fundal height at 25 weeks question (a bit worried) - Page 2

[Skiesmama]

growth

Well I wouldn't say that you had no growth - you had 2 cms growth. That's fine. Even midwives wouldn't expect you to be exactly at the number of weeks in cms.

With my first my baby grew in spurts. They told me babies don't do that - well mine totally did. I'd actually have no growth at all and then a huge spurt. They sent me for ulratsounds all convinced that I had IUGR and between the US and palpating they were sure I'd only have a 6 lbs baby. She was 8 lbs.

Since then I've never ever worried even a tiny bit about whether i'm growing fast enough.

Here's my growth record from this current pregnancy:

19 cm - Sept 1 - 21 weeks
19 cm - Sept 16 - 23 weeks + 5 days
23 cm - Sept 30 - 25 weeks + 5 days
25 cm - Oct 10 - 27 weeks + 1 day
27 cm - Oct 19 - 28 weeks + 3 days
28 cm - Oct 30 - 29 weeks
29 cm - Nov 14 - 31 weeks + 1 day.
30 cm - Nov 20 - 33 weeks
32 cm - Nov 27 - 34 weeks
33 cm - Dec 4 - 35 weeks
32 cm - Dec 11 - 36 weeks
37 cm - Dec 19 - 37 weeks + 1 day

I wouldn't worry one bit based on measurements. Now if your gut was telling you something was wrong then that would be a different story. Also if you take a look at your diet and feel you could have eaten better then do that.

Every pregnancy is soooooooooo different. This is my 5th and it is the polar opposite of my previous but also different from all the rest.

hth,

Heather

[rainymorning]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Skiesmama

Well I wouldn't say that you had no growth - you had 2 cms growth. That's fine. Even midwives wouldn't expect you to be exactly at the number of weeks in cms.

this 2 cm was from 20 weeks to 22. in the last 3 weeks--nothing.

if it is IUGR, can they do something for the baby? inducing early?

i don't trust my gut feeling now, as i'm pretty stressed about other things. i was wondering about it--what if my stress is affecting the little one? i remember reading that low levels of stress are actually beneficial. i'm stressed, but not through the roof, and i think i'm controlling my anxiety quite well.

my diet is not as healthy as it used to be, but it is still pretty healthy, better than "mainstream" healthy. so i'm not worried there.

i told myself in a strict voice not to try to measure for the next two weeks, this way i will be more certain if there's any growth.

[mwherbs]

go get an ultrasound -- no measurable growth but good movement, and good weight gain-- your baby may very well be fine-- but you need some peace of mind at this point--
usual management is observation- kick counts (decreased movement can mean stress), non-stress testing, biophysical profile,ultrasound and doppler flow studies

[rainymorning]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by mwherbs

-- your baby may very well be fine--

okay, when you say it this way, it worries me.

will there be a difference for the baby if i were to get an US now, vs. in two weeks? what are the risks exactly?

i really don't want to get into the "system"...

[mwherbs]

oops-- didn't mean to make more worry-- when you say you are not only thinking about size but concerned about stress-- it seems like a worry dryer just keeps tumbling around in my own life i try to stop those spinning thoughts KWIM--
personally I would probably wait 2 weeks- with good movement-

[Spark]

Originally Posted by rainymorning

i'm not sure what my gut says. a dear friend of mine has been expected to die, she has unoperable cancer, for months now. i feel i'm under constant low level stress and anxiety since the beginning of the pregnancy. this interferes with my intuition, i think. if i wasn't measuring, it would be saying that everythign was great! damn the tape measure!

Going through that kind of intense stress, remember your babe is going through what you go through. I think the small measurement might be your sign to retreat inward & find some more joy to surround yourself with. You of course, want to be there for your friend, but I think your body/baby are telling you that you need to take care of yourself FIRST.

So, tell us about your amount of:
rest
wholesome food
water
laughter
love

Your key to your measurements might lie in the list above.

[georgia]

[rainymorning]

true, i haven't been sleeping well, but it is not too bad either. i used to wake up with my toddler when i was pregnant with dd! and now both of them wake me up at night, and sometimes i can't fall back to sleep.

i just talked to DH about it last night, and i hope he'd be more understanding. for him it is out of sight, out of mind, and since i don't talk about my friend with him, he assumed i was doing better than i'm. normally when i'm stressed i talk my heart out, but this time it is more difficult, so he kept on thinking i was doing great.

i'm eating / drinking well overall, but i also daily supplement with chocolates

laughter and love are harder to find. DH is very stressed at work, and he tends to withdraw whe he is tired and stressed. maybe i need to see a comedy

thanks for the support,mamas!

i told DH last night about the fundal height issue, and i hope he'd tune in into me a be more. he did say that he kind of took it all for granted--that i was feeling well, and that i'd be healthy, and the baby be healthy and so on...

Originally Posted by Spark

Going through that kind of intense stress, remember your babe is going through what you go through. I think the small measurement might be your sign to retreat inward & find some more joy to surround yourself with. You of course, want to be there for your friend, but I think your body/baby are telling you that you need to take care of yourself FIRST.

So, tell us about your amount of:
rest
wholesome food
water
laughter
love

Your key to your measurements might lie in the list above.

[rainymorning]

Originally Posted by mwherbs

oops-- didn't mean to make more worry-- when you say you are not only thinking about size but concerned about stress-- it seems like a worry dryer just keeps tumbling around in my own life i try to stop those spinning thoughts KWIM--
personally I would probably wait 2 weeks- with good movement-

i feel i'm lucky that the worries are not out of control, kwim? yeah, i do worry, but it is not all consuming, not on that level. i will monitor the movements with more attention in the next two weeks--it is easy to take something for granted--and then we will see. so far the litttle one is very active!

just to clarify "good movement" concept--right now there is a very clear pattern of him/her moving late at night, like a big burst of movement when i got to bed, and movement throughout the day, with some breaks in between. so my understanding i shouldn't be concerned about the breaks, right? but to look for the pattern to continue with the same level of activity?

of maybe to do an actual kick count? i can't tell with certainty about the exact day time pattern, other than there are times with more kicks and times with none, but that's because i'm not very attentive like this.

should i spend a couple of days figuring out the day time pattern as well? for me this would mean writing things down. is it worth it? is this something they will ask for if i go for a check-up?

