My daughter is in her 9th month of pregnancy. her dr. isn't sure the baby is growing. dr is ordering an ultrasound. why? my daughter seems to be carrying low, and she is 6 feet tall. she always watches what she eats and has said she's gained 30 lbs. shoul

Congratulations : Congratulations ! the ultrasound will show many things. It can be used to make an estimate of the baby's size. The doctor can see how much amniotic fluid is in the uterus. There is a lot of information that it can provide.

An : An ultrasound provides a picture and allows your daughter's physician to make measurements of both the baby and amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. By measuring the baby and amniotic fluid, your daughter's physician can then determine how far along she is and also determine if there are signs of slow growth (sometimes referred to as iugr). This can be caused by a lot of different things. Your daughter's physician may then either watch the baby to see if the growth picks up or they may choose to induce the baby, depending on how far along she really is and what exactly is going on with the baby. Good luck!

It : It sounds like the examination of the pregnancy from the outside suggests "smallness". Let me explain smallness. Like the other answers, when the uterine fundus measures small then there are a coupes of causes. The baby could be small for gestational age (SGA) or have iugr (intrauterine growth retardation). The baby could be normal size but the amount of fluid could be decreased (oligohydramnios). It is also possible that everything is in the normal range but because she is tall and the baby has dropped into the pelvis, that the appearance is that of a smaller baby. The ultrasound will allow the physician to measure the baby and the fluid. The information will allow for a diagnosis. The ultrasound is really the only test that can do this but it is less accurate at the end of pregnancy, so be prepared for results that are uncertain. Her doctor needs to ensure that the baby is not in danger because at 9 months, it may be safer to get the baby delivered than to leave it in the womb in an unfavorable environment. It sounds very much like her doctor is doing the right thing. You may already know all this but best wishes for your daughter and grandchild.