Well, *I* think that my third beta sounds good.

[starkyld]

The midwife called. My level at 19 dpo was 623, which gives me a doubling time of 1.39 days since my 17 dpo level of 236. My 15 day dpo level was 130, so my doubling time is getting faster. I was desperately hoping for something between 390 and 420, at least, so 623 sounds wonderful.

She continued to sound very pessimistic and continues to tell me that her years of experience inform her that this is a very low level and that she is right to be concerned. I reiterated as calmly as possible that I feel like my levels sound well within the normal range and that I feel that it is best for me to avoid stress right now. I feel like she thinks that she's being compassionate and that she truly is concerned about me and is trying to keep me from getting my hopes up. But that doesn't change the fact that talking to her makes me feel absolutely awful.

I'm at work and I'm trying really hard not to cry. I don't understand why the midwife is being so discouraging. I can't find a single source, peer-reviewed or otherwise, that suggests that my levels give cause for concern. I don't think that I'm being delusional and I don't think that I'm being unrealistic. And yet I'm sitting here trying hold the tears in at my desk when I should be full of happiness and hope.

Part of me feels like this is what I deserve for having entered into the mainstream medical model by going to a hospital-based midwife 2 days after a faintly positive pregnancy test because I had some very light spotting (which has since resolved). Had I not done that, I'd still be feeling very positive and excited and would be making good progress on all the things that I should be doing right now, pregnancy-related and otherwise. Instead, I'm an emotional mess for no good reason.

[BookishVonLiberal]

I think your levels sound fine and she sounds crazy. You gotta switch midwives, for your own sanity.

Rooting for you and your baby!

[birthangeldoula]

I found this and wanted to share. I think your levels are fabulous and that it may be time to find a new midwife.

Pregnant women will vary in levels of HcG within their body at different times. But HcG levels once beginning to build should not fall. A dramatic decline in HcG levels indicates that a miscarriage is taking place. The chart below gives an average range of mIU/ml of HcG in pregnant women from days 10 - 22 past ovulation (DPO). Please note that in multi births HcG levels are much higher.
10 DPO: 10 - 50 mIU/ml HcG
13 DPO: 20 - 100 mIU/ml HcG
16 DPO: 40 - 200 mIU/ml HcG
19 DPO: 80 - 400 mIU/ml HcG
22 DPO: 160 - 800 mIU/ml HcG

I found it at http://www.webwomb.com/hpt_levels_hcg_levels.htm

Good Luck Mama! We'll see you at the finish line in November!

[GreenFlower]

I posted on your other thread, but I wanted to comment here, too. According to the American Pregnancy Association, you are wonderfully, beautifully, perfectly within normal range!!

I personally think that woman is psychotic and if it were me, I probably wouldn't call her again...ever. If it would make you feel better, why not look up another OB (any OB in the phone book for that matter), and just call and ask if you can talk to the nurse or sometimes even the receptionists will know. Tell them your beta numbers and ask them if it's normal. Maybe, even, there's someone else in that practice the midwife is working with, who you can ask. That might even be better because then you can explain (after they tell you that your levels are completely normal) that the midwife has been freaking you out, etc.

[BookishVonLiberal]

Originally Posted by GreenFlower

I personally think that woman is psychotic and if it were me, I probably wouldn't call her again...ever.

Kinda loving you right now.

[chisub]

She is so full of crap, I can't believe that those levels are low in her mind. It's actually a little scary and totally unprofessional in my opinion that she is talking like that. Is there someone else in the practice that you can talk to? I thought midwives were supposed to have better bedside manner then that. You don't need this stress! Good thing you are informed, imagine some other woman that has no clue hearing these things?

[knittinmama]

I think the last beta proves that your baby is growing and everything is fine. I honestly think I would find another midwife she isn't doing you any good.

:

When do you move?

[BrooklynDoula]

Yes, a new midwife sounds like a good solution. The relationship between the two of you is not working and her lack of trust in your process is really unsettling. Many hapy baby vibes to you!

