u/Ginagiorg30

Hi everyone,

I am a first-time mom to a sweet 2-week-old baby girl I live in the UK and her newborn screening test, her bloodwork came back with high TSH (71.2) and low FT4 (9.1). We were immediately referred to the pediatric hospital and she just started her daily liquid levothyroxine medication.

As a new mom, I am feeling extremely anxious, overwhelmed, and worried about her cognitive and physical development. The doctors told us that catching it this early (at 2 weeks) means she should grow up completely fine, but I really need to hear real-life reassurance right now. They say among all the scary things in the blood test screening , this is the easiest for them.

What frightens me the most right now is not having the absolute certainty that the treatment will work and that she will develop completely normally.

I would love to hear from parents of older kids who were diagnosed at birth, or adults who grew up with congenital hypothyroidism:
How are your kids doing now with school, sports, and life in general?

Did early treatment give them a completely normal life?

Please send us some hope and good energy.
Thank you so much from a very worried mom. ❤️

Hi everyone,
I actually posted here a few weeks ago when we first found out our baby girl was measuring small, and so many people were kind and supportive. Unfortunately, I've now had a new appointment that has left me feeling quite scared, so I'm hoping to hear from anyone who has been through something similar and had a positive outcome.
I'm currently 31+3 weeks pregnant with a baby girl.

My pregnancy has been monitored because of low PAPP-A. At my 20-week anatomy scan everything looked normal and my baby was measuring around the 19th percentile.

Over the last few weeks, her growth has dropped to around the 5th percentile and I've been diagnosed with fetal growth restriction (FGR/IUGR). My doctors believe my placenta isn't working as well as it should, and my umbilical artery Dopplers have become elevated.

The reassuring things are:
CTGs have been normal

Amniotic fluid is normal

MCA Dopplers are normal

Ductus venosus Dopplers are normal

Baby is active

No structural abnormalities have been found on any scan

At my appointment either fetal medicine last week , the consultant said that placental insufficiency is still the most likely explanation for everything we're seeing. However, because all of the long bones are measuring equali small (around the 3rd percentile), he said he cannot completely rule out a skeletal dysplasia or another genetic condition based on ultrasound alone.

What has made this difficult is that this is the first time genetics has been mentioned. Up until now, every doctor we saw focused on the placenta and growth restriction and never seemed particularly concerned about a genetic cause.

The consultant was calm and reassuring overall. He said that if there were a genetic condition, he would not currently expect it to be a severe one, but he offered amniocentesis because he cannot be 100% certain. He also said that testing could be done after birth if we decide not to have amniocentesis now.
Part of the difficulty is that the genetic testing would likely take at least 10 days to come back, and because of the placental issues there is always a possibility that my baby could need to be delivered before then. So we're struggling with whether to do the test now or wait and, if needed, investigate further after birth.

I know nobody can diagnose my baby over Reddit, but I would really appreciate hearing from parents who
had:

Low PAPP-A

Placental insufficiency/high placental resistance

FGR/IUGR around the 5th percentile

Small long bones or short femur measurements

Genetics mentioned late in pregnancy

How did things turn out for your baby? Did anyone have a similar situation that ended up being placental insufficiency rather than a genetic condition?
The uncertainty is honestly the hardest part right now, and I'd be very grateful for any positive stories or experiences.
Thank you ❤️

Hi everyone,
I’m 32w+1d with an IUGR baby girl. She’s measuring around the 4.7 percentile, (head, stomach are ok, and long bones/femur are all small (3 percentile), but in line with each other). We are dealing with placental insufficiency.
I’m looking for stories about fluctuating Doppler results because this emotional rollercoaster is exhausting:

One week ago: My umbilical artery Doppler was highly concerning. It hit a PI of 1.44 (95th centile) and stayed high at 1.40 (92nd centile) the next day. The doctors were very alarmed and told us to prepare for an imminent emergency C-section.

Today: Repeat scan shows the Doppler is suddenly completely fine PI 1.06 (positive EDF) and fluid looks great.

The midwife explained today is just a "positive screenshot in time," but it doesn't mean the placenta is fixed. We see a Fetal Medicine specialist this Thursday.
Has anyone else experienced Dopplers that fluctuate like this? One day scary, the next day stable? How did it turn out for you?
Thank you. ❤️

Hi everyone,
I’m 32w+1d with an IUGR baby girl. She’s measuring around the 4.7 percentile, (head, stomach are ok, and long bones/femur are all small (3 percentile), but in line with each other). We are dealing with placental insufficiency.
I’m looking for stories about fluctuating Doppler results because this emotional rollercoaster is exhausting:

One week ago: My umbilical artery Doppler was highly concerning. It hit a PI of 1.44 (95th centile) and stayed high at 1.40 (92nd centile) the next day. The doctors were very alarmed and told us to prepare for an imminent emergency C-section.

Today: Repeat scan shows the Doppler is suddenly completely fine PI 1.06 (positive EDF) and fluid looks great.

The midwife explained today is just a "positive screenshot in time," but it doesn't mean the placenta is fixed. We see a Fetal Medicine specialist this Thursday.
Has anyone else experienced Dopplers that fluctuate like this? One day scary, the next day stable? How did it turn out for you?
Thank you. ❤️

Hi everyone,
I actually posted here a few weeks ago when we first found out our baby girl was measuring small, and so many people were kind and supportive. Unfortunately, I've now had a new appointment that has left me feeling quite scared, so I'm hoping to hear from anyone who has been through something similar and had a positive outcome.
I'm currently 31+3 weeks pregnant with a baby girl.

