Bummed-another tiny baby

MommyAtty

So just went in for my 27 week check up. My first baby was 6 lbs, 3.5 oz. This baby seems bigger to me, but my OB said we need to start monitoring the baby's size more closely because this one seems small too. He said we are likely headed for another 6 lb-er. It didn't help that the nurse who weighed me accidentally added 10 lbs to my weight, so I was very excited I was actually gaining the proper amount of weight. Nope, turns out she just can't read the scale. Even though my DD is perfect and has been from the very start, I was still hopeful that this baby might even tip the scales at 7 lbs. Looks like that isn't going to be.

futurehunterbaby

My biggest baby out of 4 delivered was 5 lbs 3 ounces

They said if I have 6 lbs or larger, I would need a CC-Section

I'd prefer a small baby

Oh, and I seem to gain alot of weight during pregnancies... I'm 15 weeks today and have already gained 10 lbs. But baby is healthy...that's what counts.

MommyAtty

Sigh. I gain very little. 4 lbs my entire last pregnancy. This time I'm up 13 lbs and very excited about that. But I was more excited when I thought I was up 23. (I didn't gain at all my last trimester last time around.) I was thinking I was going to hear the baby was bigger, so the announcement that he feels small and we need to monitor his growth was a bit of a blow. Only after that did they re-weigh me and go "oops! Wrote it down wrong. Silly me!" I wanted to smack her.

MommyAtty

Thanks for the support. I'm hormonal. And it doesn't help that my MIL keeps asking if this baby will be big like my husband (a 9 lb, 4oz baby), and I keep telling her there isn't a chance of that. But yes, the fact that we are both healthy is what matters. And DD was absolutely perfect and is now a tall, skinny 19 month old. Even if she started as a munchkin who was in the 6th percentile for weight and 14th for height.

kelley72

I am very confused by why you and your dr would be concerned about a 6lb baby

MommyAtty

My doc isn't concerned about a 6 lb baby. He's concerned that the baby not be much smaller than that. So, as is normal, they will do extra sonograms to ensure he's growing properly. It's just a bummer that when you have a tiny baby, everyone's reaction is "holy cow! That's so small!" Right now, we are doing a sono in 3 weeks and hoping the baby measures at least 3 lbs at 30 weeks. If the baby measures much smaller than that, we will do even more frequent sonos. And he will gripe at me to eat more. And I already eat like a horse!

CheezeFace

My son was born at 36 weeks and was 6 lbs. not once did his birth weight come up as an issue. Good luck!

lizardknitter

My daughter was born at 39w4d and was 6#4oz.   She was and is a perfectly normal and amazing kid.  Some people just make small babies.  I don't get why your doc is concerned.  

kmawb

Is the doc concerned about IUGR or something of that nature?  Are you on the short side OP?

FWIW my DD was born at exactly 41w and she was 7lb4oz (pretty tiny for being a week oversue) and she's still in the 10-15th %ile at almost 3-1/2.  But then again I'm only 4'10" so we never expected her to be a giant.

SurpriseAt39

kmawb said:

Is the doc concerned about IUGR or something of that nature?  Are you on the short side OP?

FWIW my DD was born at exactly 41w and she was 7lb4oz (pretty tiny for being a week oversue) and she's still in the 10-15th %ile at almost 3-1/2.  But then again I'm only 4'10" so we never expected her to be a giant.

OP, similar to this ^^

My DD was born at 41w5d and was 7 lbs 6 oz.
DS was born at 41w and was 7 lbs.

No one referred to them as small.

In fact, I was 'praised' for having average sized babies (and no one mentioned that they were 'overdue'.

Average at 40w is @ 7 1/2 lbs.

MommyAtty

I'm okay as long as the baby is at least 6 lbs. I was 6 lbs, 1 oz, and I'm fine. In fact, I'm 5'10 and when not pregnant about a size 8, so I definitely caught up. My daughter is fine. In fact, she's perfect. But right now, the baby feels small enough in utero that my doc is concerned about low birth weight. (Which clinically is under 5 lbs, 8 oz). As over 35 moms, we all have elevated risk of low birth weight babies. So my OB is going to require slightly more frequent appointments (a pain in the rear) and I'm having an extra sono at 30 weeks to check size. If this bun is under 3 lbs, we will have extra sonos, too. And in the meantime, I get monkey-brain about whether I'm doing everything I can to make this bun grow bigger. I never gain enough weight, though this time I'm doing better, no matter what I eat. And I have a ton of guilt about not gaining enough weight and therefore not having a strapping baby. Sigh. It'll be fine, just like last time. It's just a nuisance to be more closely monitored and to worry about this little bun. (And my doc laughed last time when I would call DD "small." He kept saying we were going to call her "petite.")

nikkiuk

I'm feeling a little concerned about this one too. My son was born weighing in at 5.2lbs due to IUGR. I'm almost 20 weeks right now with this LO and haven't put on a single pound in weight so with a growing bump, I must be losing weight, right? Having said that, I was overweight to start with and my OB told me to try to not gain more than 20lbs in total so I don't know if this is good as I'm not piling on the pounds or bad as I have a small baby IUGR history. I have no appetite whatsoever and my husband has to remind me to eat during the day or I hardly eat a thing until the evening meal and even that's a struggle although I force it all down. Luckily my A/S is on Monday so I will hopefully get some reassurance. 

PunkyBooster

Those guesstimates are wayyy off IMO. Ds was estimated to be small- 5 pounds. He was 6.2 when born at 38w.

That's more than a pound off! I have no advice but I do know my experience with this was so so off. I was always measuring about 3 weeks behind but my ob and I had a difference of opinion on my due date (I said 11/24. She said 12/2. He came 11/18.) I gained 30 pounds but was a tad too skinny to start with (5'6 115 pds).