by sam10 » Wed Jan 23, 2013 06:11 pm
It probably means that you will have an ultrasound to measure baby's growth and to check if baby is falling behind in growth (IUGR), which is often the case in PE pregnancies. If you have had PE in a previous pregnancy, more than the usual amount of growth scans are (or should be) routine and is part of your high-risk prenatal care.
As the fetus is too big to measure from head to toe at your gestational age, measurements usually include the width of the head (biparietal diameter), circumference of the head, and the abdominal circumference. The length of the upper leg bone (femur length) may also be measured. All these measurements give the doctor a good picture of your baby's growth and if IUGR is suspected. A doppler study to check on the bloodflow in the cord might be part of it as well. Keep in mind that measurements can vary from technician to technician and can be difficult to perform if baby is very active or not lying in the right position.
~Julija (40)
MC 3/2009 and 3/2011
Henry (1/1/2010-1/7/2010) - forever loved and missed; severe PE with Hellp; partial placental abruption, classical c-section at 25.6 weeks
Matilda (Nov. 2012, born at 35.4 weeks) - severe PE
Our pain has been put into words, placed into empty cradles, to remember that all our babies lived, that they mattered and always will. - Field of Cradles
http://www.fieldofcradles.org/
