Measuring fundal height - tape vs 'guessing'

I was looking through my old notes, and realised that my first midwife
measured fundal height by finger width below belly button, then the 2nd (we
moved mid-pregnancy) always got a tape so I have actual measurements. With
this pregnancy, my 3rd midwife is also just feeling, and not measuring. I'm
just curious as to why there are different methods - is it because there is
so much variation, and as long as the baby is growing, it doesn't really
matter what the exact measurement is?

Cathy
DD 8 Jan 03
EDD 8 Dec 04

Cathy wrote:

I was looking through my old notes, and realised that my first midwife
measured fundal height by finger width below belly button, then the 2nd (we
moved mid-pregnancy) always got a tape so I have actual measurements. With
this pregnancy, my 3rd midwife is also just feeling, and not measuring. I'm
just curious as to why there are different methods - is it because there is
so much variation, and as long as the baby is growing, it doesn't really
matter what the exact measurement is?

It's not until you're a ways into the pregnancy
(forget how far) that you *can* measure with a tape.
You may not have hit that point yet in this pregnancy,
or maybe this midwife switches over a bit later. You
probably timed your move to coincide with that switch
the first time around ;-) You have to have a significant
bump to measure fundal height with a tape measure ;-)

Best wishes,
Ericka

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 13:25:37 +1200, "Cathy"
wrote:

I was looking through my old notes, and realised that my first midwife
measured fundal height by finger width below belly button, then the 2nd (we
moved mid-pregnancy) always got a tape so I have actual measurements. With
this pregnancy, my 3rd midwife is also just feeling, and not measuring. I'm
just curious as to why there are different methods - is it because there is
so much variation, and as long as the baby is growing, it doesn't really
matter what the exact measurement is?

I think that last bit is right. With my first pregnancy I used an OB
and he never once got out a tape measure, he would just prod around my
belly with his fingers and say "you're looking fine" then send me
home. He was right too, my first son was just under the 50th
percentile for a full term boy. With my second I was measured with a
tape at every appointment after the 20 week one, they kept telling me
I was measuring small and I kept telling them that he was lying
diagonally so the top of the fundus wasn't the highest part of the
uterus, sure enough when they did an ultrasound for suspected IUGR he
was as big as he should be rather than being small. If they had gone
by how big my uterus felt instead of the measurement with a tape they
wouldn't have worried about his size.

--
Cheryl
Mum to Shrimp (11 Mar 99), Thud (4 Oct 00)
Mischief (30 Jul 02)
+ someone new due Feb 05

Cathy wrote:

I was looking through my old notes, and realised that my first midwife
measured fundal height by finger width below belly button, then the 2nd (we
moved mid-pregnancy) always got a tape so I have actual measurements. With
this pregnancy, my 3rd midwife is also just feeling, and not measuring. I'm
just curious as to why there are different methods - is it because there is
so much variation, and as long as the baby is growing, it doesn't really
matter what the exact measurement is?

Mine have always done both, given a quick guess by palping fundus and
then measuring with the tape measure.

Andrea

Ericka Kammerer wrote:
Cathy wrote:

I was looking through my old notes, and realised that my first
midwife measured fundal height by finger width below belly button,
then the 2nd (we moved mid-pregnancy) always got a tape so I have
actual measurements. With this pregnancy, my 3rd midwife is also
just feeling, and not measuring. I'm just curious as to why there
are different methods - is it because there is so much variation,
and as long as the baby is growing, it doesn't really matter what
the exact measurement is?

It's not until you're a ways into the pregnancy
(forget how far) that you *can* measure with a tape.
You may not have hit that point yet in this pregnancy,
or maybe this midwife switches over a bit later. You
probably timed your move to coincide with that switch
the first time around ;-) You have to have a significant
bump to measure fundal height with a tape measure ;-)

Best wishes,
Ericka

I hadn't thought of that! Thanks - I changed midwives last time when I was
7 months, and I'm only 6 months now, so that could well be it.

Cathy

Cheryl wrote:
On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 13:25:37 +1200, "Cathy"
wrote:

I was looking through my old notes, and realised that my first
midwife measured fundal height by finger width below belly button,
then the 2nd (we moved mid-pregnancy) always got a tape so I have
actual measurements. With this pregnancy, my 3rd midwife is also
just feeling, and not measuring. I'm just curious as to why there
are different methods - is it because there is so much variation,
and as long as the baby is growing, it doesn't really matter what
the exact measurement is?

I think that last bit is right. With my first pregnancy I used an OB
and he never once got out a tape measure, he would just prod around my
belly with his fingers and say "you're looking fine" then send me
home. He was right too, my first son was just under the 50th
percentile for a full term boy. With my second I was measured with a
tape at every appointment after the 20 week one, they kept telling me
I was measuring small and I kept telling them that he was lying
diagonally so the top of the fundus wasn't the highest part of the
uterus, sure enough when they did an ultrasound for suspected IUGR he
was as big as he should be rather than being small. If they had gone
by how big my uterus felt instead of the measurement with a tape they
wouldn't have worried about his size.

Interesting - hadn't thought of that either.

Cathy