Measuring Baby at 35 weeks?

[arcingpath]

Hi! I am UC/UPing, 35 weeks along and wondering if you can help me. I would like if possible to get an idea of the baby's size. Is this possible at all? My fundal heights measured right on for how far along I was the whole time. A couple of times they seemed to be a little ahead. I was trim before, and this is my first, but I gained a pretty good amount of weight with this pregnancy, some for me, some for the baby, you know? My husband was almost 12 pounds when he was born. I feel like I have no idea what size this baby is. I'm not concerned about it being too big or anything, more concerned that it has grown enough. I actually am sure that it has, just wondering if there is any way I can tell. Thank you!!!

[BetsyS]

Do you mean a "do it yourself" sort of way to figure out the size of a baby?

Or are you talking about having a midwife help you figure this out? My midwife did Leopold's on me at every visit. One, to figure out the lie of the baby, and two, to get an assessment of the baby's size.

I had a large baby (11 lb, 14 oz) the first time. I gained alot of weight with that pregnancy (48 lbs). My fundal height jumped towards the end, and I measured 6 cm ahead for the last month of my pregnancy (from 37 weeks on). My midwife (with 20+ years of experience) felt that the baby was large, at least 10 lbs. She was right. As the mama, I felt like I was carrying a large baby, but I was thinking more in the 9.5 lb range.

[arcingpath]

Thanks. Yes, i'm looking for a do it yourself, way. Other than fundal heights, how do midwives and others determine the size or is there any way to really? I feel like there isn't a way, other than to say that the baby seems large or small? In my case, I'd say the baby seems med-large. Just wondering if there are other ways midwives or other mamas or whomever do this or not. Are there benchmarks or anything, other than fundal height and how large the baby seems? Thanks!

[Jane]

I am still learning to estimate. I do Leopolds and wrap my hands around the baby and imagine the baby that exists under my hands. I tend to add a little for short women and subtract a little for tall moms.
I have come to think that fundal height is more about fluid+baby than baby size. The one 11# baby I palpated felt 10#+, but measured just a few cm large for dates. I've also see 7# babies with 42 cm fundal heights.

I think you have to ask what you're gonna do with the information. It's just trivia. The baby either comes out or it doesn't.

[mousebandit]

I think I have read something that correlated head size with different weights - maybe in Anne Frye? I'll try to find it and post the resource. It used both head measurements and comparisons (softball, this fruit, that fruit, etc), so I thought that would be a good way for me to estimate (when I get good enough at palpation to actually FIND the head for sure, LOL!). We're also considering one midwife appt. at about 35 weeks just for this exact purpose - have her palpate, confirm positioning, and see if she can estimate a rough weight.

If I find that chart tomorrow, I'll post the info!

Tracey Mouse

[mwherbs]

for me it has taken time and experience to be better at guessing weight- when I palpate how big is the back, feeling the side how wide, the legs , the arms - after babies are born and you know their weights what do they feel like? there are babies with skinny limbs but wide heads and bodies , are they long or short.
so some other things I think about how does this baby compare to a 5 lb bag of sugar? how about a 10 lb bag? I had all big babies and I am better at guessing bigger weights .

in studies moms tend to have a good idea how big their babies are- so what is your guess?