If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

So I'm 30w1d and just got back from my sono/dr. appt and apparently they're estimating the baby to be 4lbs (!?!?!?!) already and measuring around 33 weeks!

Aside from this, I'm told everything looks healthy, but my dr. made me feel like because i gained 6 lbs since my last appointment (4 weeks ago), this has contributed to the increase in the size of the baby.

I've gained 22 lbs as of tonight's appt, so I'm in a normal range there, but I just want to know what this means for the rest of the pregnancy. Am I going to go into labor early? Am I going to have to have a c-section because I'm on course for a GINORMOUS baby?

Please share your story or if you have anything to offer/advice, I'd love to hear more. I cried the whole way home from the appt...

Re: If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

My DD measured big but they never made a big deal about it. They repeatedly predicted she'd be 8.5+ pounds...she was born 9 days past my due date and was 7 lbs 1ounce!!! Try not to stress, there is no way they can know for sure the size until LO is here...and they always told me it was just an estimate.

Re: If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

It really means that your baby is above the 50th percentile for his/her gestational age. It means nothing really.
It definitely does not mean you will go into labor early. It does not mean you definitely have to have a c-section.
It could mean baby just hit a growth spurt so is measuring a little big, it could mean the sono tech measured something wrong, it could mean the baby is tall/long so the estimated weight will be higher than the actual weight.
Try not to stress about it. DD measured HUGE, and like you I was crying, thinking c-section, so upset. And she ended up being HUGE,lol, but I delivered her naturally, minimal pain meds, and all was fine!

Really at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if the baby is huge, or if you have to have a c-section, those details are not that important. The part that he/she is healthy is the important part. And I can say this now in hindsight, but I really was in the same head space as you are right now. And I can tell you when the time comes it won't matter, all you'll want is that healthy baby in your arms, no matter how big or what type of delivery. But many because I know how you are feeling right now, and it;s hard to see the big picture.

If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

I was in the hosp with pre term labor at 30 weeks. I had two scans within 12 hrs. One said the baby was 3.2 the other said 3.12. My point is it will differ from one tech to another. I went back at 32 weeks and another tech measured lo at 4.2 lbs. It is anyones guess who was right. I wouldn't worry about it.

If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

My lo measured 5lbs at my 30 weeks and measured ahead. Dr predicted I would go into labor at 38/39 weeks. I was induced at 40 weeks6 days and little one was over 9 lbs. dr was right about size just not timing! Good luck!

If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

I had the same thing happen to me! Last week I went to the Dr at 34.5 weeks and he said she was measuring 36. He said it does not necessarily mean she come early or I'm going to have a big baby... I was stressing at first but like everyone said i know the baby and I are healthy so I will have to see what happens. Best wishes! :)

Re: If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

I was measuring ahead for awhile and 5 days before my my last sono showed he was 8.6lbs. I was freaking out...

He ended up being 7.9. I delivered 3 days past my due date.

Re: If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

DD measured two weeks ahead for most of my pregnancy. I believe they measured her at around 5 pounds at 32 weeks. The nurse told e she was going to be at least 8-9 pounds at birth! She was breech, so I had a scheduled c-section 4 days before my due date and she was born at 7lb 11oz. I wouldn't even worry about it. I thought it all meant something too, but it turned out to be nothing.

Re: If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

Thank you all so much for the reassurance I was really relieved in the first place that everything is healthy with the baby, but I just had this horrible feeling like I did something wrong to make the baby grow ahead of schedule or something.

I'm happy to see that many of you had similar experiences and ultimately ended up with normal sized, healthy babies For now, I'm just going to try to watch my diet a little more closely and try not to stress out.

Re: If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

DS always measured ahead. You have to remember that u/s are always off a bit in either direction, so you can't take it exactly at what it is. DS's head was always measuring the highest percentage of any of his measurements.

That being said, DS was born and weighed 7lb 14oz which is not even a big baby. And his head was definitely not big - perfectly proportioned!

Don't worry about what the baby is measuring and just enjoy the last few months of your pregnancy!

Re: If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

at my 31 week sono dd weighed 4 1/2lb (was told this was almost 1 pound above average).
She came out 8 days late and only weight 8 lb 5oz.
I had growth scans twice (at 40w2d and 40w6d) and she was estimated at 8lb 12oz and 8lb 15oz. because of that size and the fact that i was already a week late, i was scheduled to be induced at 41w 4d instead of waiting til 42 weeks for an induction. But dd decided to come out at 41w1d instead. I had a vbac with no problems

dont worry about the size that they estimate - most of the time they are wrong (sometimes smaller and sometimes bigger)

If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

my DS measured ahead for a bit then on time then ahead....

Sono weights are a guesstimate and only that.

My DS was born 3 weeks early but that had nothing to do with any of the dating during the sonos.

I wouldn't worry about the size and the type of birth cause so many other reasons can change the "birth plan"

My best advice is to keep an open mind with everything cause you never know what can happen.

If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

Crashing from Parenting board... Try not to worry too much. At times DS would measure on time, then at times he would measured ahead. He ended up being extremely long (21.65" and 95th %) and very skinny for his length at 7lb 2oz. Try not to stress - it is totally an estimate! Also don't let you OB stress you out too much about weight gain. Sometimes I'd gain several lb and other times nothing. Babies have growth spurts in there. Good luck w everything!

Re: If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

Nature works wonders but it is not typical that your body will grow a baby you cannot deliver. It really irks me that doctors worry patients about having a big baby and that they may need a c section. Try not to worry and trust your body knows what it is doing :)

Re: If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

I was measuring at 4 lbs at 30 weeks as well. I am having a repeat csection at 39 weeks and the doctor estimates the baby will be 9 lbs. My first was 1 week overdue and the doctor opted for a csection because the baby was so big. He would up being 10.3. I am very tall so in theory I should have no problem delivering a 10 lb baby but I wasn't showing any signs of labor and hearing the words birth trauma sealed the deal for me.

Don't worry about it- nature will take its course.

If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

I was told mine is measuring big he was 2.8 at 27 weeks exactly

If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

Even though DS#1 was a big baby (9lbs 5 oz) I didn't have a C-section because of that. I had a C-section because he wasn't descending and every time I had a contraction it pressed on his cord and his heartrate would drop.

Like everyone else said, they are just estimates. I'm glad you feel better now though.

Re: If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

Re: If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

Re: If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

Keep in mind that it is also very possible to deliver a "bigger baby" vaginally as well. You never know what can happen

If your baby is/was measuring ahead... please come in!

I've recently had 2 friends vaginally deliver 10lb babies, both of whom were told their kids were only in the 7-8lb range, so they can be wrong in the opposite direction too! For me, 2 days before I had DD, she measured 7lbs, 1oz per my growth sono, and she was only 6lbs 3oz. You need to take these with a grain of salt, they are just estimates and sometimes not very accurate estimates at that!