My due date...

[mama to 2 girls]

My m/w gave me a due date of July 2nd. Now from my u/s they want to move it up to June 27th!!!! :

I DON'T have wacky cycles! I am like clockwork!!! That is almost a week! I live in FL and my m/w will let me go to 42 weeks but by law if it's even a day over they have to transfer your care. So what if this little guy decides he needs to "cook" until lets say 41 weeks 2 days!!!!!!! Then I am screwed and so is he because then I will be induced! Why can't I be allowed just to grow a good sized boy?! My dates are NOT off!! GGRRR!!

I didn't discuss it with my m/w yesterday when she called because she was calling to say I have a low lying placenta and I will need a follow up u/s at 28 weeks. So I was a little concerned about that I remember her saying something about the u/s giving me a dd of the 27th and I KNOW they are going to change my dd.

I KNOW me! I KNOW when I O...I have the same cm every month and the same pains! I am so afraid because I live in FL and they have to be under the watchful eye of an OB! :

I don't know if I should call today and try to discuss it or just wait the 2 weeks until my next appt. and talk to them then.

[quarteralien]

That's utterly ridiculous. An u/s at this point is not nearly as accurate as an early u/s would be, and they shouldn't change the date based on that. I think I'd call and talk to her about it. It's something that will be on your mind for the next 2 weeks anyway, you might as well get it off your chest.
It's amazing that in the grand scheme of things, 5 days is really splitting hairs, but it will make such a huge difference in your care. We need due MONTHS not dates.

[xixstar]

I'd probably prepare myself with extra information about due dates, ultrasound variances, and reliability of cycle data before the next meeting and express your concerns.

I often hear charting women who have their due date changed in response to ultrasounds and am confused -- I would assume, just like birthweights and lengths are variable, our babies develop a slightly different rates. To me, when someone says you're at 23w1d due to an ultrasound measurement, that just means the measurements they got match the 50th percentile of that day, not that your cycle data is wrong or anything. Of course, there is the whole issue that ultrasounds are not exact science either and your MW knows this.

Since you can't cross 42 weeks, I would push very, very hard to not change the date to anything earlier because that just rushes things that don't need to be rushed.


*hugs* hope the conversation goes well and stick to what you know. Give your baby time -- and remember, that the average gestation is actually 41w1d and not 40w (that may just me for first time mammas, but still illustrates that we're way to focused on rushing babies out).

[wryknowlicious]

Healthy newborns can very in size 3-4 lbs and 3-5 inches.
Toally normal, same age gestation.

Yet an in uteuro baby isn't the exact size some chart says it should be on a certain date - so they change it's age?
Crazy.

I hope you can get your MW to NOT change your dates.

[lorelei]

I could see if they changed your date from a u/s measurement that was much earlier- like 10-12 weeks or so. But this late in the game it seems, well, foolish.

Good luck, mama, I hope you can convince your mw to listen to reason, rather than an u/s!

[veganf]

Keep the July 2nd due date. Tell them you know your body and they are wrong.

[sunnymw]

Wow, even my old OB didn't change my date because even he said, "Ultrasound measuring is plus or minus two weeks, generally." (at the 20 week one anyhow). And they are VERY mainstream, trust me.

I'd fight for the later date. With everything you've got.

[SeekingSerenity]

Good luck to you, mama... definitely stick to your guns, and push to your MW that you know your body and you know when you're due. It's true - just because a machine says a certain day doesn't mean that must be engraved into stone somewhere as THE day to plan around. No two babies are alike, not even in utero. Be firm, be strong... I was concerned about this, as my baby seemed small on the u/s and they wanted to move my due date BACK by 12 days. Being a 6th baby, what if he decided to come two weeks early? Then by the MW's calculation, I would be preterm and they wouldn't allow me to come to the birth center - although I'd know I was 38 weeks, they'd want to say I was 36.

I was prepared to go into battle, but instead I ended up finding a MW I absolutely loved (as opposed to tolerated) and I just switched practices - and I told the new MW when I was due. As in, THIS is when I'm due, so don't argue with me. It's the VERY LAST TIME I ever did the BD so I know it's not 12 days later. She agreed women know their bodies and their cycles better than any machine.

Hopefully your MW will see reason!