Tell me about your IUGR baby

djtippietoes · January 2014

My LO was diagnosed (or is it me that was diagnosed, I never know) with IUGR. He was measuring in the 2nd percentile at 35 weeks. Dopplers and NSTs have been good, so they are keeping him in until 37 weeks. They estimated him being 3.10 currently. I'm hoping he at least gets to 4 lbs when he is born.

Anyone have any experience with a baby this low on the growth chart? Were they in the NICU? Any issues?

Jessy25 · January 2014

My daughter diagnosed with IUGR at 33 weeks and decline to the 1% percentile at 36 weeks. I developed severe pre-e from my placenta failing. She wasn't receiving nutrition from my placenta but I still had good blood flow. Do you know if its a blood flow or a nutrition issue? My daughter made it to 5lbs before she was born, I was lucky she was gaining a good amount of weight before she developed IUGR. All my dopplers and NSTs were good also. I delivered via csection because I developed severe pre-e.

She was in the NICU for about a week. She didn't go to the NICU because of the IUGR, she had a lot of fluid in her lungs and stomach from the csection. So, she needed breathing help and also had trouble feeding. The good thing about IUGR is they excellent after delivery. After she was born she gained steadly and is now a happy and healthy 2 year old and in the 75% percentile for weight and height.

laynal · January 2014

My little one was in the 9th percentile, my dr scheduled induction for 38 weeks and I went into labor on my own right before I hit 37 weeks she was estimated from u/s the week before to be between 4.5 and 5.5 pounds ( I had two ultrasounds in one week and each tech got a different weight) she was born 5 pounds 4 ounces and didn't have to spend any time in the NICU.
After I had her they found a big dead spot in my placenta that the dr said was probably caused by some sort of trauma. I had at least 6-7 ultrasounds in my pregnancy and they never saw the dead spot. My little one is 3 weeks old now and is doing great.
Good luck! Hoping your little one puts on some weight before he arrives!!

djtippietoes · January 2014

Jessy25 said:

My daughter diagnosed with IUGR at 33 weeks and decline to the 1% percentile at 36 weeks. I developed severe pre-e from my placenta failing. She wasn't receiving nutrition from my placenta but I still had good blood flow. Do you know if its a blood flow or a nutrition issue? My daughter made it to 5lbs before she was born, I was lucky she was gaining a good amount of weight before she developed IUGR. All my dopplers and NSTs were good also. I delivered via csection because I developed severe pre-e.
She was in the NICU for about a week. She didn't go to the NICU because of the IUGR, she had a lot of fluid in her lungs and stomach from the csection. So, she needed breathing help and also had trouble feeding. The good thing about IUGR is they excellent after delivery. After she was born she gained steadly and is now a happy and healthy 2 year old and in the 75% percentile for weight and height.

I'm not sure if it's a blood flow or nutrition issue. They haven't said anything indicating one over the other.

Glad to hear she is doing well now!

djtippietoes · January 2014

laynal said:

My little one was in the 9th percentile, my dr scheduled induction for 38 weeks and I went into labor on my own right before I hit 37 weeks she was estimated from u/s the week before to be between 4.5 and 5.5 pounds ( I had two ultrasounds in one week and each tech got a different weight) she was born 5 pounds 4 ounces and didn't have to spend any time in the NICU. After I had her they found a big dead spot in my placenta that the dr said was probably caused by some sort of trauma. I had at least 6-7 ultrasounds in my pregnancy and they never saw the dead spot. My little one is 3 weeks old now and is doing great. Good luck! Hoping your little one puts on some weight before he arrives!!

Glad she is doing well too. This gives me hope that maybe mine will be on the larger side of their growth estimation.

djtippietoes · January 2014

DaisyBlinks said:

DS was born at 38+6 and was 4 lbs, 3 oz--the .8th percentile. He stayed in a Special Care nursery for 14 days. His biggest issue was maintaining his blood sugars. Once he got that down, he was a grower/feeder for a few days and then they released him. His growth and development has been 100% normal since getting out of the womb. When he was released from the hospital at two weeks old, he was 4 lbs, 14 oz. He's 21 months now and in the 60th percentile for weight--they catch up fast!

