Research-backed
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Some people have said… well, what have some people said? They say anything. This is particularly true when it comes to making predictions about the outcome of pregnancy. One look at your baby bump, they might say, and we can tell if it’s going to be a boy or a girl. This is certainly an old wives’ tale because it has as much chance of being accurate as a coin toss. However, the story goes that and a bump that’s slightly pointed could mean a boy, and a round bump indicates a baby girl (1).
In this day and age, especially with the strength of women in all sectors thanks to the feminist movement (sure, there’s a long way to go, but that doesn’t disqualify how long we’ve come), does it really matter if you have a boy or a girl? Clearly, it does to some, as abortion in certain countries is banned as it is gender-motivated.
Getting past all the politics, there is, in fact, something that your baby bump can tell us which is far more important when it comes to its delivery and the lives and safeties of both of you.
Measuring Your Fundal Height
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As your baby bump begins to grow, your doctor will start to measure this growth. What he’s actually measuring is the distance between the pelvic bone and the uterus. This is called the fundal height.
The fundal height is useful in many ways. For example, if you 29 weeks pregnant then your fundal height should be 29cm. This helps in determining the precise due date if your baby.
Problems can also be detected thanks to fundal height. If you have been pregnant for approximately 25 weeks, your estimated fundal height is anywhere between 23cm and 27cm. Anything out of this range points towards a complicated delivery and leads to further investigation. A diagnosis of foetal growth restriction could be arrived at (2).
What Differences In Fundal Height Mean
A larger fundal height could be an indicator of obesity. Your abdominal muscles could be weak. This could mean that your narrow pelvis could have already been pushing your baby outwards prematurely, thus complicating your delivery.
If you have a short fundal height, this could mean something positive. Your baby is being kept safe as well as your belly is being held in shape by strong abdominal muscles.
Fundal Height Vs Ultrasound
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On the one hand, you have a tape measure. On the other hand, you have a piece of scientific machinery that’s probably been worked on and perfected for decades, with science still looking to make improvements. So which do you think is better?
The fundal height method is ancient and outdated. Given the option of an ultrasound, why wouldn’t you choose one? An ultrasound provides more details and answers the all-sought-after question of which gender it is going to be. Aside from the genitals, the ultrasound provides detailed images of the baby’s head, its belly, and the thigh bone. You can also calculate the health of the baby to a reasonable degree and see how the pregnancy is doing.
The honest truth is that any number of things can go wrong after everything has been right so far. What you can ensure that things don’t go wrong early, and take everything as it comes. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” should be your mantra. Having said that, it is also important to know this is the worst case scenario. More often than not, a healthy baby is delivered with no harm to the mother or the little one. All the best!
