"I just came from my 32-week appointment, and my doctor says I measured 35 weeks. I'm afraid my baby will be too big to deliver vaginally."
Modern medicine can tell us a lot about how babies are doing before they're born and even what they look like. But guessing how big they are is just that — a big guess.
In early pregnancy, you might be showing earlier for a few possible reasons, such as:
- Muscle tone. A pregnant woman with looser abdominal muscles is more likely to produce a pronounced tummy than a mom-to-be with a very toned torso. That's also why expectant mothers who have previously given birth and whose abdominal muscles have already been stretched and loosened will tend to show earlier. Your body type might also be at play; some women carry their babies lower, which makes them appear to stick out more.
- Miscalculated due date. Another common explanation for a seemingly supersized stomach is a miscalculation of the conception date. A 15- or 16-week tummy will certainly be larger than a 13-week one, so double-check your due date.
- Bloating. Your big belly could also be caused by a bout of excess gas.
- Twins. If you were earlier on in your pregnancy, there could be a chance you were carrying twins without yet knowing it: Many women who sport an impressive tummy in their first trimester later discover that they're having two babies. Before you start doubling up the layette, however, keep in mind that just as many women who popped early and became convinced they were carting around two babies turned out to be bearing just one. An ultrasound settles that question.
Later on in pregnancy, your baby is maxing out on the space available in your uterus, which makes his weight notoriously difficult to predict. A late-stage ultrasound estimate can be off by a pound or more — which makes a huge difference in a 5-pound baby!
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Typically at each prenatal visit, your practitioner checks your fundal height (the distance from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus) with a tape measure. That number in centimeters is approximately equal to the number of weeks along you are — but one or two centimeters in either direction is no cause for alarm.
If your measurements show a discrepancy of three weeks or more, as in your case, your practitioner will do a little investigating to try to learn why with an ultrasound. Most of the time, there's a harmless explanation.
Maybe your due date is off by a few days or a week (it's pretty common for doctors to change due dates). Your baby could be in a funny position or sitting high in your uterus, and that's throwing the tape measure off. Or you may have a uterine fibroid or extra amniotic fluid (neither of which is necessarily a big deal).
Additionally, if you've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes (which is generally screened for between 24 and 28 weeks), you are at a greater risk for having a bigger baby. If that's the case, your practitioner will have already put you on a special pregnancy diet. Be sure to follow their instructions carefully to stay healthy and reduce baby's risk of macrosomia (when babies are born weighing more than 8 pounds, 13 ounces).
Finally, some babies are simply larger than others due to genetics — much in the way some people are taller than others. Often, mothers who carry larger babies may find that they or their partner were a larger baby at birth.
Your best bet is to continue eating healthily (and plentifully) for the remainder of your pregnancy. Try not to worry about the scale or the measuring tape.
Even if your baby is on the bigger side, chances are still good that you'll deliver on schedule, vaginally and without being induced. And whether your baby comes out at 6 pounds or 9, the day he arrives will be thrilling.
Here's to an easy delivery and a healthy baby!
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