Growth - Fetal Growth Chart

Even though babies grow at different rates, there's a fetal development standard in the medical community that all doctors and midwives use to determine how well your developing child is doing. Although there is this standard guideline, it doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem if your baby is significantly smaller or larger than what this guideline suggests the norm is.

How Are Babies Measured?

All babies are measured from head to toe, otherwise known as crown to rump. According to the fetal growth chart, the average size of a healthy developing baby during the 14th week of pregnancy - right around the time you might be starting to show - is 3.42 inches or 8.7 centimeters. The average weight of a 14-week fetus is 1.52 ounces or 43 grams. But it's not necessary to be alarmed if your baby measures smaller or larger than this.

Reading Ultrasounds

Because so many women get ultrasounds so early in pregnancy, what looks like slow fetal growth can be detected much earlier. This can be concerning for a mother-to-be especially if this is her first child. Technicians who interpret the ultrasounds measure the size of the baby and determine the age of the fetus in weeks and days.

It's important to keep in mind that while all technicians are trained equally on how to measure and read an ultrasound, each eventually develops his or her own way of doing it that can be different from another technician. These different measurement styles can sometimes give the appearance of a lower or higher than average growth rate.

If your physician is especially concerned about any ultrasound results, he or she may order another ultrasound and get another analysis done of the fetal growth pictures. This can done during any trimester of the pregnancy whether it's in the early weeks or well into the third trimester.


Table of Contents
1. Fetal Growth
2. What is your baby's weight?
 
 
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