My 40th week appointment...

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

...So I'm measuring quite small. 36 weeks, actually : I usually am a bit behind but not THAT much. So I had an ultrasound, fluid levels look fine, placenta's good.

Knowing that u/s estimates of weight are often wrong, I asked the tech what the computer told her.

5 lbs, 15 ounces.

:

So I guess my eat-my-way-to-a-bigger-baby plan didn't work There's no way this baby is 8 lbs. It's fine, I make smallish babies, but egad. That's just wee tiny.

Anyone else measuring way behind?

[attachedmamaof3]

I was...at my 40 wk I was measuring 36 as well...at 41 wks...caught back up! Weird...I was like "No WONDER I've been so tired!! The baby just had a huge growth spurt!!"...

[carmel23]

I've been measuring small this pregnancy, too. which is weird, because with my last boy I was HUGE... so I haven't exactly been worried but I do think about it. I've an appointment tomorrow, but last friday (week 37) I was like 34 cm... But my doctor hasn't been concerned at all about the size of the baby--or at least he hasn't indicated anything ---

(other than saying that it was okay to be small as I didn't want to carry a 10 lb. baby--I think he said that because I'm very petite and the weight would just wreck my back [as if a 30 lb. toddler doesn't wreck my back already])

---I guess I'll ask tomorrow...

Mamajava--a six pound baby sounds perfectly reasonable to me! And typically, they all seem so tiny when first born and then seem to grow way too quickly... A six lb.er sounds good!

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

Thanks, attachedmama! That's really interesting.

I was just starting to feel like I was inadequate or something - 6lbs is a low birthweight in comparison to most people I know.

I guess 6lbs is fine - I just wanted a nice fat baby Both the boys were smallish but gained at least 4 POUNDS their first 4 weeks of life, which is, um, good. Yay breastmilk!

I had been hoping to homebirth a nice 9lb baby to prove a point Most of my friends are big into pain meds, c-sections, etc, and they always think that I am not into that because my babies are smaller and it's not as hard to birth them, yadda yadda yadda. So I'll have an intervention-free homebirth and they'll write it off. Which sucks. I also want to show the inlaws that NO, I do NOT diet during pregnancy, I just don't get really big. Can't get big if I try. They think I live off of lettuce and skim milk because I'm concerned about getting fat. : I eat lots of all kinds of things, but it doesn't make a big difference.

[5thAttempt]

I am 38.5 and measuring 34-35 depending on the day. I've measuring sma;; the whole pregnancy. Ob was not concerned.

[bc1995]

I've been measuring small, too. I measured 37cm on Tuesday and I would of normally been 40 if I measured like I did with my first two. My midwife is not concerned. I asked her for a guess about baby's size and she said 7 1/2 lbs. My last was 8lb 9oz and she doesn't think this one will be nearly as big.

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

Oh, I'm so glad I'm not alone I try not to let stuff freak me out, but I was getting worried about it.

<sigh of relief>

[prettypixels]

You could always... yanno... Um.... *fib* a little about your babies weight. What are they gonna do, weigh your baby? : I'm terrible, I know it!

Anyways the fact that you make smaller babies should have zip to do with anything!

(ETA for typo!)

[beth_marie]

Yeah i totally know where your coming from! when my doctor told me my baby would be around 6lbs i felt like I must have done something wrong, now take it my first baby wasn't that big either (7lbs 3oz) I didn't want this baby to be any littler then that. But then I started thinking about it. I know people say that having a big baby is not any harder but still wouldn't your rather have a 6 pounder come out of there then a 10, 9 or even an 8?? I had a really easy labor with my first and i know the fact that he was small has got to have something to do with it. For me its Psychological too, just picture a 6 pound baby coming out of you, then a 9, yeah rather have the 6. Especially if they are just as healthy, you know? So i think i'm going 2 stop obsessing on how big i think my baby is going to be, and just make sure to keep on taking care of myself. (Maybe we have smart Dr/MW too, who in there right mind would tell a almost there pregnant lady there going to have a huge baby?? lol)

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

prettypixels, I *could* fib a wee tad...but they'll see the baby pretty early on, so they might figure it out

beth_marie, I know what you're saying - but I really think I CAN birth a baby 2 or 3 lbs bigger and I WANT to...as weird as that is...I believe in my body's abiliity to do that. It's kind of a silly thing I guess, but I just want to do it to say that I did!!

But yes, it's not that big a deal health wise. It'll be fine, I'm sure.

Plenty of dr's do tell mamas that they're having huge babies!

[steffanie3]

Just remember how inaccurate weight can be. I did have a big baby, but they were off over a pound the day before he was born, he didn't gain that much that night

[attachedmamaof3]

Yah, and keep in mind that weight really has little to do with how easily they 'fit through'!! It's ALL about that head!! (SO for bragging rights with your friends, make your baby's head sound HUGE!!!) "Oh, YOUR baby may have been 9 lbs, but MY baby's head was like 24 inches AROUND!"

[cornflower_3]

Small here too. Measured 36w at 37w and 38w. And this is very weird for me as I usually measure a week or two ahead. I think I'm going to hopefully get my fluid levels checked tonight as I've been a bit leaky lately. Also want to say, regarding "small babies" both of my full term babies were estimated at 7 to 7lb8oz. They were however, 1-2 pounds heavier, so nobody knows for sure. Also my cousin just had a baby barely 5lbs and the docs had no clue she was that little. So again, no one knows. Mama Java, I can totally relate, I'm hoping this one will pass the 10lb mark just to say, I birthed a 10lb baby, and yes it came out the in door! Best of luck growing those healthy babies mamas.

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

Out the in door