Growth slowed at 30 weeks, poss steroids?

[GBLiz]

I had a growth scan 2 weeks ago (at 28 weeks) to begin to monitor baby's growth due to my age. They said the baby was slightly smaller than they would have expected taking into account averages, and my previous two babies sizes. But on the 10th percentile which was ok as long as she stayed on the line. I had another scan yesterday and the baby had dropped to below the lines. It looked like it had dropped outwith the percentile lines completely but my notes say "below 5th percentile" which maybe isnt quite as bad as it looked but i imagine that dropping that much in 13 days isnt a great thing! On the plus side blood flow and all other readings were fine.

The first doctor said they would probably have me back in 2 weeks to rescan and see if the growth had picked up, then she left the room to check with the consultant and when she came back she said actually i was to come back on Monday to check the liquor (?) and cord blood flow again, and to be rescanned next Thursday. I know they dont normally scan more frequently than 2 weeks apart so it sounds like the consultant thought it was fairly urgent! The doctor also told me that on monday the consultant might decide to put me on steroids in case the baby needs to come early.

I'm not feeling too anxious as i am clearly being monitored closely and also i know scans can be off and the next might show a catch up, but just in case of worst case scenario does anyone know 1) how early they might induce 2) would it mean a c section if it was quite soon? and 3) what happens with milk production if you have to have your baby pretty early?

thanks!

 

[kanga86]

I had lots of scans in my last pregnancy due to baby measuring below the 5th centile on my 30wk 4d scan. I was checked at 33 weeks and they were really concerned with baby as his tummy measurement was really really low. So I had a follow up scan a week later at 34wks and thankfully everything seemed to go back up to follow the similar line below the 5th centile. They checked the cord flows and amniotic fluid levels (liquor) at each scan I had too, which were at 36 and 37+4wks. He was born at 37+5weeks weighing 6lbs 1oz which was higher than the 5lbs 11oz it suggested at the scan the day before.

I can't really answer any of your questions as I was able to be induced and my milk supply was not affected although baby was very lazy and sleeping due to being born early.

I hope all is ok with baby and it was just a fluke scan and baby will pick up again at your next scan xx

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[GBLiz]

Thanks, was yours induced due to being small even though he was staying around the 5th pc line?

The overall estimated weight of my baby has increased a little but not as much as needed to stay on the percentile line. The AC measurement hasnt increased at all though since 2 weeks ago.( But doesnt the AC fluctuate according to whther the baby has just wee-d or not?) I cant work much else out from the notes. It says USS LV (N) AFI 12.7 EFW down from 10th c to below 5th c. good fmf

from what i have googled Steroid injections would only be needed if they think baby needs to come out before 37 weeks so they are obviously thinking that might be a possibility!!

Guess i just have to wait and see what happens next week.

 

[kanga86]

AC can fluctuate due to how much they have drunk but a small AC can be a sign that the placenta isn't giving enough nutrients to the baby so it transfers all nutrients to the brain to protect it rather than feed baby.

I was actually induced due to recurrent reduced movements, went in about 8 times and 3 of those were in the days before he was born. They weren't concerned with his weight as long as he followed the line he was on. He was born on the 8th centile in the end so not too bad.

The wait and see option is all you can do unfortunately. I felt like I went crazy with worry in those last few weeks between scans not knowing whether he was getting enough and whether or not they had to possibly bring him early. I really do hope baby is ok and even if baby is born early I'm sure he will be great. I was born naturally at 32 weeks, nearly 32 years ago (I'm a twin) and I weighed 3lbs 1oz. We had to be in incubators for a while but we are both fine. Also my friend had a little boy at 34 weeks naturally and he didn't need any help xx

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[GBLiz]

Yeah, baby is moving about loads at the moment which is a good sign and i'm glad i have appointments booked for Monday and thursday so not ages to wait to hear next steps... If she has to be early i would hope to be able to get to 36 weeks so she wont have to stay in hospital, that would be hard as i have a 14 month baby at home ....

 

[GBLiz]

well i went for monitoring spent about an hour on a heartrate/movement monitor first which i hadnt expected as there have been no issues with movements , was scanned for cord and fluid which was all fine, didnt even get to sit down with a doctor, he just stuck his head round while i was on the monitor and told me that it was bad baby wasnt growing and i probably wouldnt make it to term, but that cord flow and fluid was good. no mention of steroids or any information on what might happen .. so i dont really know whats going on. After all they have only 2 growth scans to go on and arent they notoriously unreliable? I had been told i would have another growth scan later this week but today they said no, it will just be cord and liquor again. So I have to try to work out the situation from all the random bits and pieces from all the different departments and i am concluding that at the moment all is ok but they are monitoring and expecting it to become not ok at some point, but clearly must be ok for the next week and a half at least until the next growth scan

 

[babyscotcher]

if you are on Facebook there is a group called parents of premmies uk which you would be welcome in if you let them know you have the possibility of a premature baby. Any baby born before 37 weeks is considered premature but how much help they will need or not is dependent on the situation.

My little boy was born at 36+6 but still needed 11 days in neonatal however I know of babies born at 33 or 34 weeks that spent no time in neonatal or very little. My little boy way following the 2nd centile from growth scans but I was actually induced due to pre eclampsia so completely different circumstances however.

