Growing in the 7th percentile..

Re: Growing in the 7th percentile..

• ninambutler member

  January 2013

  I'm going through the same thing. My baby was 2 pounds 2 ounces at 29 weeks 6 days but she isn't symmetrical. Her head is 2 weeks behind, her limbs are on track, but her belly is only measuring 22 weeks. I will be monitored with weekly ultrasounds also. I wish I had anything to say to you besides I understand. It just makes me so sad and guilty sometimes. I am so tired of being told how small I look and people asking if everything is okay. I feel like a failure.

  
  
  

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• ninambutler member

  January 2013

  It's weird they put you in the 7th percentile. My baby is a week ahead of yours and an ounce smaller and they told me 19th percentile. I wonder why!

  
  
  

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• benmel31 member

  January 2013

  Just wanted to say take care of yourself and good luck.  I hope your baby continues to grow and develop well.

  
  

     

     

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

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• mcooper014 member

  January 2013

  I'm in the same position as you.  People keep telling me how small I am at 7 months.  Then at christmas a family friend came over who was 6 weeks behind me and she was twice the size as me!  I hate it.  The doctors said there is nothing I can do to make her grow more and I'm afraid they are going to take her out early.  I'm just trying to eat more protein at this point and not worry so much. 

  

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• msf11

  January 2013

  As a former NICU nurse I have taken care of lots of SGA babies. While they may have been small and a little early, they were really hearty and quite feisty too! They all did great and often times better than bigger babies. Hang in there, I am sending lots of love and relaxation to you... I think you might need it more than he will :0) I am certain he will be such a healthy guy and a spitfire at that.

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• thecarrotflower

  January 2013

  vmihelci:

  It's weird they put you in the 7th percentile. My baby is a week ahead of yours and an ounce smaller and they told me 19th percentile. I wonder why!

  
  
  One of the reasons you two could be in different percentiles could be the gender of your child. Boys and girls go by different charts the whole way through.
  
  I am not in the situation but, I wanted to sympathize as I am sure it is a very difficult and stressful situation. Hang in there mama's I am sure you are doing what is best for your baby. You are doing great.

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• lkm2006 member

  January 2013

  This baby measured 2 pounds 6 oz at 28 weeks 4 days but they told me 30 percent. It was a drop from the 42th percent at 19 weeks.
  
  DS1 had asymmetrical iugr and was in the 12th percent when I was induced at 36 weeks. He was perfectly healthy, just small!
  
  This baby is measuring consistent all over, just smaller. As long as he doesn't continue to drop, I will be allowed to go full term. My OB said some people just have small babies!

   

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• KYmama9286 member

  January 2013

  DS had extreme IUGR- he was 3lbs 6oz when he was born (they ended up inducing me at 37 weeks because they also agreed that he would grow better on the outside than on the inside). I totally agree w/ the pp who is the NICU nurse- SGA/IUGR babies are total fighters and fiesty! While DS was incredibly tiny he didn't spend ANY time in the NICU, he actually came home with us 4 days after he was born weighing only 3lbs 2oz! The only reason they kept us the extra couple of days was to make sure he was increasing his feeds and I think they kept expecting there to be more problems but there just weren't. He scored 8 & 9 on his APGARS and didn't have a single problem during delivery. 

  Have they done any additional testing to determine a possible cause of the IUGR? In some cases there is no apparent cause (which was the case with DS though we later found out why he was so small). Some of the common causes can be issues w/ the umbilical cord (a single or 2 vessel cord- this would have been noted at your 20wk scan though), placental issues (have they graded your placenta to see how its aging and to measure the blood flow to the placenta?), infection (they often check for TORCH infections but again you would have probably had symptoms if you had an infection). Honestly there is very little you can do to help with IUGR babies- my high risk dr's never really even brought up my diet since they said the 2 were pretty unrelated. Even if you aren't eating much the baby can easily take all the necessary nutrients from supplies your body has- you will just end up feeling like crap as the baby steals all your nutrients :-) They did put me on strict hospital bed rest from 27-37 weeks- I had to lay all day with my hip propping me on my left side, only allowed to get up to pee and shower every other day. But even the bed rest they said wasn't totally proven to improve outcomes. There were some cases where it seemed to help and others where it didn't but we figured it wouldn't hurt to try since DS was less than 3rd percentile.

  As long as your dr's are monitoring you closely (growth scans every 2 weeks- ask what they are looking for in projected weight gains) doing NST to ensure baby is tolerating everything okay then there isn't much else you can do. Don't blame yourself b/c there are very few things that a mom can do that can CAUSE a small baby (and I'm sure you aren't doing those things- chain smoking, drugs, drinking excessively, etc.) Hang in there! Feel free to ask any other questions- I spent a LOT of time researching IUGR while I was on bed rest haha

  

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• km2124 member

  January 2013

  My LO was the same, 5% the first US and 8% the 2nd.  My doctor recommended TONS of protein (protein shakes, lean meats etc) and I switched to whole daily (drank milk with every meal/snack).  She is now in the 20% (4 weeks later).  I do think that stress also had a lot to do with it.  Just do your best, I was told as long as they are symmetrical, there was less to worry about.  Sending good juju your way!

