The aim of it is to monitor the growth and position of your baby. It does not hurt the baby. The baby is big enough to feel where the head is.
Unborn babies change position frequently during this phase of pregnancy and are quite often in a breech position bottom down or lying across your belly in a transverse position. The size of your uterus should be approximately relevant to how far pregnant you are. No, there's not necessarily anything wrong if your baby is small for dates. Babies grow at different rates and some are simply smaller than average. Measurements aren't always accurate either.
Your midwife may offer you a growth scan though, to be on the safe side. Occasionally a baby isn't growing as expected and this is called intrauterine growth restriction IUGR. You may also see or hear it called fetal growth restriction. It can happen for lots of reasons. If your baby has IUGR everything will be done to find out what's causing it so and your baby get the treatment you need. How will my baby be measured? This is called palpation.
Your midwife will also gauge the size of your growing womb by measuring your bump. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.
This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Request Appointment. Healthy Lifestyle Pregnancy week by week. Products and services. What's the significance of a fundal height measurement? This measurement helps your provider estimate your baby's size, growth rate, and position during the second half of your pregnancy.
As a rule of thumb, your fundal height in centimeters should roughly equal the number of weeks you're pregnant. For example, at 20 weeks, your fundal height should be about 17 to 23 centimeters. Measuring large for gestational age means your fundal height is more than 3 centimeters larger than expected for your stage of pregnancy, based on your due date. Your provider will probably schedule an ultrasound to find out why.
You could be measuring large for gestational age if:. Measuring small for gestational age means your fundal height is more than 3 centimeters smaller than expected for your stage of pregnancy. Your provider may order an ultrasound to confirm your due date, in case you're not as far along as you thought. But if your baby doesn't appear to be growing as he should be, you'll have another ultrasound in about three weeks to check on his growth and the level of amniotic fluid.
You also might need additional monitoring as your pregnancy progresses. Measuring your fundal height is just one of the routine things your provider will do at your prenatal visits. Learn what else to expect at your visits and how to make the most of them. BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world.
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