Is this normal?

Since the very beginning, my boy and girl have measured the same or within a inch/ounce of one another. Their growth measurements were also the same. Even their heart rates were within a beat or two!

Yesterday, I had a 36 week ultrasound to check their growth. At my last one (32 weeks) he was 4 pounds and she was 4.1. So I expected them being about 6 pounds this week. It turns out (and I know the measurements arn't exact) the she is 6.11 pounds and he's only 5.7. His stomach was measuring at 34w5, too. I see my doctor today to get the full report, but I'm worried- why did his growth slow so much? Also, the ultrasound tech said that her head was oblong shaped- has anyone heard that before?

Am I freaking out over nothing? I've sailed through this pregnancy and now worried that NOW something goes wrong when we're so close to the end!

 

:hug: Please try not to worry, especially if you haven't seen your doctor yet.

My two measured different towards the end. My dd was showing to be a lb bigger then my ds, and my doctor never showed any concern and I was thinking it's because they are frat that they are two seperate babies and gain like two seperate babies. ardon: It's one thing when they are Identical because differences can be a bad sign but not with frats. This is all I came up with because my two were different sizes. In the end, my ds was two lbs bigger then my dd.

I hope your doctor puts your mind at ease today.

 

The same thing happened to me. I was admitted to the hospital at 33 weeks and the babies had measured close even that day and the next day in the hospital I saw the maternal fetal specialist and their u/s was showing my boy as being a lot less than he had measured the day before at my regular ob/gyn. I know the u/s equipment in the hospital was better and that it was more accurate but I was so upset. Mine were born at 37 weeks and my girl weighed 5 lbs 13 oz & my boy 5 lbs 2 oz. No NICU stay for either of them. Those are great weights for yours at 36 weeks!

Is that all that the tech said about your daughter's head? Has she been head down for awhile? I know that I had read with multiples because there is more than 1 baby in such a small space that the one closest to the birth canal has more pressure on their head from the other baby & gravity pressing down. They can be born with flat spots on their head from not being able to move around in the womb. I'm not saying that is what the tech meant but I just wanted to let you know what I had read. I was concerned about this with my son after he was born because I thought his head was shaped kind of funny, like a little alien. But as he has gotten older it is now shaped nicely. It sounds like you have done a great job carrying your babies!

 

First congratulations on making it this far. Now my first response to what you said is this, there measuring techniques (no matter how sophisticated) can be wrong. From week 27'ish to 36 we were told that our little Courtney's stomach hadn't grown. And our last growth scan which took place the morning that my wife delivered, our specialist said that she was only going to weigh 3.5lbs, and that there may be a problem with there neck/head because of the position she had been in for so long. Fast forward 8 hours and we had too beautiful babies that each weighed 4lbs 6ou. They were off by 25%!!! My wife and I did the same thing you're doing, we freaked. Which I can't say don't do because it's natural. But just know that they do make mistakes with measurements. I've read so many situations like yours and mine and they end up turning out to be perfectly healthy babies. I hope your doctor will give you the reassurance you need.

 

Try to remember that they are 2 different people, and they are going to grow at different rates. I agree that it could also be a discrepancy with the u/s equipment. My identical girls were 2lbs 10oz and 3lbs 1oz at birth. Definitely try not to worry! :hug: Keep up the good work Momma!!

 

I agree with pp and trying not to worry. My boy/girl twins were both right at 3 pounds at my 29-week u/s. At this week's 33-week u/s, boy was measuring 4 pounds 8 ounces and girl was measuring 5 pounds 10 ounces. My doctor said not to worry - he said they worry when the difference is because one baby is lagging far behind, not when both babies are good sizes on their own. He said my boy was right on target and the girl was just bigger.

 

At my 31 1/2 week u/s, my doc (I only see a peri) said that my girls were 3 lbs 14oz and 4 lbs 11 oz. I was asked about the difference in weight and the fact that the difference was greater than it had been before. He told some difference is okay and expected, but it is when the smaller stops growing that they concerned.

Try not to worry. My girls are frats - so think of them as two separate babies growing at their on pace. Also, there is also a a slight variance in what they actaully end up weighing and what the scan shows.

Those are good weights for your babies. Hope your doc makes you feel better.

Niki

 

Thanks everyone! It helps to hear your stories!
I called to make sure the results were sent to the office before we go (3 o'clock) and of course they weren't! The office is calling now to get them faxed. I'll post after our appointment!

 

I would not worry-this happened to us because of a miscalculation of baby a's belly size one wk, because of babies position making it hard to measure. The next week they were neck in neck again!