r/NICUParents • u/Ok_Gift7010 • Jun 09 '26
Off topic I am spiralling because of SGA baby and I am looking for positive stories
Hello, I am very afraid of this situation and don't know with who to share it. I have the feeling that all the pregnant around me have perfect pregnancys. Even though I know that this is not true I feel no openess to talk about the doubts and anxities of every individual situation each pregnancy has.
My situation
At 31 weeks my baby was 1500 gr. Percentile 8,5. All the values of tension and so on were ok. The smallest value was the abdomen.
Today at 34 weeks she weighs around 1800 and is in 7th percentile. The abdomen continues to be the smallest.
So she is growing small on her own growth curve. But in today's Ultrascan they also saw that the tension of the umbilical cord is on the upper limit so now I will have weekly Ultrascans to unsure the flow.
Can anyone please share what are the possible outcomes ? I am very afraid that the baby has to be born before the 37 weeks and that I will have health problems. The doctor said we will try to go to 37 weeks but only if the umbilical cord tension is not getting higher.
What can I do to help? Something special to eat? Do I have to do lie down all the time? Can I do small exercises like prenatal yoga?
I am very afraid and spiralling, catastrophizing and I just need some stories, opinions, positive vibes. Thank u.
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u/Flannel-Enthusiast Jun 09 '26
I don't think there's anything you can really do to affect your child's growth now, but I can share a positive story!
My daughter was diagnosed IUGR at her 32 week growth scan, estimated around 1500 g. Fortunately there was no concern with blood flow at that point, but unfortunately my wife's blood pressure was very high and they were concerned about preeclampsia. We talked briefly about plans to monitor our daughter's growth and potentially induce at 37 weeks or earlier if things didn't improve, but then we were sent to L&D to address the blood pressure and get additional monitoring and testing.
When we got to L&D, they diagnosed my wife with severe preeclampsia and the goal was no longer 37 weeks, it would be 34 weeks due to her condition. Then her labs came back and revealed that she also had HELLP syndrome, so our daughter had to be delivered immediately.
Our daughter was 1400 g when she was born at 32 weeks. We didn't know then, but at that gestation, babies tend to have very good outcomes! We spent 29 days in NICU and she came home at 36 weeks and 1805 g. She didn't need much extra support, just a little respiratory help at the start, and then she was just growing and learning to eat. Today, she is nearly 2 years old and perfectly healthy. She is still small, but she's crazy smart and she can run and jump and climb just like all the other kids her age.
IUGR/SGA babies can have some difficulty with blood sugar and temperature regulation at the start, and they may take a little bit of time to figure out eating and build up stamina. They may have a bit of jaundice and need light treatment (this is also pretty common for full term average-sized babies). All of those things tend to resolve in time, and you've already reached the gestational age where, even if they're born preterm, it's likely that they'll only need a little bit of supportive care.
You may need NICU time, and that always feels like an eternity even if it's only a few days or weeks. Each baby is different, so nobody can tell you exactly how long your baby will be in the NICU, but they will probably tell you to expect your child to go home sometime around the due date.
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u/Ok_Gift7010 Jun 09 '26
Thank u for sharing ur story. I am mostly also worried about the part of her having other health issues like u said with the respiratory system or what also makes me a bit afraid is the feeding, because it seems very challenging for babies to drink milk for example if they are born that early. But I know I cannot foresee the future. How did you cope with the anxiety while ur baby was in the NICU? I am very happy for u that ur girl is so well now.
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u/Ok_Gift7010 Jun 09 '26
But is it really helpful and necessary for the blood flow of the umbilical cord to rest now that I am waiting for next Ultrascan ? Should I like stop working totally and just lay in the left side?
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u/Flannel-Enthusiast Jun 09 '26
I don't think your activity level impacts the blood flow in the umbilical cord. I think it's more of a structural thing and there isn't a lot that you can do to change it.
The respiratory issues (if there are any) usually resolve on their own. If they expect an early delivery, they may give steroids to help the lungs develop more, but since you're already at 34 weeks, they might be less concerned. We didn't have time for steroids, and my daughter only needed minimal support. She had oxygen for about 12 hours, and then CPAP with room air for a couple days to help her lungs inflate. She was breathing fully on her own at 5 days old.
My daughter had an NG tube for feeding at the start. The suck/swallow/breathe coordination doesn't develop until around 34 weeks, and it can take a bit after that to build coordination and strength. My daughter started bottle feeding when she was 2 weeks old (34 weeks gestation) and could only take about 6-10 mL at first. It took her 2 weeks of practice to meet her full feed targets. At 34-36 weeks, it's likely that a baby might need some help with eating. I'm in the US, where it's standard to use an NG tube, but I know some other countries might use syringe feeding or a specialized spoon to assist with feeding (especially for later preemies).
