Bump Size

[sarah-1983]

Hi, I'm 22 weeks today, and we met up with one of my friends yesterday who said i had a small bump. This is our first baby and we were both little babies (5lb and 6lb 3). When i had the 20 week scan, they measured our baby at 14cm and said everything was looking good. There is a colleague who is a week behind me and her 20 week scan measured at 22cm, she is bigger built than me so don't know if this has a bearing on things. I know you shouldn't compare yourself to others, but now my husband is panicking our baby isn't growing properly.

[GingerAcorns]

Hi Sarah,

Please try to stop comparing yourself to others, it does you no good.

First bump's always look smaller than subsequent bumps as your muscles are stretching for the first time and it takes longer. Next time around (if you choose to) you'll be bigger earlier and thinking back to now.

Your midwife will begin measuring your growing bump at each appointment from the 25 week one. She'll ask you to lay on the couch and lift your top to expose your bump. She'll then use a material or paper tape measure to measure from the top of your bump to your pubic bone. The measurement should be roughly how many weeks you are, so at 25 weeks pregnant you should measure somewhere between 23 and 27cms. You always get 2cms either way.

Are you feeling movements yet? If you are then that is the best way for you to know that your baby is growing and doing well.

Hope that helps to alleviate some of your worries.

[sarah-1983 in reply to GingerAcorns]

Thank you, that does help. I've felt some movement, I felt more in week 20-21 than I have this last week 21-22, so not sure if I should be concerned or not. But then I've read the midwife wouldn't be concerned until 24 weeks. There's so many conflicting things!

[ChrisWest1983]

In my 20 week scan report did not stated how long is the baby head to toes however, most of the measurements are around 55% but the lady that's after me is seeing the midwife - her readings were much higher: more in in 80-90%

I am only about 5ft5 but she's nearly 6ft, her partner is very tall (my partner is not that tall and we both were average 7,5lb babies) and it's her second baby (also her bump is so much bigger than mine)

Today I had an ultrasound and most measurements are prefect for week 26 but some were more for week 24 and one measurement of head is size of week 28 (size differentiation of 4 weeks). So I figured out that they grow in their own speed.

Try not to worry, because doctor would have said something if baby's measurements were too small!

Enjoy your pregnancy!x

[AlyM86]

Don't compare yourself to others people carry differently some people grow really quickly others sprout in the last couple of months, some have lots of extra water some don't. By 5 1/2 months with my first I just looked like I had a beer belly and had a sister constantly telling me I was doing something wrong because I was small and she'd had 4 kids so knew everything lol . My bump measured on the ok line all the way through and she was born at 38wks perfectly healthy weighing 5.15lb but if she'd of been on time she would of been around 7lb. If your midwife etc had any concerns they would send you for extra scans. Try not to worry some people have 6lb babies some people have 10lb ones. You may be lucky like me with my first and just be all baby. Look at the positives xx

[Hidden]

Hi, you will find that most people have an average sized baby to them unless there is something else going on. Don't worry too much as long as everything is normal. I usually have babies around 7lbs. They are always quite long with small heads haha. This time I have gestational diabetes but my bump is the smallest it's ever been my baby is measuring big on the 95th percentile growth chart it's totally bizarre to me but something that happens with gestational diabetes, can make them big. All babies grow at different rates as well though also. I remember them examining me with my 2nd and saying they thought he was going to be a lot smaller than my first she was 7lb 2. When he was born he was 7lb11 so they get things wrong. I was massive with my first also and small with my 2nd. Each pregnancy is different. I've also heard that scans can often be wrong and I have growth scans monthly so I am not putting money on this baby being huge either, even though they are saying she is x