These percentile measurements begin in the second trimester and continue all through childhood as a way of monitoring growth, both height and weight.
My interest in percentiles began in high school when my first standardized testing scores came in the mail. I had scored between 95th and 99th percentile in every category and wanted to know what that meant.
In the simplest terms, it meant that in any given group of approximately 100 students, my scores were better than 95-99 of them. I was pretty pleased with myself, to say the least!
Once I entered the second trimester of my first pregnancy, I began to follow my daughter's fetal growth in terms of percentiles. She tended to measure well above the 80th percentile and even after birth, has been consistently on the tall side for her age group. I realize this won't last through puberty (she is not destined to be 6 feet tall), but it has been a lot of fun being the mom to "the tall kid".
Her younger sister, on the other hand, has always measured below the 60th percentile. Even now at 4 years of age, her height and weight remain in the 40th to 50th percentile. She's my averaged sized kid, even if she seems so tiny to me!
My last growth scan was 3 weeks ago. I mentioned in that post that Dash was measuring in the 40th percentile and although it made me a little uncomfortable to have her on the lower half of the growth chart, I wasn't too concerned because my second child is smaller.
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| Fetal Growth Chart |
To calculate percentiles in fetal growth, several methods can be used. The methods I'm most familiar with include measuring the length of the femur, the circumference of the abdomen, and head circumference. The measurements are put into formulas that calculate the percentile for each as well as an overall measurement.
They can also be used to estimate fetal weight. Today, Dash's measurements put her at 760 grams, or 1 lb 10 oz. For someone who has no idea how that compares based on her expected growth, the percentile measurement gives me information that is more relevant to my knowledge base: 69th percentile.
The technician and doctor were both thrilled and wanted to know if I'd made any dietary changes to have allowed my daughter to grow so much and other than being very diligent about taking all my vitamins and supplements, I couldn't think of anything.
Dr. Hamersley gave me the choice of coming in again in either 2 weeks or 3 weeks for our next growth scan. Because Dash's growth hasn't been incredibly consistent, I chose to go with 2 weeks. She's once again measuring a few days ahead, which is where I'd like her to stay.
We also discussed our road trip protocol. My husband and I were clearly instructed! I am to get out of the van and walk around (doesn't have to be long) every hour. This means we'll be setting a timer and simply taking the next exit so I can get out and walk around the van a few times before climbing right back in and getting right back on the road. Chances are good that every other stop will also include a quick trip to the bathroom for any and all in the vehicle who need to stop, but there's no need to do a full bathroom stop every hour.
Compression stockings aren't needed, but I've been instructed to wear my belly band. It needs to be snug enough to provide support and lift, but not so snug as to leave marks.
The final bit of news has to do with Dash's positioning. Again, the news was good. Today she was not only head down, but also facing my spine, which is the ideal position for birth. I know she'll continue to flip around for another couple of weeks, but she showed us today that she's at least willing to be head down and I hope that by continuing my stretches, she'll gain a preference for that position.
Now, I realize this is "out of place" but I found this comparative chart regarding outcomes for severely premature births. These are outcomes from the UK, not the US, for 1995 and 2006.
I'll let you make any conclusions you'd like from the chart. Enjoy!