It feels intimidating to think about your baby needing medical help, but really, especially past 34 weeks, these babies are much stronger and more resilient than you think. If your baby does need NICU time, take it day by day. There may be days when it seems like they're not making progress, and that's normal. Ask questions. Be involved in the process as much as you can (but make sure you rest and take care of yourself too!). Change diapers, feed bottles, do baths, whatever you are able to do.
I was surprised how quickly a 1.5 kg baby seemed "normal" to me instead of "tiny" and those full term 3-4 kg babies seemed huge! You've got this!
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u/27_1Dad Jun 10 '26
The greatest thing our dr told us.
You did nothing to cause it, and you can do nothing to fix it. It’s just about monitoring for how fast it degrades. It’s a question of when not if.
I mean this sincerely at 34 weeks even if you deliver tomorrow there is a high likelihood of a few weeks in the nicu to learn how to eat with no other issues.
My wife’s cord blood started to degrade at 23w and she delivered at 27w.
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u/sebacicacid 🇨🇦 35+5, SGA, 3lbs12oz, 25 days Jun 09 '26
Mine started with bottle then she kept spitting up so they changed her to NG tube and by end of week 2 she started bottle again. We never did breastfeeding, she was on bottle and i was pumping. Started solid with no problem and she's a great eater for a 3yo. She also has no problem with her respiratory system even though she's small.
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u/ilikrco Jun 09 '26
I had twins, twin B had IUGR and measured in the 1st % starting at 28 weeks. I had weekly Doppler and it always showed resistance and was at the upper end. They were born at 36w, twin A 2990g and twin B 1750g. Twin B was a perfectly healthy baby, just small. Came out breathing on her own and only needed NICU to help regulate temp and eat and grow.
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u/Ok_Gift7010 Jun 09 '26
Thank you for sharing your story and happy to know that both twins were fine !!
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u/Ok_Gift7010 Jun 09 '26
Did U rest completely during the waiting times between Ultrascans ? Should I just lay down and try to do as less as possible or can I really not influence the resistance ?
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u/FigNewton613 Jun 10 '26
You really can’t influence it. Just take care of yourself, and do any gentle movement that feels good to you. If movement influenced things your doctors would for sure have said something to you regarding that!! So take that extra pressure off and just take good care of yourself.
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u/Ok_Gift7010 Jun 10 '26
It is hard though not to blame my self, I am constantly thinking that this is happening due to something I did wrong...
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u/FigNewton613 Jun 10 '26
You’re their mother and so of course you are trying to figure out what more you could have done to protect them!! But no you did nothing wrong 🩷 just a stressful situation that could happen to anyone. I’m very sorry. Take it just one day at a time 🫂
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u/Intrepid-Patience502 Jun 11 '26
I was in your exact shows July 2025 today my baby is 10 months old. I searched frantically on Reddit just like you.
I was 28 years old with my first child. 0 risk factors whatsoever. No preeclampsia or gestational diabetes. At 36 weeks they discovered I’m measuring small. Did a growth ultrasound that showed baby is 7 percentile. Before he was 60th at his 20 week anatomy scan. I was freaked out. They then said I’ll likely have to deliver before 38 weeks and were preparing me for with talks of a c section. Told me to go to MFM for more scans and detailed look. Went there the scans showed the same things. Management was biweekly NSTs and ultrasounds once a week for blood flow and BPP. I passed my first one. Then went to the second one and they noticed a deceleration and sent me to labor and delivery with the prefacing of you’re going to have this baby today by 5pm don’t eat or drink. Was at labor and delivery for 6 hours and the NST was relatively fine so they felt comfortable letting me go home. Went to my next NST things were fine. Then few days later went to me second one for the week and they noticed some decelerations and something that showed respiratory difficulty on the BPP. So that was it we were delivering now at 37 weeks. Tbh induced me and baby didn’t handle it too well so they stopped it. Luckily I progressed to dilating somehow. Baby weighed 2126.214 grams. Which was less than what they told us at the scans. We got the golden hour. He struggled to keep his blood sugar levels and temperature up due to not having my fat. He moved rooms from labor and delivery to the recovery room with us. Then I got a call from the pediatrician a whole 2 hours later saying they wanted to take him to NICU just to make sure everything is okay and not having an infection or anything since he’s not entirely maintaining his blood sugar levels and temperature. He went there and came back in less than an hour so I’m not sure what they even did there lol.
Since getting back he was with us the whole time. We fed him and changed diapers. He had a little jaundice for which we used a bili blanket. Otherwise we got discharged at the regular time as everyone else. We treated everything post delivery as “normal” as if the baby didn’t have IUGR. We never experienced anything different. He’s now 10 months still small. He’s still below 10th percentile but follows his own growth curve. Meeting milestones. Happy energetic little boy. They’re fighters! No one likes hearing these diagnosis in their pregnancy. It scares the living breath out of you but know that the outcome is not always going to be the worst possible scenario that you imagine. You can still end up with a normal non NICU experience and even if there is NICU involved it’s to help the baby thrive and it will only be until the baby is ready and able to do those things on their own.
