Advice on large head circumference

Re: Advice on large head circumference

• Miz_Liz member

  July 2015

  My advice is to call your Dr to get some answers and put your mind at ease. The sonographers are typically not allowed to answer any questions regarding what things could mean, risks, etc. since they are not the actual Dr. That is probably why he wasn't giving you answers, but there was no need for him to be rude about it. The other thing I will say is try not to stress, measurements are not an exact science when the baby is still in the womb and they can often be wrong. My DS has a big noggin, always has, probably always will. Remember that they are saying "above average" for an infant at that stage, not saying your child has a head the size of a toddler. These are averages - all it means is of x number of babies, this amount fell above this threshold and this amount fell below and here is the "average" for all of the babies looked at. It does not necessarily mean that there is anything wrong with your baby at all, but again, if you are stressed, call your Dr for answers on your latest scan, they are the only ones who can truly answer your questions regarding you and your baby. Good luck and try not to stress!

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• breezymeema7 member

  July 2015

  I would definitely call your doctor and ask for clarification. Hopefully they can address your concerns and put your worries to rest.

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• thesportsgal member

  July 2015

  I asked my doctor to re-read one of my scans because I didn't like how it was explained to me (I can email her). She wrote me back a wonderful response, addressing all of my issues. There's nothing wrong with asking your doctor to read your scan and give you some clarification. Also mention what the tech said and his behavior so he/she is aware.
  
  Good luck!!

  
  

  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• kellbree member

  July 2015

  Thank you so much ladies!! I will definitely follow up with my doctor this week to get more information. I think I may have been spoilt initially by seeing a senior sonographer who was able to provide quite a bit of detail during my scans.
  
  Miz_Liz- what you've said makes complete sense and you've helped to ease my anxiety (thank you x)! Just wondering, did you have any complications with labour with your DS and were you able to deliver naturally or require cs?
  
  thesportsgal- sounds like you've got a wonderful doctor there! Will definitely be informing mine of the sonographers approach (esp as I think he was a junior)
  
  Thanks again!

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• hclzmm14 member

  July 2015

  Yes unfortunately the sonographers are not trained or licensed to give you medical advice or tell you what your scans mean. This is why usually you see your doctor after a scan so they can interpret the results. I would imagine your doc will bring it up at your next visit and go over everything with you, so write down all your questions if you decide not to call instead.

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• Miz_Liz member

  July 2015

  kellbree said:

  Thank you so much ladies!! I will definitely follow up with my doctor this week to get more information. I think I may have been spoilt initially by seeing a senior sonographer who was able to provide quite a bit of detail during my scans. Miz_Liz- what you've said makes complete sense and you've helped to ease my anxiety (thank you x)! Just wondering, did you have any complications with labour with your DS and were you able to deliver naturally or require cs? thesportsgal- sounds like you've got a wonderful doctor there! Will definitely be informing mine of the sonographers approach (esp as I think he was a junior) Thanks again!

  
  I was able to deliver him vaginally. After awhile of pushing the Dr came in and said that I was tired and she could do one of three things, we could either 1.) Try pushing a bit longer, 2.) try the vacuum, or 3.) do a c-section. Well, I had just heard HORROR stories about the vacuum and I was terrified of a c-section, so a few pushes later and he was out! He had quite the cone head when he was first born from coming through the birth canal (and slowly), but it normalized relatively quickly and he has a perfect head now

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• amylianne member

  July 2015

  My DS also has an "off the charts" size head. The scans had expected him to be big in general, but I didn't know ahead of time that his head would be exceptional. We did end up a c-section, but I'm very petite, so it doesn't mean someone else would too. The come head was phenominal!! We still joke about it. I wish I could post pictures. Like Miz_Liz said, it goes away after a few months at most and makes for a good story to tell them later!

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• kellbree member

  July 2015

  Oh that’s great to hear that you were able to deliver him vaginally! The vacuum scares me a little also and I would prefer to avoid a cs (however if this is required for safety that’s a completely different thing!)
  Thanks again! Your little man sounds perfect
  
  cllgarrison- thanks for the advice, will make sure I write down all my questions/ concerns to ask my doc

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• BabyD316 member

  July 2015

  My baby A had his head measure much bigger than it had all pregnancy in relation to the rest of his body at my 32 week scan. My OB told me this is because he is head down and engaged in my pelvis. It's very difficult to get an accurate reading in that position. She said she wasn't worried at all. I did have the u/s tech measure 4x and look for anatomical abnormalities and she found none. I have heard the farther you are in your pregnancy the less accurate the scans get. Hope you get an answer soon!

  

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• kellbree member

  July 2015

  Thank you BabyD316, it's reassuring to hear we're not the only ones with a bubba with a pretty big scone! My DF and I have relatively small to normal size heads so I think that was another reason I panicked. I'm also pretty petite so I'll chat to Dr about how realistic vaginal vs cs delivery is

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