The numbers game

I had so many ultrasounds during this pregnancy.  They were mostly focused on the isolated shortened femur bones in the beginning. Then in the third trimester, they were concerned with her over all weight.  She was always hovering just below or above the 10th percentile.  Any weight below the 10th percentile is categorized as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).  A baby who is IUGR needs to be delivered early because it's a sign that the baby is not getting sufficient nutrients in the womb and would be safer outside the mother.

Niko was around the 10th percentile until my 34th week, when I was assigned to have an ultrasound screening at the main hospital, rather than the high risk clinic where I usually went.  And I was only scheduled at the main hospital by chance. The clinic was fully booked that day so they moved me to the hospital.  At the hospital, they measured Niko at below the 3rd percentile in weight and the technician noticed that her chest was very small.  The hospital technician looked at me with a worried look and asked, "Do you know that your baby is small?  Let me call your doctor because of your…… your condition."  I hated that woman at that moment.  My condition?  What the hell was my condition?  I was carrying a small baby.  I knew that.  I'm a grown up.  I wouldn't have blindly gone for an ultrasound every two weeks without noticing that "my condition" was alarming.  

So I went back to my regular clinic at 36 weeks for another ultrasound.  Before the ultrasound my doctor told me that we were looking at 3 different variations of how to complete this pregnancy.  

1)  If the weight is below 10th percentile, we schedule an induction the next day and deliver the baby.

2)  If the weight is right above 10th percentile (like 11th to 15th), we induce at 37 week.  

3)  If the weight jumps up dramatically (to about 25th percentile), then I would be able to carry the baby until I go into labor naturally. 

But he mentioned that third outcome was very unlikely so I should plan on meeting my baby the following day or the following week.     

But what do you know, we had the ultrasound and the baby measured at 26th percentile in weight.  They said that the chest wasn't small at all.  (Whew!  That meant that the dumb hospital technician was wrong.)  The doctors and technician were congratulating me and trying to make me feel like I've dodged a bullet.  But I was nervous about these numbers.  What if they were totally off?  I hated that it was all a numbers game.
10: induce immediately
15: next week
above 25: You're totally cool!
I mentioned this to my doctor.  The baby was always checking in around 10th percentile. How can she jump to 26th percentile?  And he said rather casually, well maybe one of the previous readings was inaccurate.  He then cancelled all of my future NST (non stress tests) that were scheduled twice a week and basically said, "see you when you deliver".  

I asked again about the whole skeletal dysplasia threat and he said (I'm paraphrasing), "We can't do anything about that now.  You just have to wait and see.  I honestly believe you have nothing to worry about.  Maybe your baby will just be on the shorter side.  You're not even high risk anymore." Insert awkward nerdy chuckle.  

Of course that is what I wanted to hear but I should have been more pushy.  I should have asked them to do the ultrasound again and requested a different technician.  The 26th percentile was so far off from our previous readings and so unbelievable.  And of course, hind sight is 20/20.  I went into labor naturally at 39 weeks.  Niko was born at below the 1st percentile, which is totally IUGR.  She had zero subcutaneous fat on her body.  And you know what, the hospital technician was right.  Niko's chest was and still is small.