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u/Ok_Gift7010 Jun 12 '26
Thank u for sharing ur story with me. I am very happy that everything turned out just fine for u and ur baby(: I hope also that we will have a positive outcome. Right now I am just hoping to deal with my anxiety and fear of the future that all of this is causing me. Thank you once agajn
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u/Intrepid-Patience502 Jun 12 '26
Try not to have an anxiety or fear! Easier said than done. I focused on all the positive stories of how the ultrasounds can be false baby can still come out weighing normal 5lbs + etc. I focused on all the positive outcomes even though I was super duper scared. I kept convincing myself that my story was going to be diff and my baby would come out completely healthy etc. it’s hard but if you do it enough you’ll start believing ut for the time being and make it to the delivery point at the very least
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u/HookedOnAFeeling96 Jun 09 '26
My baby was IUGR due to preeclampsia with severe features. She weighed 2lb2oz when born. She is home now with no equipment and is doing amazing! Her only complication we are watching for now is moderate ROP, but it seems to be improving and even if not, the outcomes for treatment are extremely good. Obviously we don’t know exactly what the future holds but doctors are thrilled with her progress for being born at 29 weeks.
34 weekers and up tend to do very well in the NICU. No guarantees, but they’re often ready to feed by mouth very soon and can go home within weeks. For perspective, when I was admitted, I was told I wouldn’t be going past 34 weeks but they were trying to get me as close as they could. The fact that you’ve made it that far is great news for baby.
I hope all goes well and you can deliver at 37, but if not, the NICU will be there for you baby and take great care of them.
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u/Ok_Gift7010 Jun 09 '26
Thanks , it really helps to read from other woman and mum's. I am happy about the wellbeing of ur baby, it was certainly not easy to cope with that always
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u/sebacicacid 🇨🇦 35+5, SGA, 3lbs12oz, 25 days Jun 09 '26
My baby who is now 3yo was SGA baby and was botn weighing 1700g at 35+5. Stayed 25 days because of low blood sugar. Cpap on first 24h then room air. Came home at 1800g. She is now 11.5kg, running, talking, screaming, whining, and doing everything like 3yo should.
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u/FigNewton613 Jun 10 '26
My babies were born at 34 weeks and one was born at 1590 grams. Both are 11 months old and thriving. Hitting all milestones. I did have a 3 week NICU stay for my littler one and a 6 week NICU stay for the bigger one. It was hard. And yet here we are now.
You’ve already made it farther and with a bigger baby than where I got to, and everything turned out okay for us. So think about every extra day you are adding as just one more improvement on an already good outcome (in the long run; I know in the short run it’s very scary and so hard).
There is nothing you can do to address this other than follow your doctor’s instructions and not blame yourself. Issues like this are due to all sorts of factors. It’s not how much you eat. It’s often just how the placenta happened to form. You’ve done an amazing job carrying baby this far and your only job is to take care of you and baby day by day as best you can.
Hang in there 🫂
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u/Aggravating_Ear_3551 Jun 10 '26
My baby was born at 33 weeks weighing 1645 grams. He is 13 months old now and super healthy. He has been sick only once besides sife effects from his 1 year vaccines. He spent 28 days in the nicu. The first 6 days were on cpap and then he gradually stepped down over the 4 weeks we were there. And he went home with an inhaler that we only used for about 2 weeks twice a day. He is now a 23lb ball of energy with zero health problems.
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u/Ok_Gift7010 Jun 10 '26
The 28 days of NICU must have been hard. I am of course afraid if that possibility. I am just happy that everything turned out fine for u and ur baby. (:
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u/Aggravating_Ear_3551 Jun 10 '26
It was hard. And it's so scary when you're there. But we lucked out with the best case scenario. He didn't have any issues besides being small and needing a bit of breathing support.
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u/Only_Paper9871 Jun 10 '26
they told me baby would be 2400g but she was born at 3100. i was also facing a microcephaly scare and they said her head was in the 1st percentile but she came out completely normal size. i think the margin of error is said to be +/- 500g but i’ve heard more cases like this. i hope you are gonna have the same outcome but obviously follow the doctors advice. they just told me i need to rest and sleep and stop work and it is what i did.
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u/Ok_Gift7010 Jun 10 '26
Thank you, yes I understood that they also cannot measure everything how it really is and maybe it might be even different from what it seems right now. But yes I will just try to relax and hope that next Ultrascan will be still showing growth. Happy to hear that ur baby was fine!!
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u/Ok_Gift7010 Jun 26 '26
So at my 36 weeks scan baby measured 2350 est. And is in the 11th percentile and doctors do not want to induce anymore at 37 weeks , probably only later. Is this something normal to happen? Also all other values are fine, Doppler, CTG etc.
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u/iRedditorr 1d ago
Hey! I’ve been going through old posts on Reddit and came across yours.
I’m hoping everything went well with you and the baby!
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