At what point do they start to measure baby's weight in your uterus?

Question

I am 12 1/2 weeks and my doctor hs measured the baby's length. We have had several sonograms and the baby's length has also put her/him in the right week (plus or minus a few days). I am curious though - at what point will they start to measure the baby's weight in additional to the length? And is this a guess of the weight or how do they actually know how much the baby weights inside of you?

Answer 1

They don't really measure the weight...they can estimate, but trust me, quite often, they're wrong.

Answer 2

i have 2 sonograms a week. i have gestational diabetes though...so constant monitoring of baby's growth is very important...since babies of mom's w/GB can be VERY large.

they measure key points on baby to get an estimated weight, the girth of the abdomen the size of the organs inside the abdomen and the length of legs, circumference of head.
if your pregnancy is normal...they probably won't worry about the weight unless your baby's growth is abnormal in some way. usually they might mention a guesstimated weight right before your due date...and yes the estimates are usually off by about 9-12 oz. plus or minus, depending on the sono machine.

you could just ask the sono tech the next time you are in for a scan or ask your doc.
in the meantime here is a site that tells you about all the developmental milestones your baby will be making, and the "typical" weight and length of most babies at each week.

http://www.pregnancy.org/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment1.php

Answer 3

Not at all especially if you breastfeed. If you are having a C-section (I had four) you will really want to enjoy the extra rest that you can get from breastfeeding. No messing with bottles, just pick up the baby and snuggle back down to sleep....wonderful! With bottles you have to sterilize, mix, wash, measure.....it is a mess and I hated it! Plus you have to try to do all these things with a hungry baby screaming in your ear! Breastfed babies don't have to scream, their needs are so quickly met that they never work up a cry, they just sort of whimper and then go back to sleep! Everyone in the house gets a good nights rest. AND, it gives you lots of good reason to rest during the day which is very important. I LOVED my C-sections. I got to be awake to watch my baby's being born, they even let me nurse my baby while I was in the operating room. To me it was a perfect experience in every way. I was home in record time and did just great. Get up and move around as soon as possible, you will quit hurting faster. Be sure to ask for pain meds as soon as you start getting sensation back to that part of your body. Do not wait until you are really hurting! Ask your doctor about the patient controlled device that you push the button on each time you need a dose of pain medication. That way you do not have to wait for a nurse each time you need a shot. It goes right into your IV. It really helps. The pain afterwards is entirely managable and it goes away quickly. Breastfeeding burns up 500 calories each day and it is the only time in your life you will burn up calories like that for doing virtually nothing! It is wonderful. Not to mention the health benefits for YOU and the baby. Did you know that your colosturm alone gives your baby protection from seven different potentially FATAL diseases? Nursing for at least 6 months prevents most childhood diseases also. In addition to that you will love it. It creates a bond that is unlike anything else. Good luck and many blessings! Lady Trinity~

Answer 4

Sometimes they try to estimate the wieght through an ultrasound towards the end of your pregnancy if your are "measuring big", but unless something is abnormal, they don't usually try to measure the wieght of the baby. It's often wrong anyways... (they estimate the weight by measuring the length of certain bones like the femur and the humerous and the circumference of the head. this supposedly gives them an estimate of the wieght.)

Answer 5

I don't ever remember them measuring the weight or even guessing on the weight. They just measured the length (on the sonogram) and the head circumference and measured the fundal height at the other exams.

Answer 6

I just had my 20 week ultrasound and asked them the CRL measurement. They informed me that after 20 weeks they start calculating (estmating) weight rather than length (made up of head measurements etc.).

My little is weighing in at 12 ounces at 20 weeks, 4 days!

Answer 7

My doctor has never checked the length or weight my whole pregnancy, I had one ultrasound at 18 weeks and they measured everything but didn't tell me anything. So I guess some dr. do it and some dont.

Answer 8

I'm at 37 weeks and they haven't done that yet. But I hear they are usually quite off, so don't put too much trust in it. I've heard stories of women who opted for a c-section b/c their doctors said their babies were 10 pounds, then they came out little 6-7 pound babies and the c-section could have been avoided.

Answer 9

i had a 21 week ultrasound where we found out the gender and they measured several things like her belly, leg bones,and her head circumference by that they can estimated the weight of your unborn baby

Answer 10

They might take a guess toward the end of the pregnancy - it plays a part in deciding whether to induce or not. But it's just a guess. There's no way for them to know for sure.

Answer 11

they usually do an estimate by the length and all that stuff...but its really only a guess..and they dont monitor it unless you have problems i believe...i have to say my dr took a good guess 3 days before i delivered and she was off by 2 oz. but its really just a guess and they dont usually monitor that..