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• almostmrsw11 member

  January 2013

  I just want to say I'm sorry, I can't imagine how hard and frustrating this might be.

  For what its worth, my sister's daughter stop growing in the womb and they did an emergency c-section at 33 weeks (I believe). She was born 2 lbs 8 oz, and was a little underdeveloped so she stayed in the NICU for about a month-ish. She now is a healthy 6 year old (she is a little small for her age, but thats due to other problems), who loves school, running and playing.

  I do not remember if she was measuring on track up until 33 weeks or not. But needless to say, She's healthy and perfectly fine now! 

  So while I understand that its a stressful situation, your baby will be just fine no matter what happens! 

  Hope that helps a little bit. (: 

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• GabriP member

  January 2013

  I hope for the best for you and your little girl. It's tough to go through this, but comforting to have someone who understands and can relate. It can be upsetting to see women around the same month with huge growing bellies, but we're growing life too..that we can feel and responds everyday. They're little fighters in there  I know when the time comes, no matter how small, I will love my little one just as much, if not more. Good Luck, mama! 

   

  March 16th

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• GabriP member

  January 2013

  Thank you! I appreciate it very much!

  March 16th

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• GabriP member

  January 2013

  Oh, I know. I have a friend who's a little over 4 months right now and she looks like I did almost a month ago. It's her first time being pregnant and I'm just like...Wow. We can't put the pressure on ourselves that it's something we're doing or purposely causing. Take care of yourself, rest and good luck! We're almost there

  March 16th

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• GabriP member

  January 2013

  Thank you for that reassurance and to hear some positive feedback. With more time on my hands now, I've been a little internet crazy and googling a lot. You'd be surprised at how many worrisome and negative articles there are about SGA babies. How risky it is, increased chances of SIDS for them, developmental issues throughout life and into adulthood. I mean..it's hard enough as it is growing life and staying healthy for this little one. But, I'm holding hope

  March 16th

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• GabriP member

  January 2013

  skyllingstadl:

  DS had extreme IUGR- he was 3lbs 6oz when he was born (they ended up inducing me at 37 weeks because they also agreed that he would grow better on the outside than on the inside). I totally agree w/ the pp who is the NICU nurse- SGA/IUGR babies are total fighters and fiesty! While DS was incredibly tiny he didn't spend ANY time in the NICU, he actually came home with us 4 days after he was born weighing only 3lbs 2oz! The only reason they kept us the extra couple of days was to make sure he was increasing his feeds and I think they kept expecting there to be more problems but there just weren't. He scored 8 & 9 on his APGARS and didn't have a single problem during delivery. 

  Have they done any additional testing to determine a possible cause of the IUGR? In some cases there is no apparent cause (which was the case with DS though we later found out why he was so small). Some of the common causes can be issues w/ the umbilical cord (a single or 2 vessel cord- this would have been noted at your 20wk scan though), placental issues (have they graded your placenta to see how its aging and to measure the blood flow to the placenta?), infection (they often check for TORCH infections but again you would have probably had symptoms if you had an infection). Honestly there is very little you can do to help with IUGR babies- my high risk dr's never really even brought up my diet since they said the 2 were pretty unrelated. Even if you aren't eating much the baby can easily take all the necessary nutrients from supplies your body has- you will just end up feeling like crap as the baby steals all your nutrients :-) They did put me on strict hospital bed rest from 27-37 weeks- I had to lay all day with my hip propping me on my left side, only allowed to get up to pee and shower every other day. But even the bed rest they said wasn't totally proven to improve outcomes. There were some cases where it seemed to help and others where it didn't but we figured it wouldn't hurt to try since DS was less than 3rd percentile.

  As long as your dr's are monitoring you closely (growth scans every 2 weeks- ask what they are looking for in projected weight gains) doing NST to ensure baby is tolerating everything okay then there isn't much else you can do. Don't blame yourself b/c there are very few things that a mom can do that can CAUSE a small baby (and I'm sure you aren't doing those things- chain smoking, drugs, drinking excessively, etc.) Hang in there! Feel free to ask any other questions- I spent a LOT of time researching IUGR while I was on bed rest haha

   

  They've been vigilantly monitoring the baby! Which is nice, so I know what's going on every week. I was even in a car accident exactly a month ago and there's no placental abruption or issues with the cord. Blood flow is strong and I hear it every time they do the ultrasounds. They said try not to worry and just continue eating healthy and staying relaxed, not to stress. My ultrasound yesterday, however, wasn't to take measurements. It was to check his activity. The past few days it seems he's been sleeping a lot. I feel very little movement and they noticed that on the scan. It took some belly shaking and probing to get him to finally wake up and respond, but again, they said it's nothing to worry about. 

  I'm going to just try to relax and surround myself with positive energy and supportive people while I go through this. Thank you for your feedback

  March 16th

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