Charlie falling behind

We had a doc appt today... The doc said something along the lines of Sarah measuring at 22wks, but Charlie measuring at 21wks (she was talking about weights and measurements I believe, but its 1:30am, and been a looooong day, so I don't exactly remember what she said specifically). She said it is nothing to worry about right now, but said she'll be keeping a close eye on him... I'm sitting here thinking that if they both started out at the same time, how the heck is being an entire week apart something to just "keep an eye on"? I'm used to having control over situations, so me and the twins have gotten off to a rocky start (the horrible morning sickness they put my wife through, the pulverizing of her organs, and their nocturnal tendencies causing her sleepless nights)...shouldn't there be a way to even them out again? Like Miracle Gro for babies? *sits around helplessly* It really sucks not knowing exactly whats happening every second of everyday with these two...

 

I think they usually base whether they worry or not (to some extent) on whether or not their growth would be "average" or acceptable as a single baby rather than one compared to the other. Especially with boy/girl twins do not forget that they are completely seperate people genetically and therefore will and should grow at different paces and they will end up being different sizes! As long as both are measuring within a normal average range and are continuing to grow then I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Ours have never been as much as a week apart, but in the beginning our little girl was bigger than our boy and now our boy is always measuring bigger than her...so it's not always constant and they can catch up and even switch places in terms of who is the bigger twin.

If you trust your OB or peri then please trust that they would alert you if there was an issue. They want the best outcome for your babies too If you have questions about what the "normal" range is then call and ask some follow up questions but try not to lose too much sleep over something that your doctor must think is just fine. Also remember that those measurements are just estimates and can vary and be off in either direction based on how accurately they were able to measure the baby on that particular day.

 

My OB told me if they were fraternal they would grow as if they were singletons, meaning not necessarily the same. I know it's hard not to worry. :hug: My two were always a little off as well. If your OB isn't worried right now that is good. I'm glad they are keeping a close eye on it. :hug:

 

My twins are identical and they are still around a week apart. They don't share the placenta evenly. Identical twins, though genetically identical, most times do not grow at the same rate due to the shared placenta (unlikely it will be a perfect 50/50 split).

I wouldn't be worried about this. What they are interested in is the baby's own growth curve. If he stays on his own curve, regardless of how close it is to his sister, they will be happy with it. If he falls of his own curve, that is something to be more concerned about (it happened to us at 22 weeks- one twin dropped significantly in percentile, only to come back to it at 24 weeks).

Also, keep in mind that ultrasound measurements have a HUGE margin of error. The margin of error in the second trimester is 10 days I think! Huge!

 

I was on the same boat when I was 21 weeks pregnant. Am carrying B/G twins, girl was located very low - was very diff for them to measure. After 2 U/S they found her measuring very less compared to her twin bro; and she had very less fluid around her. Though fraternal twins are not expected to measure the same, the difference should not be too high.
They referred me to Peri who closely monitored me every 15 days, just to make sure babies r growing fine. Though both were active & growing fine, weight diff reached to 8 oz on 23rd week; we were not ready for Amniocentesis, yet we had CF carrier test which turned negative.
And for our surprise, our baby girl caught up with boy on 25th week, she was measuring just 4 oz less than him, which was a good sign. Also her fluid levels had increased, she was easy to measure. Doc said not to worry any more, and they r not "closely" monitoring me any more. My next Peri visit will b after a month. Hoping things remain same/better

I suggest u not to worry, just relax and hope for the best, things will turn good soon

 

My doc mentioned that boys tend to mature a little slower from the get go and this may be a slight indicator of that. I am pregnant with two boys so she was explaining the various delivery dates (by week, 35-36-37) and what they could bring.

You are doing an awesome job being concerned and it's hard not to be especially when you watch your wife go through all she is just to grow these babies for the two of you. Take care of her and that will benefit those little muchkins! You are awesome!

 

Try not to worry about it just yet. I am almost 34 weeks with boy/girl. In the beginning she was always bigger(sometimes by a week), then they started to alternate. My last two appointments he has been the bigger one by only a few days. Unless you dr is worried, I wouldn't worry.

In regards to your miracle gro comment, there is a womans health bar called "Luna" which is packed with a days value of vitamins and minerals (incuding folic acid). I love them, well only the chocolate ones, but it makes me feel like I am giving my babies extra nutrients, especially on days when I don't eat right!

 

I guess I'm just a little on edge because I'm leaving in 15 days, until a few days before Xmas. These little guys are just trying to stress me out (fyi, I'm the calm collected one....Elly is the who is supposed to worry and freak out)...at least I'm not leaving until after the 24wk mark....