My pregnancy has been monitored because of low PAPP-A. At my 20-week anatomy scan everything looked normal and my baby was measuring around the 19th percentile.

Over the last few weeks, her growth has dropped to around the 5th percentile and I've been diagnosed with fetal growth restriction (FGR/IUGR). My doctors believe my placenta isn't working as well as it should, and my umbilical artery Dopplers have become elevated.

The reassuring things are:
CTGs have been normal

Amniotic fluid is normal

MCA Dopplers are normal

Ductus venosus Dopplers are normal

Baby is active

No structural abnormalities have been found on any scan

At my appointment this week, the consultant said that placental insufficiency is still the most likely explanation for everything we're seeing. However, because all of the long bones are measuring equali small (around the 3rd percentile), he said he cannot completely rule out a skeletal dysplasia or another genetic condition based on ultrasound alone.

What has made this difficult is that this is the first time genetics has been mentioned. Up until now, every doctor we saw focused on the placenta and growth restriction and never seemed particularly concerned about a genetic cause.

The consultant was calm and reassuring overall. He said that if there were a genetic condition, he would not currently expect it to be a severe one, but he offered amniocentesis because he cannot be 100% certain. He also said that testing could be done after birth if we decide not to have amniocentesis now.
Part of the difficulty is that the genetic testing would likely take at least 10 days to come back, and because of the placental issues there is always a possibility that my baby could need to be delivered before then. So we're struggling with whether to do the test now or wait and, if needed, investigate further after birth.
I know nobody can diagnose my baby over Reddit, but I would really appreciate hearing from parents who
had:

Low PAPP-A

Placental insufficiency/high placental resistance

FGR/IUGR around the 5th percentile

Small long bones or short femur measurements

Genetics mentioned late in pregnancy

How did things turn out for your baby? Did anyone have a similar situation that ended up being placental insufficiency rather than a genetic condition?
The uncertainty is honestly the hardest part right now, and I'd be very grateful for any positive stories or experiences.
Thank you ❤️

Looking for positive experiences with FGR/IUGR, abnormal umbilical artery Dopplers, and possible genetic concerns.

I'm currently 31+2 weeks pregnant. Our baby girl has been diagnosed with fetal growth restriction (estimated weight around the 5th percentile). I had low PAPP-A earlier in pregnancy, and for the last few weeks we've been monitored for increased placental resistance with elevated umbilical artery Dopplers.

The reassuring things are that:
CTGs have been normal
Amniotic fluid is normal
MCA and ductus venosus Dopplers are normal
Anatomy scans have been normal
Baby is active

At our latest fetal medicine appointment, the doctor said the most likely explanation is placental insufficiency, but because all of the long bones are measuring small, they also discussed the possibility of an underlying genetic condition and offered amniocentesis.

The doctor did not seem to think that, if there were a genetic condition, it would likely be a severe one, and testing could also be done after birth.

I'm feeling quite anxious and would really appreciate hearing from anyone who had:
FGR/IUGR with abnormal umbilical artery Dopplers
Low PAPP-A
Concerns raised about genetics because of small measurements
Delivery before term due to placental issues

How did things turn out for your baby? Did anyone have similar concerns that ultimately turned out to be placental insufficiency rather than a genetic condition?
I'm especially looking for positive outcomes because I'm finding the uncertainty really hard right now.

Hi everyone,
I’m currently 30 weeks pregnant with a baby girl and just spent the entire day at the hospital after my growth scan. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and honestly just looking for some positive stories or similar experiences to help me calm my anxious mind.

During the scan, they found that my baby is measuring quite small, currently sitting at the 4th percentile overall. (She was 19, then 14 and now 4, never a huge baby) Her femur is particularly short (3rd percentile).
Her heart trace (CTG) was absolutely perfect, and she is super active and kicking. However, the Doppler scan showed some resistance in the placental blood flow (sitting at the 92nd percentile). I also have low PAPP-A and I am taking aspiring since week 12.

Because everything below the 10th percentile triggers extra monitoring here in the UK, I’m now officially being closely watched. I have a repeat Doppler next week and a growth scan in two weeks. I also repeated iron test as they were low last time so might need infusion.

Has anyone else been through this? Did your placenta/blood flow improve with rest? Did your small babies catch up on growth or were they just born perfectly healthy but tiny?
Would love to hear any positive stories, induction or elective C-section stories at 37-38 weeks for growth-restricted babies too, as it’s highly likely she’ll be born a bit earlier.
Thank you so much in advance ❤️

Hi everyone,

I’m 25 weeks pregnant with a baby girl (measuring around the 14th percentile).

I do feel her, but it’s quite inconsistent. Some days she’s active, other days I barely feel anything during the day and then suddenly she’ll kick later on. When I do feel her, it reassures me, but the quieter days make me worry.

I’ve also noticed that some people around the same stage (or even earlier) can already see their belly moving from the outside, and I haven’t really experienced that yet — only the occasional movement if I place my hand carefully.

Is it normal to feel movements less consistently at 25 weeks, or could it be related to her being on the smaller side?

And is it normal not to see visible kicks from the outside yet?

Would really appreciate hearing your experiences 🤍