[Intertwined]

It would be good to be armed with that sort of information if you decided to go in. It would help you communicate and show that you aren't some sort of crazy person but rather a woman choosing no 'prenatal care'. Usually, I was told anyway, you sit down at a usually 'active' time of the day and count for until you get to 10, then record how long it took. You should feel 10 in an hour. Unless you usually feel way more and the movement is significantly decreasing. That should be noted as well.

[rainymorning]

Originally Posted by Chantelhayes

It would be good to be armed with that sort of information if you decided to go in. It would help you communicate and show that you aren't some sort of crazy person but rather a woman choosing no 'prenatal care'. Usually, I was told anyway, you sit down at a usually 'active' time of the day and count for until you get to 10, then record how long it took. You should feel 10 in an hour. Unless you usually feel way more and the movement is significantly decreasing. That should be noted as well.

when the LO is active, i feel 10 in 20 minutes or less. does it matter how long the active periods last? is this indicative of anything?

i think so far today, i felt 10 in about 15 minutes, and then there are more, less frequent for another 1-2 hours (i think). i wasn't very organised yet. just trying to be more mindful.

[Skiesmama]

counting kicks.

I would assume that you're not expected to feel movements every single hour too. I know my baby sleeps for a couple hours at a time anyway. I've had super active babies that moved all the time and much quieter babies that moved a lot less. I'd just hate to see counting kicks end up stressing you out as much as worrying about the measurements has.

I know you're feeling disconnected from your intuition right now - maybe what you really need to do is work on that in the next couple weeks taking time to really tune into your baby and your body. Really asking what you and your baby are needing right now. Ultimately that is what will lead to solutions if indeed there is even a problem. The Drs really can't do a whole lot short of major intervention and can cause a whole lot of stress over nothing. that's not to say that they don't have a place, but personally for myself I want to know that I've done everything I can at home before I go in. You're so much more vulnerable if you go from a fear place instead of a place of just knowing something's not right kwim? I understand how easy it can be to get disconnected in the busy-ness and stress of life especially when we already have a bunch of kids to care for etc. I bet tho that going inward will be key for getting clear on this. IT's important not just for this issue but for any others that come up especially at your birthing time. That and a pregnancy frought with worry is just not pleasant. I spent so much of my previous pregnancy worrying over nothing and this time I've been really careful to stay on top of the fear factor and stay tuned in. It's really worth it for the peace of mind you'll feel. ANd much healthier for baby too.

One more thing - maybe you do need to talk about your friend? Or just have a good cry? If you normally talk a lot about things like this then you probably really need to release. Maybe even just doing some drawing or other form of art would help? Could be helpful for either issue actually.

Do take some time for you tho.

Much love to you,

Heather

[Intertwined]

I agree with Heather. Don't stress yourself out. Though I wonder if this is your intuition screaming at you? I dunno. That's how mine works. If I am completely tuned out and start over the top obsessive worrying it means I need to slow down and pay attention to myself about that subject.

And no, you don't need to feel movement every hour. I think if you're feeling good, consistent movement several times a day then kick counts are good. The concern is when movement drops way below norm for YOUR baby or is below the average norm (which is 10 movements an hour every day).

If it were me personally, and I remeasured in 2 weeks and still had no growth, even if my movement and heartbeats were good I would opt to have a scan done to check for IUGR. That's just a personal choice, though. I wonder if you are facing death right now, through your friend, and that's making you more sensitive to the possibility we ALL face that something could be wrong with a child?

[rainymorning]

Heather and Chantel,

thank you for your thoughts. i've been trying to look inward and focus on myself. the last two days i was in total physical exhaustion, but the baby moves well. i wonder if my body is going through some major relaxation. i was able to rest a lot as DH partially took over.

if there's no growth by January 5th, i will go for an US.

[rainymorning]

i think it grew a touch! and the baby is moving really well. so i'm relieved. i'm still not sure i find the top of my pubic bone accurately and consistently . any help there?

i realised i won't be able to use my bellybutton to measure from, as the belly will curve out more and more. so i need to be very familiar with the pubic bone.

also, i feel that the top of the uterus exactly on top of my belly button is a bit lower then on the sides? is this typical?

[arcingpath]

Hi. Just wanted to give this a bump and see if there is any update.

I found alot of my thoughts here in this thread: the baby seems to be growing in spurts, movement is good, but lately there hasn't been much change in fundal height. I really feel that everything is ok, but it has been throwing me off, as while I don't use a tape measure, I do check the height of my fundus as compared to my belly button when I lay in bed at night. Sometimes it seems to grow daily, other times, like the last few weeks, barely at all. I was thinking I was about 26 or 27 weeks, but that has made me wonder if it isn't more like 24.

I think the slow-down in fundal growth is due to natural cycles, plus my digestion, eating patterns, and patterns of rest/stress, suggestions made by others in this thread. And maybe my dates are off a little bit. These all make sense to me and confirm what I was feeling, so I'm really glad to have found this thread. I just left my job, which is a big relief for me stress-wise, and so now I'm guessing that the baby is going to grow more as I have more time to relax and enjoy and eat well.

But I would love to hear from the op about how this turned out for you. I searched your other posts, but didn't see anything. Thanks everyone for the info.