For is the first 9 weeks of the unborn baby inside a mom’s tummy is termed ‘embryo’. But, after a week or by week 10, this reaches the ‘fetus’ period. At this moment, a mom is pretty sure that she’s expecting and can see the blossoming little being on the ultrasound. So, the morning sickness agony would soon begin. The majority of the woman can carry a child inside her until the expected term, yet there are instances or symptoms of the fetus not growing.
Yes, a fetus may stop developing. This can mean that there is some trouble, or the pregnancy isn’t progressing. Below, are signs and symptoms that the fetus inside the mom’s womb is not growing.
1. Small fundal height
The fundal height measurement is when the doctor measures the uterus from its top to the pubic bone. This measurement is done throughout the pregnancy. With the use of the tape measure, the doctor can identify if her fetus is growing or not. After week 16 of the pregnancy, the doctor can identify if the number of weeks matches with the fundal height.
If the measurement does not match or come as expected, there is a possible threat in the pregnancy. It can be that the amniotic fluid of the baby is too much or too little, the baby is in the breech position or worse case the fetus is not developing at all.
2. No beating heart
Even in the primary trimester, the doctor would be looking for the baby’s heartbeat. Although it can be located with a Doppler as the first trimester ends. The heartbeat can be heard around 9th or both week, as to transform into fetus status from the embryo.
The lack of a heartbeat is an early sign to be concerned. Usually, the beat starts at about five weeks, and most of the practitioners find it by the time the baby is in the fetus period. Yet, the sound can be missed due to the placenta placement or the positioning of the baby. Therefore, it is possible to hear the heartbeat at the moment, but not in the next prenatal appointments. It may mean the fetal ending.
3. Intrauterine growth restriction diagnosis
An intrauterine growth restriction(IUGR) analysis means the fetus measurement in utero is small than expected that may lead to various issues. If it so happened that the fetus is 10% less than the gestational age, it may interpret as struggling with IUGR. This may happen with singletons or even multiples. For multiples, one twin may experience from IUGR while the other doesn’t.
The most known reason for this is the placenta problem, which supposedly assures that the baby can get all the necessary stuff needed from the mom. The fetus may stop developing as the placenta is not properly functioning.
4. Low HCG level
The hCG or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a kind of pregnancy hormone produced by a mom-to-be. The hCG level tends to follow a trend as it fluctuates during the entire pregnancy. From 9-16 weeks, it id very high if the pregnancy is normally progressing. If the problem occurs, like the mom a sudden stop of feeling pregnant, the doctor likely checks or assess the hCG level to see where it decreases. In case if it is lower than what is expected or normal, there is a reason to be concerned. If continuous tests of declining hCG are showing, it may mean miscarriage can happen since the fetus has stopped growing.
5. Cramping during pregnancy
It can be hard to distinguish a pain during the period of pregnancy since there is a little human inside you. Therefore, there can be various aches and pains, but the mom should pay attention to the menstrual cramps feeling that can even be worse. If you feel some cramping and you are pregnant, something may not be right.
As the uterus expands, it’s normal for a mom to feel some aches. As the second trimester comes. The cramped feeling can be felt from round ligament pain. It is a dull and sharp pain, common in pregnancy. But if the cramping keeps getting intensified and does not go away, there can be some problem in the placenta. It may mean the process of miscarriage is starting.
6. Bleeding
Many moms may experience some symptoms of the fetus not growing, one of them is spotting or light bleeding during pregnancy. Many spots a lot and not aware that have missed a period. What they may have experienced is on the implantation process. Yet, a mom should not assume that it is normal to have some bleeding while pregnant, she has to contact her OB right away although the bleeding amount is negligible.
When a woman miscarries, commonly she’ll have to pass large clots or often bleeds. This is the way of expelling the fetus since it suffers fetal demise or stops in growing.
7. Back pain
Back pain is commonly normal during pregnancy since the body develops to accommodate the little person inside the uterus. So, as a result, the strain and pressure of the mom’s back are unstoppable. Some of the women even suffer pain worse than others. Those carrying multiples often wonder if their backs will be breaking under such strain of carrying all babies.
You need to understand what should it feels like. Back pain should not be so severe, it starts around the front part and moves to the back of your body, it can be a bad sign.
8. Abnormal ultrasound
Ultrasounds are not just for printing baby photos to get excited about how the baby grows, this is more than pre-birth photos. Yet, this procedure is an excellent indicator of issues inside the womb. Usually, an ultrasound can be done sometime within the first trimester. This can help the doctors to estimate the due date and also shows possible birth defects. While generally, it should show a healthy leaping and bouncing baby, for others it can show that the fetus is not growing normally. In this case, doctors warn their patients that stillbirth or miscarriage is possible.
9. No fetal movement
Commonly, the fetal movement would begin by the second trimester. The kick counts will be asked during the third semester, to make sure she feels the moves several times daily. If the mom has felt a regular movement of the child, but suddenly has stopped, something wrong is maybe going on. There could be various reasons but it could be symptoms of the fetus not growing. If the baby passes away within the womb, it really will stop moving and growing and the mom is the first one to notice such happening.
Pregnancy is not an easy journey, there can be lots of ups and downs. But, as a mom, it is very important to seek help or contact your doctor right away, if there are abnormal signs you have encounter along the pregnancy journey.
Read also:
- What is Fetal Growth Reduction?
- Pregnancy Calendar: Your Monthly Guide to Pregnancy
- How Can You Tell If The Baby’s Position Is Head Down?
