When does a growth spurt level out?

[lisarussell]

OK-So in the past 4 weeks my Uterus has grown a lot. At 18 weeks I was measuring 21cm and now at 22 weeks I am measuring 29.5 cm (gotta count that 1/2 cm because it's almost 30)

I have decided to have an U/S but I can't get it until Sept 5th.

As far as I know there are only a few reasons to grow like this
1. growth spurt
2. extra babies
3. tumors
4. polyhydramnios which can be an indicator of fetal abnormalities.

So I'm choosing to go with the whole growth spurt thing, it sounds nice & healthy. How long does a growth spurt last? When would we expect a growth spurt to level out? Wouldn't leveling out mean I went a very long time without growing at all (like for the next 7.5 weeks)

I have 18 weeks left, is it really possible to have a uterus that's 47cm? And that would only be the case if today I stopped growing off-scale and just started with 1cm per week. I shuder to think of how big I would be if each week I continued to grow as I have this past month. I grew about 2-3cm (but I'll go with 2 because 3 is just too huge) per week, so if I keep it up at this rate, that could be an additional 36cm. I am a small woman, i can't
do that. Would that happen? Can that happen? OMG 36+29.5 means I would be 65.5cm. Oh oh oh oh oh wow. I'm glad I went with two.

help please. what the heck is going on here? when can i expect this to end? please tell me growth spurts level out soon.

It can't be tumors, I am too healthy of a person. It can't be polyhydramnios related to fetal abnormalities because we have no medical insurance and wouldn't I have a bit of intuition about it? And it can't be multiple babies because I already have 5 kids and 6 was "the plan." So it must be a growth spurt.

let's talk growth spurts here, bring it on.

[lisarussell]

I forgot to say that I have 5 children, ages 13, 10, 6, 4, and almost 2.

I am normally 110 lbs and right now I weigh 115 lbs.

I am hardly hungry, I've had no morning sickness, and a total aversion to anything fried or fatty.

I eat very healthy, mainly fruits and veggies, whole grains and every day I drink 16-24 ounces of fresh vegetable juice. No refined sugars or flours.

I didn't always eat like this, whenever I get preg I suddenly have an aversion to unhealthy foods and can only tolerate whole, mostly organic foods.

In each of my past pregnancies, my measurements have always been precisely perfect. I even called my previous caregivers to verify this.

While I might have only gained 5 lbs so far, my behind has shrunk, so I think I have really lost weight personally, because of eating better.

[mwherbs]

that is a big jump in growth-- are your dates possibly wrong?
measurement error, and the other things on your list-- growth spurt really doesn't come to mind-- maybe if the uterus was a little bit trapped downward previously then got large enough to just pop-up out of the pelvis-- are you constipated and your intestines are displacing the uterus upward? I have a friend /old midwifery partner in the tri-cities if you want to talk to her... pm me

[JunipersMom]

I just had a 5th time momma who was measuring WAY big for dates (23 at 20wks, 29 at 22wks, 32 at 26wks) - sono showed everything was ok - she evened out by 30 weeks, still measured about 2-4cm big - but everything was ok... measuring does not always even up with dates - especially with multips. So try not to worry - love on your babe and tell him to quit making his momma nervous - and take it all as normal until you hear otherwise (or of course if you get other symptoms).

[lisarussell]

thank you both for your answers. it is possible that my dates are wrong, but still- it's supposed to be a cm a week, not 2-3cm a week. I'm looking at the pattern here, not just the number. If I were consistently 3cm over or something I think I would just chalk it up to having lots of kids or incorrect dates.

Nice to see the lady that was mentioned did eventually even out around 30 weeks. That's a promising experience. She wasn't having twins or anything? Baby came out healthy and normal?

Thank you both for your input.

[MsBlack]

I had a similar pregnancy--and the growth finally levelled out, so that I was just about normal for dates/cms, by about 35wks. But I was far enough ahead for so long that I started seriously thinking I had twins (never felt like polyh to me--it was a UP/UC, but I'm a mw and could feel pretty well that it wasn't a lot of fluid)...nope, just one 10lb baby, my biggest by 2lbs more than the last (she was #5). I am short waisted also....man did my belly stick out far! As I recall (she's 14now), I got to about 8cms ahead, then slowly the weeks caught up to the cms. It wasn't sudden or anything, I just gradually quit being so far ahead on cms, until I was only a 2-3cms ahead and could easily feel that it was one large baby.

Polyhydramnios--well, many babies with defects come with polyhydramnios. But many women w/poly have normal babies...so, no use thinking like that just yet. If it doesn't level out, and you do continue to be very large for dates, then at some point you'd want to see if it's twins or polyh. Yes, you could get to 47cm or more, w/twins or a bad case of polyh.

Are you getting enough proteins and healthy fats? At your normal size, there is just not going to be much fat to turn into baby (as it were--ref to your comment that you have lost weight as baby grows). Aversion to fried foods is one thing--but are you at least eating enough things like nuts, using the good veggie oils or otherwise getting good fats. And protein...I'm not one to push a real high protein diet, but you do need more than nonpregnant.

[MidwifeErika]

My last pregnancy there was some time that I spent that I was 12 cm ahead.... that evened out some towards the end but my uterus was still at 45cm on the day that I had her. It was a healthy 8 1/2 lb baby and a whole lot of fluid.

I think it is wise to check it out and see what is going on, but I don't think you need to worry or panic about it because it could mean absolutely nothing.

[lisarussell]

Ms I will pay more attention to my protein- I take a fatty acid supplement and have ben eating nuts, so I don't feel that's an issue, but I have been craving nothing but fruits and veggies, so I'll bet I have protein issues. It's hard for me to attack my diet, because I feel so very wonderful right now. I haven't had any sickness or tiredness or achiness (OK there's the spreading hip pressure) I feel great, and I have hardly had nay meat at all, so I will up my protein, come to think of it, a big salmon steak sounds very tasty right about now.

I sure hope this baby isn't gigantic, but I guess 1 big baby would be easier to care for than two! I'm an avid belly-poker, too and I'm not feeling extra fluid. I might not be trained in palpating, but I do have 5 kids and I've poked and prodded them all, excess fluid doesn't seem to be an issue.

thanks, ladies