Measuring bigger? Normal?

[JTA Mom]

Cross posted in Birth & beyond.

Just a caveat: I still haven't seen a practitioner yet due to insurance issues. I feel fine, I'm growing normally, weight gain is low/normal.

So, since the beginning of this pregnancy, I've felt 'bigger' than normal. Things like my ribs expanded around 12 weeks, whereas last time it was closer to 25 weeks. Now, I can palpate my own uterus (did it the last pregnancies) so I knew I was a bit ahead from the beginning. I'm short and short waisted, so I always pop around 12 weeks. This time, it was more like 8 weeks. Right now, at 19.5 weeks, I'm measuring a full 5 finger widths above my navel. A BIG difference, no? Or is that within normal?

My sister is a nurse and I've had her check a few times and she feels the top of the fundus at the same place I do. So she agrees I'm ahead.

This baby is a lot calmer than ds, so not as many kicks, but definitely moving every day. Lots more rolling and switching from one side to another. I mostly feel the baby low down and on the sides. The only time I felt the baby at the top was when s/he was stretching and hit the top of my uterus at the same time as s/he hit my cervix. I'm also carrying way higher. My belly sticks out a lot on top, less on the bottom. With ds I carried him low and my whole belly was round, rather than this weird 'bigger top, smaller bottom' belly.

Overall, circumference wise, I'm within 'normal' range of my last pregnancies, since I'm the same size now as then. Still comfortably fitting into all my maternity gear. Except for tops. They seem to have shrunk.

Thing is, I've only had small babies. In my family, the 'heaviest' babies are 7lbs. I barely hit 6lbs 1oz. Ds was 4lbs 13oz and he was an induction baby at 37 weeks. Could this one be a giant??? Dh's mom's side has HUGE babies. Dh was born nearly 9 lbs at 37 weeks.

Anyone experience measuring bigger? What was the reason in your case?

I'm not really worried, more curious. It might still take a few weeks to get the insurance thing straightened out and I don't want to go to Dr. Google. He scares me too much.

Ami

[2sweetboysmom]

Are you sure you are carrying only one?

[SunChild]

Im 19 wks, nearly 20 wks, and i'm measuring like you are. Im in the october DDC, and have belly pics in that section, I look like i've swallowed a basket ball. My friends think I have twins, but i'm pretty sure there is only one, my doctor friend had a very brief peek on his ultrasound, baby is moving a lot on the ultrasound, but I feel less. i feel kicks a few times a day, very mild, and sometimes rolling, and i feel a tighteness. the movements have ranged from the sides, to low down, and sometimes up high. If I am laying down with my hand on my belly I can sometimes feel the baby moving that way.
I know exactly when I conceived, but the doctor did say I"m measuring bigger, big baby perhaps? I know my baby had a growth spurt in two weeks, i just popped, who knows, each pregnancy is unique.

[JTA Mom]

Originally Posted by 2sweetboysmom

Are you sure you are carrying only one?

Well, I know the gold standard for diagnosing twins is ultrasound, and I'm going to get one but not for a few more weeks. I have thought about going to one of those 'fun' ultrasound places beforehand just to check though.

Twins don't run in my family, but there is the 'normal' chances for identical twinning. Wouldn't I feel lots of movement with twins though? Or is that just faulty logic on my part?

Originally Posted by SunChild

Im 19 wks, nearly 20 wks, and i'm measuring like you are. Im in the october DDC, and have belly pics in that section, I look like i've swallowed a basket ball. My friends think I have twins, but i'm pretty sure there is only one, my doctor friend had a very brief peek on his ultrasound, baby is moving a lot on the ultrasound, but I feel less. i feel kicks a few times a day, very mild, and sometimes rolling, and i feel a tighteness. the movements have ranged from the sides, to low down, and sometimes up high. If I am laying down with my hand on my belly I can sometimes feel the baby moving that way.
I know exactly when I conceived, but the doctor did say I"m measuring bigger, big baby perhaps? I know my baby had a growth spurt in two weeks, i just popped, who knows, each pregnancy is unique.

