QuestionI am 23 weeks pregnant. At my 18 week visit, my Doctor measured all areas of my baby and said the measurements were good. I saw them and observed that some were a little more than 18 weeks and some a litte less. The ultrasound then gave a due date of Sep 4th, 5 days ahead of my LMP due date Sep 9th. At my 23 week visit today, the ultrasound recorded most of the baby's measurements at less than 23 weeks and gave a due date of Sep 17th. The Doctor also externally measured fundal height and it was 21cm. Is it normal for a due date to fluctuate like that? The Doctor mentioned nothing about it and has not officialy changed my due date but I am still a little concerned. Can you help please? Many thanks!
AnswerJudy,
Yes, it's normal for measurements to fluctuate that much. Unless they are more than two weeks off from your original due date, it will not be changed.
As the baby grows, these measurement become less and less accurate because babies grow at such individual rates based on genetics, diet, nutrition, etc. In the beginning of pregnancy during the first trimester, they develop at very similar rates as the cells divide to form the baby, but once the placenta takes over sustaining the fetus, individual variance becomes a factor.
So, nothing to worry about at this point.
Best,
Catherine