I wish you luck and try not to worry too much as there it wont change the situation. Just try to mentally prepare yourself and if you haven't already look at buying a few smaller clothes such as ones up to 5lb and a pack of micro nappies just in case. at 5lb1oz my little boy still wore the 5lb clothes for a good 3+ weeks.

 

[GBLiz]

i'm a little bit concerned about leaving a growth scan for another 2 weeks when there was already no growth in AC between 28 and 30 weeks ...
baby was only weighing just over 2.5lb at 30 week scan so yeah i have been thinking do i need to buy prem clothes but am i to look at clothes for a 2-3lb or 5lb or what? ive been given no indication whatsoever of when they will decide to induce or at what point in growth slowing

 

[babyscotcher]

If a baby is born very small and early they will likely not need clothes straight away as would be in an incubator and if needed most NICU's will have clothes you can use. I would not buy prem clothes until you know what you need. if likely to be small it is always worth having some 5lb clothes as baby is likely to be home or at least out of an incubator at that kind of weight. Micro nappies are also good as not all NICU's will supply them for more than the first couple of changes. The scans can be quite unreliable regarding weight so could weigh more than they predict and as you cant buy them in regular shops prem clothes are harder to send back (though you could always donate the local NICU.)

A growth scan is not reliable if done in less than 2 weeks usually because the growth in that time can be small and therefore hard to measure. Just be sure if you have any concerns over reduced movements, bleeding or pain you go straight to triage. Regarding the growth try not to worry as they will make the right decision.

Just make sure you have your bag packed with everything for you in case they take you in at the next appointment.

 

[GBLiz]

I'm just trying to force myself to eat a bit more in the hopes of increasing some nutrients getting to baby......my appetite has been really poor the last few weeks and now i'm feeling guilty that i havent eaten enough!

 

[babyscotcher]

I'm just trying to force myself to eat a bit more in the hopes of increasing some nutrients getting to baby......my appetite has been really poor the last few weeks and now i'm feeling guilty that i havent eaten enough!

Don't feel guilty. Unless you are extremely underweight baby will always use your body's nutrients first and it would likely be you who felt horrible if you were not getting enough food. These things happen and having a preemie can be tough especially if they need to stay in NICU for a while but you will get through it if that has to happen. Every day counts and you might find that this is all a false alarm and your next scan shows good growth. It can happen.

 

[kanga86]

Sorry you haven't got any real answers from your scan today. It is such a worrying time between scans and I beat myself up for my poor diet too but as baby Scotcher said baby will steal all the nutrients from you if you aren't eating enough and just makes you feel run down not baby.
Alfie was
2lbs 11oz at 29+6 weeks,
3lbs 8oz at 32+6 weeks
4lbs 1oz at 33+5 weeks
5lb at 35+4 weeks
5lbs 11oz at 37+4 weeks
6lb 1oz born at 37+5 weeks

When is your next growth scan? I really hope baby has grown abit by then xx

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[GBLiz]

Mine was 2lb 2oz at 28+2; 2lb 9oz at 30+2

I'm presuming my next growth scan will be a week on thursday at 32 + 2 but who knows?!!!

 

[babyscotcher]

Mine was 2lb 2oz at 28+2; 2lb 9oz at 30+2

I'm presuming my next growth scan will be a week on thursday at 32 + 2 but who knows?!!!

That seems only just below average Liz as think the expectation is around 3lb at 30 weeks and don't forget it is only an estimate as the measurements are still very small. Also seems a good growth in 2 weeks as they only expect about 1/3 of a lb each week at that stage and then I think it is about 1/2 a lb after 34 weeks (don't quote me on that though.) I really wouldn't panic yet as there is still time. It could be that baby is just going to be small. As long as they follow their own line even if that is small they shouldn't be worried, especially if your blood flow and fluid is still good.

I know it is easier said than done but try to look after yourself and let your body and the Dr's do their stuff for baby.

 

[GBLiz]

i think thats the issue not that she's following on a low line but she dropped from 10th to below the 5th in the 13 days between scans which is quite a rapid drop.

i feel like baby is fine right now she has been wriggling all night but i'm just concerned about the ac measurement which already showed no growth between the last 2 scans so another fortnight seems a long time!

 

[GBLiz]

monitoring all ok today. Just waiting to see what the next growth scan shows. They keep saying there was 'no growth' between the last 2 scans though so clearly they dont think the growth was good or even ok!

 

[Jamie.d]

have you had anymore scans? Hope everything is okay x

 

[GBLiz]

i went in for monitoring about 10 days ago and all signs were ok. the consultant said i needed to take the steroids ahead of the next growth scan because baby has 'significant IUGR' and need to be ready for inducing if all wasnt good at the scan. I requested that i hold off the steroids for 3 days until the next scan as i wanted to be sure it was necessary. the consultant ok'd it but made it clear he didnt expect there to be any growth. The scan 3 days later showed the baby had put on over 1.5lbs since a fortnight before (!) and was completely normal sized, having gone from below 5th to 25th percentile in that 2 weeks. So, havent been back for monitoring since! Glad i trusted my instinct and also that i had researched the steroids as knowing about possible side effects was what made me want to wait to be sure they were needed. if i had just followed advice i would have taken them and matured baby's lungs prematurely for no reason.

 

[Jamie.d]

Wow! That's absolutely amazing! I'm so glad for you
Just goes to show they are sometimes a little too hasty x they just like to be on the safe side I think?
Such good news though