I know exactly when I conceived as well. I had a super heavy, regular length period in December, and the only 'oopsie' moment was in January. None before. So I know it's not an 'older' baby.

It's good to know your baby is active but you don't feel much. Ds was super active in the womb (enough for the technicians to comment on it) and I could feel him super early, kicking & rolling from 12 weeks on. And he had an anterior placenta too. Maybe this one is active but I just don't feel it?

I wouldn't wonder about measuring 'ahead' if it was only a couple weeks, but it's a HUGE difference. Dh didn't want to tell his side of the family until we got past 16 weeks (when we lost our first son), but it's been hard to hide since 8 weeks, and now, it's impossible. He's still lagging on telling them, but it's getting hot too, so there's NO way to hide it. I'm chunky, but I'm sure they'll notice how all the 'weight gain' just happens to be in my stomach region and in a nice round beachball shape.

Ami

[etsdtm99]

have you measured your fundal height with a tape measure? my uterus popped out early like .. 7ish weeks i could feel it.. i looked pregnant by 8ish weeks to people who knew me.. i am 21 weeks now and my fundus is well above my belly button pushing on my ribs a lot (my rib cage also started to expand around 12 weeks which it did later in my first pregnancy and hardly at all with my 2nd with i carried really low) i am carrying this one higher than i did my 2nd child, more like my first (this one and the first are girls, middle is a boy.. also this one and the first i had anterior placentas)

to get to the point. my belly LOOKS huge and my uterus is way high when compared to my belly button/ribs but i am measuring only a tiny bit ahead with the tape measure.. (22 cm at 20 weeks) .. my baby on ultrasound at 17.5 weeks measured exactly right on with my dates .. also, you mentioned not feeling as many kicks, which makes me think you may have an anterior placenta .. to me it seems that placenta placement can really effect the way you carry and the shape of your belly .. i felt my first around 12 weeks even with the anterior placenta but this one the movements were very muffled until much later and i still have a big area where i don't feel much at all..

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by etsdtm99

have you measured your fundal height with a tape measure? my uterus popped out early like .. 7ish weeks i could feel it.. i looked pregnant by 8ish weeks to people who knew me.. i am 21 weeks now and my fundus is well above my belly button pushing on my ribs a lot (my rib cage also started to expand around 12 weeks which it did later in my first pregnancy and hardly at all with my 2nd with i carried really low) i am carrying this one higher than i did my 2nd child, more like my first (this one and the first are girls, middle is a boy.. also this one and the first i had anterior placentas)

to get to the point. my belly LOOKS huge and my uterus is way high when compared to my belly button/ribs but i am measuring only a tiny bit ahead with the tape measure.. (22 cm at 20 weeks) .. my baby on ultrasound at 17.5 weeks measured exactly right on with my dates .. also, you mentioned not feeling as many kicks, which makes me think you may have an anterior placenta .. to me it seems that placenta placement can really effect the way you carry and the shape of your belly .. i felt my first around 12 weeks even with the anterior placenta but this one the movements were very muffled until much later and i still have a big area where i don't feel much at all..

same

my uterus is a good couple inches above my belly button... but its only measuring 22 cm at 21 weeks (and Im tall with a long torso!)

[triana1326]

I'm at 34+4 days, measuring at 42 cms. I had an ultrasound at 10 weeks to rule out twins (runs on both sides of our families). Midwives aren't too concerned, but I'm convinced that I'm carrying a giant!

[catlvr976]

I just found out last month I'm carrying twins. So, I can say that you may not necessarily have more movement. Both their placentas are anterior, and only within the past month have I felt movement and I'll be 24 weeks on Friday. I don't notice any more movement (so far, anyway) than I did when I was pg with my girls. I'm sure it will change the bigger they get, though.

As far as movement goes, in MY experience, I wouldn't go by that. LOL

[Adamsmama]

I think I'm measuring bigger this time around, too. I never did with my other 3. I have an appt next week but right now I can feel my fundus almost half way between the pubic bone and belly button. ETA: I also look very big -- like about what I looked at 18 weeks with my 1/2nd ... or 14 weeks with my 3rd.