What happens if baby stops growing at 37 weeks

After that, she checks your baby's growth by measuring your belly at every prenatal visit. If the measurement fundal height is smaller than your due date indicates it should be this is called " small for dates " , she'll follow up with an ultrasound to pinpoint your baby's size and weight.

You may measure small because your due date based on your last period is wrong. This can happen if you remembered the first day of your last period incorrectly or ovulated later than usual in your last cycle. Your doctor will review your earliest ultrasound which can be used to date a pregnancy and the date of your period. If they're consistent and your baby is measuring less than the 10th percentile for gestational age, then your baby will be diagnosed with IUGR.

In addition, women who are underweight before pregnancy and don't gain enough weight during pregnancy, and women who live at very high altitudes, are more likely to have somewhat smaller babies. If you have any of the conditions listed above, you'll have ultrasounds to check your baby's growth, even if your belly measurements during your prenatal visits are normal.

Also, if you've previously had a stillbirth or a baby with IUGR, you can expect at least one ultrasound in your late second or early third trimester to check on your baby's growth. Babies diagnosed with IUGR are more likely to have certain complications during pregnancy, during delivery, and afterward. The degree of risk depends on what caused the growth problem in the first place, how severe the growth restriction is, how early in pregnancy it starts, and the baby's gestational age at birth.

Research suggests that a baby whose weight is below the 10th percentile is much more likely to have problems than babies who are at or above the 10th percentile. And the risk of both short-term and long-term complications is higher for growth-restricted babies who are also born prematurely.

How a growth-restricted baby will do in the long run depends partly on what caused the growth problem in the first place. Most growth-restricted babies who are otherwise normal do eventually catch up with their peers, although some — particularly those born prematurely — have developmental problems. For example, IUGR has been linked with cerebral palsy. Finally, some research suggests that growth-restricted babies are more likely to become obese later in life and develop heart disease, type II diabetes, and high blood pressure.

First, you'll have a detailed ultrasound, in part to check your baby's anatomy and see if he has structural defects that may be responsible for his lagging growth.

You may also be offered an amniocentesis to check for chromosomal abnormalities, particularly if structural defects were found on an ultrasound or the growth restriction appears severe or was found early in your pregnancy.

Depending on your situation, your caregiver may suggest blood tests or an amniocentesis to see if an infection is the culprit. And you'll be watched carefully for signs of preeclampsia. Whatever the cause of the IUGR, you'll have regular ultrasounds, often weekly, to check your baby's size and rate of growth since the last ultrasound and to estimate the amount of amniotic fluid in your womb.

Your baby will also be monitored with nonstress tests , biophysical profiles , and Doppler ultrasounds to check blood flow to and from your baby. This can happen if there is a problem with:.

Before babies are born, doctors check their growth by measuring the mother's belly from the top of the pubic bone to the top of the uterus. This is called the uterine fundal height. They also can do a prenatal ultrasound , which is how IUGR often is diagnosed. A technician coats the woman's belly with a gel and then moves a probe wand-like instrument over it. High-frequency sound waves create pictures of the baby on a computer screen.

These pictures help doctors estimate the baby's size and weight. These estimates aren't exact, but they do help health care providers track the baby's growth and see if there's a problem. With FGR, the baby does not grow well. FGR may affect the overall size of the baby and the growth of organs, tissues, and cells. This can cause many problems.

But many newborns who are small may just be small. They may not have any problems. Many things increase the risk for FGR. These include problems with the placenta or umbilical cord. The placenta may not attach well. Or the blood flow through the umbilical cord may be limited. Factors in both the mother and the baby may cause FGR.

But a baby with FGR may have certain signs after birth, such as:. One of the main reasons for regular prenatal exams is to make sure your baby is growing well. During pregnancy, the size of your baby is estimated in different ways, including:. The patient had an intact perineum, though there was a small vaginal tear. She did not have an epidural block for pain relief in labour. Postnatally all has gone well.

Mother and daughter have been discharged home. This case illustrates that point.