Baby measuring BIG

[jeanine123]

I'm starting to get a teeny bit worried about how large my tummy has been measuring. At 12 weeks I measured right at 12 cm. 16 weeks I measured 18cm. 20 weeks I measured 20cm but that was with the student midwife so it may not have been totally accurate as she's stil learning. Also, I had an ultrasound at 19 weeks and baby measured 20 weeks (I know that isn't always accurate so I disregarded it). Then, at 24 weeks I measured 29cm. Both midwives measured me and both got the same measurement twice each. They both palpated quite a bit and determined that baby himself felt a week ahead. After we listend to the heartbeat with the fetoscope and doppler baby moved and my midwife remeasured me and I measured 25cm. No big deal. Also, between 8 and 24 weeks I gained 10lbs total. Today I had my 28 week appt. I gained 12lbs the past month. But what really got me a bit concerned is that I measurd 34cm. And she took the measurement 3 times. Now, at the ultrasound the tech only found one baby and when my midwife palpates she can only feel one baby and we can only find one heartbeat and one cord pulse with the doppler. She's not too worried, other than saying we may have to plan for a bit earlier of a birth than we thought. Though she is having me come back in 2 weeks for another appt/measurement. I know my dates are right with the EDD being April 24 because we only bd'd once the month munchkin was conceived. Any thoughts on what might be causing this or advise or anything? I measured right on the money with son the whole time so this is new to me.

[MamaTaraX]

You can measure big and be just fine. Irt's not really something to worry about until you are more than 5-6 cms ahead. Sometimes you measure big because you have a lot of fluid. Sometimes you have aig baby. Sometimes baby has a growth spurt. Usually it's not a big deal at all

Namaste, Tara

[cherubess]

I wouldn't be too worried.

You are right, measurements can be off.

I had two doctors telling me that I was going to have a BIG baby.

DS was born two weeks early and he was 6lb 12 ... not so big :lol

[SoCaliMommy]

Dont worry

with my daugher i measured right on in cm to wks til 32wks when i measures 35wks at 35wks i measured 40wks ! i ended up having my daughter at 35wks6days and she was 7lbs 13oz 20"

With our son at my 20wk appt my stomache measured 22wks so i'm expecting him to be big and early like his sister since i'm already measuring ahead.

[USAmma]

It might just be the baby's positioning. . . or maybe you'll have a bigger baby. I had the opposite concern. My baby was measuring behind: no growth between 20 and 24 weeks. I had felt that something was wrong with her from the beginning so I got really worried. I had an u/s at 25 weeks to check growth and she was fine. She was in frank breech position, very low in my pelvis, and compact. She was born 2 weeks early at almost 7 pounds. :thumb I have a friend who just grows big babies. Her first was just shy of 10 pounds.

[CarrieMF]

I'd guess it is baby's position, especially since it moved once and dropped 4 inches off at the same appointment. My dr won't do measurements prior to 20 weeks because a variety of things can skew it.

[jeanine123]

Thanks everyone! I'm pretty much figuring munchkin has his butt sticking out too far or something and that's why I'm measuring so far ahead. Just wanted to do some asking around to put my mind at ease that there isn't something I'm not thinking of and to have stuff to tell dh if he starts freaking. He isn't yet but he did leave the appt yesterday a bit more concerned that there's another kid hiding in there somewhere. :lol And I'm not worried if this one ends up being larger than my first (8lbs 2oz). The way I figure, my body won't grow a baby too big for it to get out.

[johub]

So what's so bad about measuring big?
I really dont remember how big I was measuring when I was pg with my ds1 but I know the ultrasound indicated that he was older than he was.
I FELT huge though and looked at term from 7 months.
But my midwife was cool and never raised any alarms.
2 days before I gave birth I told one of the midwives that I had a feeling that my baby was HUGE (I was thinking over 9 lbs). And she smiled and said to me,"Nah, probably not that big"

Imagine my surprise when1 day after his due date he was born after only about 20 minutes of pushing, all 11lbs 2 ounces of him.
It was a beautiful uninvolved, no intervention birth center birth.
And I left feeling confident that I could handle a 12 pounder if it came down to it. :flipped
I think that they scare moms unduly about the possibility of having a big baby.
I pushed longer for my last child who was my smallest at 7 lbs 10 ounces than for my biggest.
And I gained about 14 lbs for the entire pregnancy.
There really is no telling what size your baby is going to be and I really would try not to sweat it in advance.
So many women measure big for absolutely no reason.. A good friend recently had an ultrasound to check for twins because she was measuring huge, but she just had one normal sized baby.
Joline

[DesireeH]

I measured big both times (4 weeks ahead most of the time.) My son was 6 pounds 10 oz and born at 39 wks 6 days. My daughter was 11 days late and 7 pounds 12 oz.

[starlein26]

i measured beyond dates with my ds several times in my pregnancy and they had me completely freaked out about it...several glucose tolerance tests (yuck), additional ultrasounds...i was a wreck. turns out he was 3 ounces shy of 10 pounds.
what they didn't mention was the genetic component of your child's size. i was a big baby and we have a history of big babies on my side of the family, and dh is 6'5"...so for future pregnancies i'll already know i make big babies so as to not freak myself out.

[2+twins]

It's also not uncommon to measure ahead for dates with a subsequent baby. So maybe that's it. That happened to me with my 2nd dd (who was biggish, but not early).

[thepeach80]

I was measuring 42wks at 37wks and everyone was sure AJ was going to be huge (I was 9#6oz, but a 42wker). He was born that next week at 7#3oz, but w/ a huge head. :lol I also had a TON of fluid w/ him. My youngest measured almost perfect the whole time, but weighed 7#8oz. I had NO fluid w/ him though. I'm also 5'3" which makes me measure bigger b/c baby just doesn't have room to go much of anywhere but out! People always ask if the baby is due soon right around 28 wks. :angry

[Doodlebugsmom]

I measured big with both of mine. With dd, at 35 weeks, I measured 37. She was born at 37 weeks at 6lbs. 11oz. Ds measured 4 weeks ahead most of the time. At 38 weeks, he measured 43. He was born at 39 weeks at 8lbs. 13oz. So apparently, measuring large didn't really have much to do with the size of my babies.