11th Percentile baby - 36 weeks scan

[daerwen]

Hello all,

I just got my scan last week and I was on my 36th week then. Baby is measuring 2 weeks behind, and over-all result of the scan was that baby size is on the 11th percentile. Weight is 5+ pounds, I got enough fluid and other factors were just fine. Only that baby is on a low percentile. I'm a bit worried and can't stop thinking where did I go wrong. I haven't talked to my ob yet cus she's out, only with her reliever which I didn't have a clear answer. Any one who's got the same prob or been through this? Im nearing my due date and I don't know what factors must have caused my baby being small

1. I'm still going to work where it is very hard cus my travel time is 3 hours.. a total of 6hours back and forth. The journey home is really hell. I don't know if the stress of travelling is a factor
   
   
2. My height is 5' and hubby's 5'5
   
   
3. Second hand smoke at home.. sometimes.
   
   Thank you in advance mummies!!

[giddypants]

my ds was small for dates and was born at 37 weeks weighing just 4.7lbs I am 5'1 dh 5'10. They said he was small because of my height. he wasn't he was small because my placenta was failing. have they done a blood flow scan from your placenta. this may be an option? either way i woild want a few more answers.

[breatheslowly]

11th percentile means that for every 100 babies 10 will be smaller than yours. Given the size of you and your DH (probably in the smallest 10% of women/men), your baby is in line with what I would expect.

[HPsauceonbaconbuttiesmmm]

I don't think your baby sounds small for you. Both you and your DH are on the shorter side and I'd be more worried if the baby was on the 90th centile. Nothing wrong with 11th centile.

Fwiw, DS was born 6lb 10 at 41+6 so between 2nd and 9th centiles. DH is 6 foot and I'm 5 foot 6. Nothing wrong with placenta, just the way he was. He's now (2.5y) between 91st and 98th for weight and just over 98th for height. Didn't drop weight from the day he was born, just piled it on despite ebf.

The important thing is that the baby is growing at a steady rate and blood supply is good. I'd ask to clarify these things and then stop worrying!

[NicolaSeal]

I wouldn't worry. My lg was born on the 9th at 6lb - she's 16 months now & still on the 9th (growing in line with hiw she was born). My husband is 6ft & I'm 5ft4. There was nothing wrong with me or my placenta, it's just how she is. I'm not sure why anybody's telling you there's a problem.

[beckie90]

My ds1 was 6ib 8oz 2wks over I'm 5'6 dp is 5'11 so was pretty small. Don't know what centile he was on when he was born but he's 4.3 now and on the 9th for his age, but he's on 9th for height and weight so health visitor said he's in preportion to his height he's just small as I was exactly the same at his age, probably even less. Ds2 however was born more or less on time and 55cm and 9ib, he's 23 months now and still going, weighs just as much as ds1. There was nothing wrong with either of them, there just totally dif builds and how they grew. If your baby was 5+ ib at 36wk scan that sound fine and they gain around half a pound a week from now on. Every baby is just different :) xx

[Sleepwhenidie]

I wouldn't worry at all, 11th centile is perfectly normal, baby's size would only be considered cause for concern if below 2nd centile. And as others have said, you and DH are quite small so you should expect DC to be small too.

[Sleepwhenidie]

Oh - my DS1 always measured on 9th centile during pg, born at full term 6lb. He stayed on 9th centile until about 18m then came up to around 25th, now probably 30-40ish centile at age 7, perfectly healthy throughout. I am 5'5" and DH 5'9".

[BikeRunSki]

11th centile is small but within normal range. 5' is probably around 11th centile for women too. (I actually have no idea of adult height stats, but most women are over 5').

[KristinaM]

Please try nt to worry , as everyone has said. There's no reason to think that your long commute has affected the baby -it's tiring for you, but not for the baby. Many women do physically demanding jobs/hobbies or care for several children until late in pg or until they give birth. There's no need to think. It's unsafe unless your doctor has told you otherwise.

Are you planning to stop work before your due date?

