When I went into my OB/GYN for the first time this pregnancy, she asked the standard question, "When was the first day of your last period?" I had been trying to get pregnant for a few months. I was obsessed with dates. How many days after my period should I have sex for the best chances to get pregnant? How many days after I'm late should I take a test? I don't want to jinx things. If I talk about trying to get pregnant out loud will I ruin my chances? I basically became a psycho and all of that obsession resulted in absolute confusion.
I had played around with dates for so long that I had no idea if the date in my head was the first day of my last period, the day I had sex to try to get pregnant, or the day the season finale of Dexter season 4 was set to arrive. I answered my doctor and said I was either 8 or 10 weeks pregnant. She said, "You must be 8 weeks. There's no way you can be 10 weeks pregnant. You would know." Well, I wasn't convinced then and I'm less convinced now.
My visits at the doctor have brought on a new obsession. Every time I see the sonogram, I look at the EDD (Estimated Due Date). All of the baby's measurements state the due date is earlier than the date my doctor gave me when she convinced me I was only eight weeks along. At one point during the second trimester, I convinced her to move it up by four days, but I think she just wanted to shut me up. She won't budge anymore.
During my last visit, I noticed that the size of the baby's leg is measuring 21 days earlier. I asked the doctor about it and she said that the baby is just measuring large and that my numbers are normal for this point of pregnancy. I have just obsessed over this for so long that I don't know if I'm crazy or if I'm crazy right! Could my due date be wrong?
I spoke to all my friends and none of them has ever had this problem. They know when the first day of their last period was. They think it's strange that I don't. I like to tell myself I'm just relaxed and that's why I don't know. But, really, I'm like the Geto Boys (a really suburban version) and my mind is playing tricks on me.
Today I'm three weeks away from my induction date and going to the doctor for another size check. I'm making a pact with myself. I'm going to go with whatever she says at this point. I'm going to quit obsessing and realize that she's the one who went to medical school I'm the one who still watches Grey's Anatomy (even though it sucks now). I'm going to take what she says and plan my mother-in-law's visit and the pestering of my husband to build the crib around it. Unless, of course, I see something crazy on that EDD screen.
Have you doubted your due date?
Image via Daquella Manera/Flickr
This Hot Dad Wants to Vacuum Your Rug
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
KStew Refuses to Shower
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
Comments 23
I don't understand... you have a problem with knowing your due date, yet you want to induce? If you don't know your due date, the last thing you should elect to do is induce. Even babies of average size can wind up in the NICU if they are born too early. The healthiest thing to do for the baby is to let him choose. Babies release a chemical signaling labor to start when their lungs are fully developed.
And to answer your question, I did not know my LMP with my second daughter, and was given 2 different dates, a week apart, from the doc. She decided to be born closer to the second due date. I honestly LOVED not having and "exact" date, because really, it is a guessing game.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that induction is not only about the baby being ready, but the mother too. If your body is not ready, you will end up with either a failed induction (if they have not broken your water) and send you home, or a c-section (if your water is broken). Ask your doctor about a Bishop's score next time you go in, and if they take that into consideration before proceeding with an induction. A Bishop's score takes into consideration several different factors and gives a pretty reliable prediction of how your induction will turn out.
if i think my drs wrong {like i did a month ago} i change drs .. i cant let them tell me how its gonna b i want to work together and figure things out that way not just go with what they want..
I do doubt my duedate. My LMP says i'm due November 7th, but the sono I had in my first trimester says i'm due November 17th. That's a 10 day difference! I have always felt like i'm more due the 7th and i've been measuring a week ahead for about a month now. I'm pretty convinced i'm due the 7th, not the 17th. Guess we'll see!
I knew the exact date of my last period and knew that my son would come when he was ready. He was born at 41 weeks and one day.
At this point they have no clue how big your baby is. I'd consider letting your baby come when she/he wants to, especially because you're confused about your "due date." (Really, it should be a "due month" since any time between 38-42 weeks is normal, and some babies NEED to gestate longer.) Just so you know, induction is a MAJOR cause of premature birth in the United States because often the date ARE wrong and they force baby out before he's ready.
This is from 5 Ways to Avoid a C-section on CNN.com
1. Don't get induced unless medically necessary
Years of study have shown that inducing labor often leads to a C-section.
"If you decide to have an induction because your obstetrician is going out of town, or because your husband is going out of town, that may seem like a bona fide reason, but you'll pay the price with an increased rate in C-sections," said Dr. Michael Klein, emeritus professor of family practice and pediatrics at the University of British Columbia, who's studied C-sections.
Klein says studies of first-time moms show that 44 percent of those who are induced end up with a C-section but that only 8 percent of those who go into labor spontaneously end up with a C-section. Doctors say many times, inducing women way before the cervix is ready can lead to unproductive labor, which then necessitates a C-section.
This is absolute foolishness. Listen to PhilsBabyMama. You should not be induced!
This actually happened to me too. When I discovered I was pregnant with my daughter, now almost 19 months old, we had been trying for 6 months. When I went to the Dr, they asked me the same question and I told them. Well, they did a sonogram and said the baby wasn't measuring the same as an 8 week fetus but they gave me a due date of March 17. My next appt., I had an ultrasound done and the tech said my due date according to baby's size was March 26th. My daughter was born March 28 and she weighed 7 pounds 15.5 ounces. My son, who is 8 years older, weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces when he was born. I think they had my due date wrong all along.
Oh my goodness, she never says the reason for the induction - and that's not even what the post is about! I don't understand why so many people feel the need to jump in with a criticism or judgement and all these scare tactics when you don't even have all the facts! I'm sure you're all trying to be helpful but the truth is lots of people have perfectly normal deliveries after being induced, myself included.