Due Date Confusion

[momee]

I cannot seem to figure out reliably how far along I am. Stupid I know (shoudln't we just know these things) but I feel the doctor's office MUST be wrong...at my ultrasound Feb 6th they said I was 26 weeks.

My next ob appt. was March 4th and that doc said I was 27 weeks! My son and I just stared, stated we must have been told the wrong date and were assured by her to resy easy, I was now 27 weeks and would be 28 weeks on that Sunday (March 9).

I go online to check a site that allows for me to input my short cycles - about 23/24 days and type in my first day of my last cycle (Aug. 1, 07) and it says I'm 33 weeks due May 3 - almost a whole month! before the ob office's date of June 8th.

I REALLY am confused. Does having shorter cycles not matter to ob's?? Only to unknown sources of internet world predictors, haha?
I would really like to know around when I can expect this baby. First one, one week early, second, two weeks early, third one, three weeks early.
Fourth one - I can't even figure out how many weeks I am. What kind of mom will I be this time!!!!!!

[Tammy]

What does having shorter cycles have to do with your growing baby?

[Tammy]

Also....do you know WHEN you got pregnant? You can figure it from there if you really know!

[momee]

Nope, not sure of when.

I don't know what shorter cycles means but three of the three sites I googled for due date predictors asked for my cycle length.
Ugh, I'm sure this baby will come when it's ready - I just am embarrassed by being asked WHEN are you due (everyone asks that) and looking stupidly at my toes (that I can just barely see) and struggling for how to answer.

[Tammy]

I think having shorter cycles only means you could have conceived sooner....but not THAT much sooner...KWIM?

[Jean in Newcastle]

I had this problem with both my dc. My OB did an ultrasound and gave me a due date based on how developed the fetus/baby was (depending on how early I got the ultrasound).

[Cadam]

The only thing that proved to my ob that I was as far along as I thought, was to show her my chart. I chart my temperatures and cycles so I know when I ovulate. She was still skeptical because my baby was big but I was very confident so she let it go. I could point to the date of conception for goodness sake! Sometimes they just don't expect patients to have a clue.

An ultrasound should give you a closer date. I would base it on the ultrasound date not the dr's little chart of averages.

[~Tara~]

Yeah, cycle length is just going to have an effect on *when* you conceived. If you have a guesstimate there..count back 3 months and add a week. That'll give you a ballpark figure for your due date. For reference, for me this time, that is a full 12 days AFTER what all those online due date calculators give.

I just shoot for a 'month' to give folks who ask when I'm due. "Some time around May-ish" :p And smile and walk away if necessary LOL

[Gailmegan]

A shorter cycle does usually mean earlier ovulation. A women with helathy fertility will have a luteal phase that is consistent. Luteal phase is the time between ovulation and next menstruation. A "normal" luteal phase can be anywhere from 10-16 days. For most women it is 13-14 days, so if the woman ovulates on the 14th day of her cycle she will have a 28-day cycle. Now if a woman's cycle is 23-24 days, most likely she ovulated on day 10, rather than day 14. But it is possible that the woman in question typically has a shorter luteal phase of 10 days and ovulated on day 13-14. Unless you carefully chart basal body temperature or monitor cervical mucous, it is very hard to know which way your body works, which is why most OB's/midwives stick with the first day of your last menstrual period. Even if there is variation with someone who has a typically short cycle it should only be by a few days (week max). The next time you see your OB, I would bring it up right wasy that the dates from each ultra sound were not consistent and ask where he/she is getting the dates. You deserve a full explanation and should not settle for less.

[DIY-DY]

I just shoot for a 'month' to give folks who ask when I'm due. "Some time around May-ish" :p And smile and walk away if necessary LOL

FWIW, they aren't going to change your EDD based on an u/s that's less that two weeks off from the last u/s. And, as you progress, your fundal height will be a more accurate indicator of length of gestation than an u/s will be, anyhow. ;)

That said, my third child had a span that ranged from the end of August to the beginning of October. (He was born Sept 9th.) I pretty much refuse to give an actual date (it just adds to the "you haven't had that baby YET" comments, and others of that ilk, anyway). I just say, "Oh, the end of March sometime" or "in the Spring".

It's no biggie, and there's certainly no reason to feel stupid over a few dates. Just smile big and give a ballpark.

Of course, now I'm laughing at myself b/c I'm over here at the far end of the process, saying to myself, "Just a week left. Week and a half, tops." But that's just wishful thinking on my part. :D

[8FillTheHeart]

The easiest way to figure out your "estimated" due date (the way a dr's wheel operates) is to simply subtract 3 months and add 7 days to your LMP.

