isnt; my baby's weight is currently at average percentile for gestational age. in the mean time, consider adding healthy fat/calories into your diet to see if it can help baby grow more. food like avocado, salmon, full cream milk might help. all the best mummy!

Hi, my baby was estimated to be small too. It was consistently small from my third trimester onwards, I rmb she was estimated to be 2kg at Week 36. Some mummies ate avocados, eggs, durians, chicken essence and it managed to help the baby to grow more, but sadly it didn’t work for me. At the end, the doc decided to induce birth at Week38 because it’s better for my baby to come out, than to stay in the womb when it’s not absorbing nutrients or growing. Baby was delivered at 2.3kg (3rd percentile) and after 2 months, she is now 4.5kg (25th percentile) So no worries, there’s nothing very bad about the baby’s size. ☺️

Hi mama, don’t worry about baby’s size. I faced the same situation during 28 week growth scan and they did a counselling session about possible reasons. But my gynea was not concerned much and in my case both me and my husband are on petite side. All the way till delivery baby was on smaller side. He was just above 2.5kg when I delivered at 39 weeks +. He’s 18 months healthy boy and growing well. Sometimes, I find in the hospitals here they just follow the protocols and share all possible causes with parents. We just need to be strong and stay healthy for our babies. All the best for your rest of the pregnancy journey!!

As the other mummies mentioned, ultrasound isn't all that accurate actually. I suggest seeking advice from your gynae instead of other doctors who don't specialise in pregnancy and childbirth, as they are actually not that familiar even if they are also doctors, since its a specialisation after all. I also worried that my baby was too small while pregnant, but my gynae wasn't concerned, and she was right. While my bb was born rather small at 2.7kg at 40+5, he got to 5.7kg in slightly past 2 months, which is heavier than average.