Checking your baby’s growth

We measure your baby’s size during your ultrasound scans, and by measuring your stomach.

Our team record these measurements on a chart so we can see how your baby is growing.

Sometimes, we’ll ask you to have extra scans so we can look at your baby’s growth in more detail. You don’t have to worry about these scans: it’s a normal part of our work to provide you with the best possible pregnancy care.

We may make some additional appointments to check on you and your baby if you:

• are having twins
• have had a small baby in the past
• have a medical or pregnancy-related condition.

Planning labour if you have a small baby

Some babies can be:

• small, sometimes called small for gestational age or SGA
• very small, sometimes called fetal growth restriction, or FGR.

If you have a very small baby, we’ll work with you to agree a special plan for your labour.

This may include starting your labour early through a planned induction, or in some cases, delivering your baby through a caesarean birth.