[AugustineM]

Doesn't sound like she knows what she's talking about. How strange -- and really unprofessional for her to "scare" you because she thinks the levels are low. Bad bad bad. Don't talk to her again! You're doing great and growing a healthy baby!!

[hannybanany]

Originally Posted by chisub

She is so full of crap, I can't believe that those levels are low in her mind. It's actually a little scary and totally unprofessional in my opinion that she is talking like that. Is there someone else in the practice that you can talk to? I thought midwives were supposed to have better bedside manner then that. You don't need this stress! Good thing you are informed, imagine some other woman that has no clue hearing these things?

I agree with this! I cannot believe her terrible bedside manner

Your numbers sound WONDERFUL! Seriously. Big hugs.

[starkyld]

Thanks for all of the support, encouragement, and affirmation. I'm really conflicted about whether to see this midwife one more time and then severing my relationship with her or whether to skip even that. I've never had an office visit with her and part of me wants to demonstrate to her that I'm right so that she won't misinform future clients. By the same token, I need to not receive alarming assessments that do not reflect a broad analysis of other people's experiences.

I do have a midwife that I'll be working with once I move back to Brooklyn and I'm really looking forward to building a working relationship with her.

Also, my levels kinda rock. I'm going to feel positive about this. There's no reason for me not to.

[Kleine Hexe]

Do what is best for *you* and don't think of others at this point. YOu can always call her later and tell her she was wrong.

Sorry, she stressed you out.

[Amandamanda]

not in your ddc but i'd seriously find a new midwife or doc. she sounds like she will be pessimistic your entire pregnancy. sure, she may have the "right" to be worried based on experience, but you have the "right" to a provider who will be caring and reassuring.

that being said, your levels are fine, and your third number sounds great.
at 17dpo my number was 124, and at 19dpo it was 280. i never got a third beta and was never told that number was even low, a little less than 2 weeks later we saw a healthy bean with a healthy heartbeat on ultrasound. I'm now almost 36 weeks..

so relax and don't stress mama!

[Bella Catalina]

Mama, I am so sorry. Your betas are wonderful, perfect! I shudder to think of how she may be as your birth approaches, based on how she is now. I don't know if you plan to continue with hospital based care but she would scare me.... I would worry about her using scare tactics on you the entire pregnancy. It's not worth the stress. Please find someone else and write a letter of complaint about her.

[starkyld]

I'm not planning on continuing with hospital-based care and my interaction with this midwife was a complete fluke. I started spotting at 15dpo and panicked a little bit and found her within the hour (I work within a medical complex). I had meant to make a later same-day or next-day appointment to sit down with a midwife, ascertain whether this seemed like implantation spotting or the start of something problematic, and ask whether I should get my progesterone checked (because that I could do something about if needed). Somehow I ended up having an awkward and confused conversation with her after she was paged out of labor & delivery for me and she sent me off for an hcg blood draw. She also keeps referring to me as being six weeks along. I've corrected her several times and she keeps saying that my levels are still abysmal for someone 4 weeks along.

I'm going to be moving back to NYC in the near future...we were initially thinking August but might try to move that up. I'm going to be working with a different midwife there and planning for a homebirth. I've gotten in touch with her about my levels and she responded that it's good that they're going up and that there's no reason to be all doom and gloom about things right now.

I'm kicking myself for panicking and trying to find a local midwife when I started spotting, because the spotting resolved quickly and yet the local midwife I found keeps insisting that my situation looks bleak. I can't understand the pessimism in light of any of the available information I've found through advice from the rest of you, popular audience sources, infertility clinic websites, or peer reviewed journal articles. It's really quite absurd just how awful she's made me feel for no good reason whatsoever. And yet I feel like she means well. The system's all screwed up. If you look for something wrong, chances are you'll find something "wrong" even if things are progressing just peachily.

[BrooklynDoula]

I the homebirth midwives in Brooklyn, so I know you'll be in good hands whoever it is. Glad you are feeling less stressed now!