My fundal height is small. Is that common? Should I worry?

Starting around about 20 weeks of pregnancy your OB provider will begin measuring your fundal height at each appointment which is the measurement from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus and it's measured in centimeters. These centimeters should closely match your gestational age. Meaning when you're 24 weeks along your fundal height should be about 24 centimeters. You mentioned in your case that you've been measuring a little bit small. There are a lot of different reasons why a woman might measure extra small or a little bit too big. There are a few different factors that can affect it. It may not be the size of the baby, it could be how much fluid you have, it could be how you carry the baby. You mentioned that you have a long torso so the doctor hasn't been super concerned about it in the past. That's totally true because if you see a 4'10" lady, obviously her belly is going to poke out more than a woman who is 6' tall and has more places to hide a baby. What the doctor will do if they're noticing a big discrepancy between the fundal height and the gestational age is send the woman for an ultrasound so they can measure the actual size of the baby. It sounds like that's what they did for you at 34 weeks and so that's good, that was good practice. The baby was measuring on track so that's even better. It would be best for you to just continue to follow the advice of your doctor, it sounds like they're watching you extra close, and if you ever notice any concerns, you feel like you need to be seen then please do. Call your doctor and stay in close contact with them. Go to labor and delivery though if you feel any of the following symptoms, first of all, contractions. You're still pre-term at this point, you're not full-term until you're 37 weeks, you're getting close but not quite there. If you have four to five contractions an hour which is only every 10-15 minutes then you should go in and be seen. Or if you feel a constant lower back ache, constant lower abdominal cramping, once you're past 37 weeks it's okay to stay at home a little bit longer, you can wait until your contractions are three to five minutes apart and they're becoming more regular and more intense as time goes on. If you ever feel like you're leaking fluid go get checked out because they can do testing to determine if it's amniotic fluid and if it is then you get to stay, that's an admit ticket to the hospital and have a baby. Also, if you have any vaginal bleeding go get checked out. The last and probably one of the reasons that is overlooked most by moms to get checked out is decreased fetal movement. You're not feeling your baby move as much as you usually do, that's a very good reason to go into the hospital. The best indication that you have that your baby is doing well while you're at home is that they're moving. If you ever notice a decrease from that then drink something sweet, lay down on one of your sides, and count movements. You should get at least six movements an hour. If you get ten movements or less in two hours, that means that you're averaging five movements an hour which is less than six which you should be feeling, you should go to labor and delivery and be seen. What we'd do is put monitors on your belly and watch the pattern of your baby's heart rate and make sure that things are okay because that's a great indication of how your baby is doing, how much oxygen they have. If you're ever in doubt just get checked out, that's my motto. Again, stay in close contact with your doctor. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy, I hope the best for you. If you have any other questions before you deliver or afterwards feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/IntermountainMoms and recommend us to your friends and family too.