Having a baby stay in the hospital is no fun, but these kids seem to always have great outcomes. Hang in there!

This makes me feel better. I'm glad he is doing fine now.

swarleyknitter · January 2014

I was induced at 37+1 and my IUGR babe came out the size of a 32 weeker- 3lbs 14oz. We were in the special care nursery for 3 weeks. He had difficulty with his blood sugars but to top it all off he had a cleft lip that we never saw on ultrasound so he had difficulty feeding. He needed a NGT which he would have needed regardless of the cleft because babies that small are so tired all the time. He got added calories added to my pumped milk. It took 6 months to get him on the growth charts and at his 1 year check-up he was 10th %ile for weight and 45th for height. He's doing so great now. Your babe will be here so soon!

hizah05 · January 2014

My son was diagnosed at 37 weeks in the less than 2 percentile. He had stopped growing 3 weeks prior. He was born vis c-section the very next day after the diagnoses because his heart rate kept dropping during the NST. My high-risk doctor recommended c-section because he said IUGR babies don't usually do well during labor and it would probably end up a c-section anyway. Surprisingly, he was 5 pounds 5 ounces at birth. They estimated between 4-5 pounds from the ultrasound. Also surprisingly he spent no time in the NICU.

He's now almost 2 and remains on the smaller side. He's usually in the 15th percentile and always wearing clothes smaller than his age. Besides that he's never had a problem.

rainydayluck · January 2014

DD was IUGR. She was less than 3rd percentile. At 32 weeks I was hospitalized due to low fluid levels (they figured low AFI and IUGR was a placental issue). At 36 weeks she was showing distress so she was delivered. She weighed 5lbs and spent 5 days in the NICU due to low blood sugar.
She had to be on high calorie formula and when she was was around 1 we saw a nutritionist to see how we could get her to eat more calories. She's still a small kid, at 3 she's 25lbs.

With this LO, I get monthly growth ultrasounds and baby is currently measuring in the 18th percentile.

aliandchris · January 2014

My daughter had IUGR too. I have chronic hypertension when I'm not pregnant and throughout my pregnancy, it was well controlled and there was no other reason they could find for the IUGR. After failing multiple NSTs but passing biophysicals, they induced me at 37.5 because she was only measuring in the 2nd percentile. She was 5 lbs 13 oz at birth and today, at 8 months, she's 21 lbs and the 95th percentile. So sometimes babies just do better on the outside! Good luck!

djtippietoes · January 2014

These stories are very reassuring and helpful. Thank you! I'm having him tomorrow at 37 weeks (c-section because he's breech.) I'm really just hoping he is at least 4lbs.

No one really seems to know if this is a reason for it, but I was an IUGR baby myself. It was not diagnosed back then, but I was only 5lbs 9 oz and my mother insists that I was a week late.

aliandchris · January 2014

Good luck! Those measurements can be off by a pound so hopefully he'll be a great size

djtippietoes · January 2014

He ended up being 4lbs, 15 oz! A tiny little guy but much bigger than I thought he'd be. He didn't have to spend any time in the NICU.

cukimerrydoll · January 2014

One of my twins has been IUGR that was discovered at 16w. B has presented in the less than 1 percentile consistently, but has still shown growth. We're at 28w2d now, and have seen absent end diastolic flow in the umbilical Doppler, but the flow has never shown signs of reversal. So, we're staying pregnant as long as it's safe for both babies.

ajsuhayda · June 2014

My wife and I had twins and one of them was diagnosed as IUGR.. the docs had been monitoring it for about a month and finally decided to deliver my wife at 35w4d. They estimated him to weigh around 3lbs 8oz.. of course when he was born he was 3lbs 4oz, 17" and we were FREAKED OUT! But, aside from being tiny, he had literally no problems other than being a little anemic.

