IUGR babies?

[petesgirl]

Anyone out there had an intra-uterine growth restricted baby? I have consistently measured 4 weeks behind in fundal height my whole pregnancy. I am now 36 weeks and the Dr did an ultrasound yesterday and said that we definitely have an IUGR baby because the head is growing at normal rate but the body measurements are lagging behind. The baby weighs just over 5 lbs though, and has a great heart beat and good movements.

We are planning to be induced in 2 weeks, hoping by then that the lungs are ready to go. All the material I have read says that IUGR babies catch up quickly once they are born. I'm just wondering if anyone has experience with this or what kinds of challenges he might have in early infancy.

Also, if you did have an IUGR baby, did you ever find out what caused it? I would like to know for future pregnancies.

[trcy]

DD was an IUGR baby, but my case seems a bit different from yours. I always measure on the smaller side but still within or near range. They did frequent US and she was starting to fall off the growth charts...went from the 30th to the 20th to below the 5th percentcile. At that point I was 37 weeks and my OB decided we should go ahead with the c-section (DD was also breech). She was born at 5lbs 6oz. Two days after we got her home she was lethargic and not eating well and had a low temp. We took her to the ER where they did a ton of test and hospitalized her. All test were normal except a urine culture which showed some bacterial growth. I was told it could have been a comtaminate but she was treated for a UTI anyway. I personally think because she was born early and small and in the winter she was not able to regulate her temperature as well and simply got too cold. After that scare she has done fantastic. She just had her 6 mo check up and is up to 13lbs 12oz which may seem small but DH and I are small and come from small families. We never discoved a cause, but I was working crazy hours while preg. I was on my feet for at least 10-12 hours a day with few breaks. So that is the only cause we can come up with. All of my tests were normal.

[blondflava]

I had an IUGR baby. The cause unknown, but the blood tests done at 12 weeks were abnormal and my OB wanted to monitor me closer because of a possibility of a low birthweight baby. Since 22/23 weeks of pregnancy I was going for weekly ultrasounds to measure growth and movement. DD got in serious distress at exactly 34 weeks and she was born vis csection the next morning, she was 3lb 6 oz and only 13.5", well below charts. She spent 8 weeks in the Nicu, mostly issues unrelated to IUGR.
Tatyana is 2 and have always stayed small and had feeding issues, she is 32" tall and 22.5 lbs (in the 10th % for height and almost on the chart for weight). Her head has always been in the 50th % no matter what though! Some Iugr babies catch up quicker, we additionally dealt with anemia, reflux, bottle aversion. 5 lb is a great weight, I myself was born at almost 6 lbs but at 42 weeks (but 30 years ago they had no IUGR labels). I m sure she will catch up quickly!

[babygirl1029]

Petesgirl...did you have a nuchal translucency test done at 12 weeks? I am only 16 weeks along but we had the testing done at 12 weeks. The results showed a very low PAPP-A score which for some can result in a IUGR baby. It's not an exact cause and effect but it is one cause of poor growth. It means that the placenta will not supply enough nutrients to the baby. I will be closely monitored like the other mom's who responded with extra ultrasounds and biophysical profiling. If the baby stops growing he will be delivered early. I did not have this abnormal marker with my first pregnancy and was told there is no relationship from pregnancy to pregnancy.

Hope this helps!! Good luck with your LO!!