Anyway, that is how the formula for typical due date is figured. HTH

[Sue G in PA]

U/S dates base their predictions on different dating. Your last period date is the most reliable. My U/S told me I was due in mid-May. Well, my midwife says otherwise...beg. April. As you progress, your fundal measurements will alert your OB to your "real" due date. You will also just "know" that you are due soon. I'm so huge right now and just "know" that my April date is the correct one and the May due date is just plain WRONG! Don't go by the U/S unless baby is measuring smaller than it should be for date. Also, go by the fundal measurements.

[KidsHappen]

So I would be more inclined to believe that. I don't know where your Dr. is getting his date if you know the first day of your last period and the u/s matches fairly closely. So I would go with the first week of May. Of course, if you are usually early you might should be prepared a little earlier.

[Tammy]

Never was with mine....

[dirty ethel rackham]

Fundal measurements can be really inaccurate, depending on how the baby is positioned. It is more of a check to see if it is growing, not a reliable measure of due dates. With dd, I measured 4 weeks behind with the fundal measurement. She was born 2 days after her due date at 8 lbs, 15 oz. The newborn assessment done by the midwife assured that she was born "at term."

[DIY-DY]

I guess my point was more that if there's no reason (other reason - other indication than what was posted) to worry, then I wouldn't worry. I should've been clear and not given the impression that fundal height is accurate. That's why I didn't say they are always accurate, just that they're a closer indicater later in pregnancy than the u/s. That's all I meant by that. :) I guess I assumed (I know, never assume anything *grin*) that a competent caregiver can tell if the baby is stretched sideways, wadded up, or snugged in, all of which would affect fundal height.

For example, I'm measuring about three weeks off right now, but this baby's head is snugged down so far in there that the mw can only feel what she guesses to be the nape of his neck. All other indicators are good, so we aren't worried, if that makes sense. I was trying to be encouraging. (Doesn't always come out right.) Thank you, guys, for clarifying a fuzzy point in my post. :)

[HomeOnTheRanch]

My second had a due date of May 30 based on date of LMP. It took me quite a while to get a +hpt. At about 17 weeks they did an ultrasound and changed the date to June 25. He arrived on June 22. All the others were pretty much right on with dates.

I'm having an ultrasound in a few weeks to date my current pregnancy. A was five weeks past LMP before I got a positive test.

[Barb F. PA in AZ]

Fundal measurements can be really inaccurate, depending on how the baby is positioned. It is more of a check to see if it is growing, not a reliable measure of due dates. With dd, I measured 4 weeks behind with the fundal measurement. She was born 2 days after her due date at 8 lbs, 15 oz. The newborn assessment done by the midwife assured that she was born "at term."

I was going to say the same. Because of my retroverted uterus and wide hips, I carry deeply toward my back. I range from 2 weeks to 5 weeks behind throughout my pregnancy and my babies have ranged from 7 1/2 to 9 1/2 pounds.

Oh, and I didn't post this to further refute you, Dy. I was just adding a chatty anecdote :).

Barb

[~Tara~]

Yeah fundal height has been all whacked out with this pregnancy LOL I already knew it wasn't a fool-proof kind of deal, but a decent enough way of tracking growth according to gestation.
Well with 5 previous pregnancies I have been dead on or measured 1 cm behind...thoughout the pregnancy. Until this one. I measured big early on. I mean, to the point of we have wondered if there were twins in there. Going from dead on cm matches weeks or a cm 'below'..to...measuring 4 weeks ahead, *consistently* from before 20 weeks up until just the last few weeks. I think it was just 2 weeks ago that it leveled off and I was measuring within 1cm (ahead).

I take very little stock in fundal measurement now LOL

(and as the previous poster said..not saying this to butt heads either..just offering my 2 cents)

[Stacey in MA]

An u/s of between 6-8 wks will fairly accurately predict a true gestational age. Did you have any? After that GA, fetuses start to grow at different rates based on all kinds of things like environment, genetics, etc.

I was VERY concerned about my GA's w/ my kiddo's b/c I get GD (all through pregnancy, not just at the end). It is a known issue for women w/ GD that the placenta can degrade early. Therefore, I wanted to know exactly how far I was so that I could make decisions about induction should I go "over-due". I know this doesn't apply to all women, and most women w/out medical issues just have to kind of wait it out. I know it can be maddening!

I hope you find a way to figure it out.... GL! - Stacey in MA