But please sort out the seconds hand smoke issue before your baby arrives. This is bad for both of you :-( .and it probably easier for the smoker to quit now than when there's the added stress of a tniy baby in the house

[footyfan]

My DS was 9th percentile towards the end of my pregnancy - and was born at just under 6lbs. He is now (at 17 months) over 50th percentile (and has been for some time). I was extremely stressed at the time - but have no idea whether this had any impact.

As long as you've had the blood flow from the placenta checked - then I wouldn't worry. I was abroad at the time, so was given weekly scans as he was under 10th percentile. Have they checked the heartbeat etc?

Not long to go now - so try not to worry too much (easier said than done). As others have said - I think the second hand smoke that I would be most concerned about.

[Quilty]

As others have said, you and your partner are both petite so you're not likely to produce a whopper! Also, we only class babies as small if they fall below the 5th percentile. As you get into the last few weeks of pregnancy the range of normal size becomes pretty broad.

Your commute to work sounds horrendous, not that I think it would affect your baby but it sounds like you should seriously consider slowing down for your own sake!

[KatAndKit]

You are short, your husband is short. Your baby is unlikely to be a giant! The centiles are based on a range of healthy babies. By mathematical definition, half of all babies will be below the 50th centile. Also at 36 weeks it is very hard to accurately get measurements at a scan.

[daerwen]

Thank you all for your responses. I guess I just need to accept that we're gonna be a petite family. As for the leave, I will start my leave on the 18th. Going home is really worst like hell. I got to take the bus for 30 mins, then the train with a lot of people (sometimes im not given a seat) for an hour or more, then the cab for 45 minutes. I wanted to work from home but my lead is too strict and wanted me to still go to the office. I dunno what kind of dmn is making her like that. Anyway I just keep my calm and pray that everything would be alright and that the baby would not come out while im in the train.

[KatAndKit]

If you can't cope with work at this late stage (don't blame you I would not have been able to do that commute either) then stop. Get signed off. Since you are past 36 weeks any pg related sickness will automatically make your mat leave start. Then you can put your feet up at home and relax while you wait for your baby rather than put yourself through the commute from hell. A friend of mine had to do this because she had a long commute to work and being on her feet all that time on the bus/train/tube was not acceptable at that late stage of pregnancy. Speak to your midwife.

[titchy]

Where did you go wrong - you had a baby with a short man! Realistically given your height the only way you could have had a better chance of having a statistically normal sized baby was by choosing a 6'8" giant as the father!!!

[titchy]

I did have a 0.2 centile baby btw - he's now a spotty stroppy hormonal 4' 11" 12 year old...

[curiousgeorgie]

Just to add, sometimes they're wrong too...

My friend was told her boy was an 11lb + baby at 37 weeks and was likely to be over 12... so they hastily delivered her at 38 weeks... And he was just under 7lbs!

(And I'm not sure of the percentile but I was 4.5lbs and absolutely fine ) x

[Startail]

My 10-20th percentile 6lb2oz DD1(15) is now 5'6" and a strapping adult size 12.

My 6lb5oz DD2(12) will certainly reach my 5'4", but will be far slimmer than her sister.

Nothing to do with birth weight and everything to do with character.
One likes food and books. The other is a horribly fussy eater who likes sport.

As others have said you are both petite you are likely to have small DCs.

[NobbyD]

I'm in similar position. Am 36+6 today, had scan last Wednesday and baby's abdominal and leg measurements are below 5th centile. Head is small but not abnormally small.

Being scanned again tomorrow and if no change then will be induced.

It's scary and worrying but I don't think it's anything either of us have done. Opposite from you I didn't have long commute to a nd from work, work v flexible and started mat leave week ago. Been eating all the right stuff, pregnacare tablets, not a drop of alcohol, don't smoke etc. I'm not that small either (5'6, dh 5'10) so am putting it down to just one of those things.

Hope all goes well with you. When do you find out what they will do?

[JugglingFromHereToThere]

I wouldn't worry about baby being on 11th percentile, like others have said that seems only to be expected given your height and partner's. Basically out of 100 babies someone has to be 11th in line height wise !
Your commute sounds awful though - glad you're due to go on Mat leave on the 18th. I guess you could look at bringing that forward by a week or two if it's really getting to you, but may depend on your plans after baby is here ....
Good luck with everything