He had head sparing IUGR (asymmetrical).. huge head, tiny body. Of course we were dumb and read about IUGR on the internet. Bad idea! Take my advice and don't read about it.. it will only scare the crap out of you.

Pleased to report that he is now 8 months old, 26 1/2 inches long and 16.5 pounds.. so he's still on the small side, but he's kept his growth curve beautifully. He's a very inquisitive little man and seems to be very meantally with it. It's important to note that it can take up to 2 years before a growth restricted baby "catches up" physically. So, in terms of being big or small, it's too soon to tell yet.

All that aside, he's doing everything he should be doing and is giving us little to no reason to worry about his future development.

Don't let this diagnosis freak you out too much. It happens and your doctors will watch you closely and make sure that your baby is safe and sound for as long as possible. If you have an otherwise healthy baby, the prognosis is usually pretty good.

One thing that is interesting about IUGR babies is that since they are under stress in utero, they develop faster than normal. So, if they are born early, they may breath and eat better than a baby who is born at the same gestational age with no issues! They are fighters right from the get go.

Hope this reassures some of you!

PinkCamino · June 2014

Nikwiss said:

Not to scare you at all as you're hearing some good things, but my DD had IUGR. She passed away 8 days old in nicu from only weighing 1.4lbs

Have you looked at the dates? This woman delivered her baby and he is doing well. I've also noticed that you are purposely looking up IUGR threads to share your story which although is generally okay you are scaring the living shit out of everyone. Your story is sad, and I'm terribly sorry for all your losses but the ladies on high risk need support and well wishes - not a reminder of how horribly your story ended.

HoltzBaby · June 2014

Our 1st was diagnosed with IUGR. Our doctor said different pregnancies do not have the same risk of IUGR. Needless to say it still scares the dickens out if me. He suggested looking into baby aspirin. After further research, aspirin thins the blood and increases blood flow to the fetus therefore lowing chances of IUGR. There is no confirmed research but many cases where aspirin has possibly prevented IUGR. Do some research and note there is a maximum amount of weeks to take aspirin during pregnancy so also consider using only thought the 2nd trimester.

Apriljlindauer · December 2014

Hi Ladies,

I am scheduled next week to have a C-Section for my little baby boy who was diagnosed with IUGR around 30 weeks because he was measuring in the 3rd percentile. He has continued to grow but at a very slow rate since, with one big growth spurt in there. Right now they are telling me he weighs about 3 lbs 2 oz. I will be 37 weeks on the day he is born.

We are obviously very nervous about the outcome, but our doctor who is fantastic sat down with us and told us that these little ones typically do very well once they are delivered, given the stress that they were under in the womb in terms of fighting for growth. So I agree with the post, STAY OFF THE INTERNET because there are medical studies out there that outline the worst possible outcomes, so you just end up freaking yourself out over something you have zero control over. I have beat myself up a bit after reading some of the stuff out there because I wonder what happened, but all the doctors think that given my age (40) it is likely a placental issue, as my dopplers are good, I have had every genetic and other test in the book, I'm not hypertensive, in good health, etc. What I have learned is that the docs don't always know what the cause is, and I just continue to get monitored and hope for the best outcome possible. Best wishes to everyone reading this and I will provide an update after he gets here in a few days.

djtippietoes · December 2014

Apriljlindauer I am the OP of this thread and it's almost a year old. I know when I was looking for threads about others who went through this, I wanted to know what happened if they were older posts so I'll tell you what happened with us.

My son was born at 37 weeks and was 4 lbs, 15 oz. He was a scheduled C-section because he was breech. He did not spend any time in the NICU. He is now almost 11 months old and doing fine. He's still on the tiny side (less than 16 lbs) but he hasn't had any health issues.

Good luck!

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