Do I NEED to go to hospital for more tests ? :(

[BabiesEverywhere]

FFS, I need to pull myself together. I have just spent the last half an hour upset on the phone to my doula She is such a nice lady, worth her weight in gold, though I bet she dreads the days I have midwife appointments.

At today?s midwife appointment baby measures two weeks more than he/she did two weeks ago. Still bigger than expected but I think that is fair enough baby is growing in a steady way.

But no, the midwife wants me to go to hospital for more prodding, maybe GTT, maybe a sizing scan and further discussion

I am babbling about what I have read about big babies and GTT etc and the midwife stops me by being very curt with me but I am very upset.

I am just confused if my wee samples still test clear how can I have GD if I have no sugar in my wee...or can I ? I did ask the midwife but she didn't know. Plus I have no history of diabetes and I test clear on the GTT test last pregnancy.

Apparently a more senior midwife will be coming to see me later this week to discuss my refusal to go to hospital.

Oh and the midwife thought I looked pale, so took blood for an iron test which I will fail as I always have on the low side of iron. Well if she looks hard enough she can find something wrong with me.

Now I have a massive headache from crying so much and thinking of going to bed as soon as my toddler will.

It would be nice to have ONE midwife appointment where I don't come home in tears.

I don't want to risk any thing with my baby but I don't want to endure loads of hospital appointments (which scares me stupid) just to be told my baby is big, which I knew he/she would be anyway.

[TigerFeet]

Unlikely that you have GD if you have no sugar in your urine

We are hoping to be with you next weekend (Sat 14th) if that's OK, dh will have his blood sugar monitor thingy so you can do a test if you like

I will give you a call tomorrow if you are tired tonight

xxxxx

[TigerFeet]

Oh and fundal height is crap when it comes to measuring the size of your baby

I was never measured, not once, during my pregnancy so I have no idea whether I was big or small for dates.

Trouble is with all these measurements etc is that you are expected to fit into what someone else decides is normal... healthy babies are born at a huge range of weights, we all know that, so how come some midwives and consultants are so obsessed with everyone being in the normal range

more xxx

and I will post more reassurance as and when I think of it

[kayzisexpecting]

I measured big for dates from about 28 weeks all the way through till DS being born. I had no sugar in my urine and my MW said that it was highly unlikely I had GD.

DS was 7lb 2oz and I was told by the MW in the hospital that I likely had more amniotic(sp) fluid than 'normal'

[TigerFeet]

The baby is growing at a steady rate as you say.. two weeks worth bigger in two weeks - surely this shows that there is no abnormal growth? Perhaps if you were now four or six weeks ahead in two weeks then there would be cause for concern.

[BabiesEverywhere]

kayzisexpecting, I hope that is what I have, more fluid (fingers crossed)

Tigerfeet, The baby is measuring 4 weeks ahead expected measurement. So was 4 weeks ahead 2 weeks ago and now is still 4 weeks ago. But growing in a consistant manner. I did think when I got pregnant I might have been further along than first though cos my last period was so super light ?!?

DH just came home and said isn't is cos your fat, chuck and then ducked to avoid being hit.

The 14th would be fantastic, far too long since we have seen you.

Feel free to ring tonight or tomorrow.

[BabiesEverywhere]

Guess, I'll wait and see what the other midwife says on Thursday.

[BabiesEverywhere]

I will be requesting another midwife.

I was not impressed with how curt and sharp she was with me, despite my babbling upset mood.

[cmotdibbler]

Fundal height very inaccurate and totally dependant on the way the baby is lying. I had a mw check where I was measuring 2 weeks ahead and got sent straight to the hospital as DS's heartbeat was high - by the time we got there I was miraculously measuring spot on (and high hb was due to the fact that he was doing aerobics in there). And the scans aren't very accurate when it comes to sizing either - can be at least a pound out.

Very unlikely that you have GD if theres no sugar in your wee (other way round doesn't hold either), but if they were concerned, your GP could do a fasting glucose fingerprick test for you which would show whether you should consider more testing.

Somewhere on t'internet theres a calculator into which you plug your height etc, and it works out the weight that your baby would be expected to be

[IlanaK]

Just to try to reassure you, here is my experience.

I am 32 weeks pg with third baby. Measuring 5 weeks ahead of dates. I also have very high BMI. I have experienced similar to you with the midwives. They have insisted on repeated random blood sugar tests due to high BMI depsite two healthy pregnancies and no sign of problems this time. I put up with it to a point, but about 6 weeks ago refused to have anymore tests as they had all come back fine.

3 weeks ago, midwife panicked over my measuring so far ahead. I did point out to her that all my pregnancies have been like this and babies have been average size. She insisted on a scan and i only agreed if she could get it done there and then as i wasn't coming back for it. Scan showed baby was exactly right for gestation and no extra fluid.

Went this week and saw consultant. She wanted another scan for same reason and I just flat out refused. Enough is enough.

I think sometimes they look for problems. You have the right to refuse.

[BabiesEverywhere]

I did a lot of reading when pregnant with my DD and I know that sizing scans are frequently up to a pound out. How can we relay on something so inaccurate ?

I found this link

"These abnormalities may be associated with bigger babies and more difficult birth. There are no good tests to identify these babies. The review has not found enough evidence on how to treat these women and their babies, even if identified correctly. More research is needed."

i.e So even if I was GD there isn't an treatment which has been proven to help labour outcomes. So it is just a very unhelpful label.

[BabiesEverywhere]

X-posted with IlanaK and CMOT (Toddler woke up midpost)

I definately think there is a looking for problems issue here.

First I had a 'bad birth' last time which they keep harping on about. But I am no more likely to have the same 'bad birth' if I can avoid the hospital route.

Then they paniced about anti D and anti E antibodies due to dodgy blood tranfusion they gave me. Loads of tests and hospital visits. Finally ended when I insisted on DH being tested, we can't make a Big E baby so this is no longer an issue.

Next PPH from last birth, I am going to bleed to death at home. ~Even though everyone agrees it was the labour which made the bleed not a problem. i.e. I am no more likely to bleed than anyone else (if I can avoid the same 'bad birth')

We barely breathed before GTT and diabeates and your baby is too big scenerio was raised. When I made it clear today that I was not bothered if I have a big baby, I still want a home birth.

Midwife looks at me, I am too pale. Better check your iron levels.

ARGGHHHH...Just leave me alone. I have nightmares about midwives and hospitals. I can't sleep. I am honestly thinking of forgetting to ring them in labour, they are far too negative and looking and making up problems and I have had enough.

[TigerFeet]

I think the problem you are having is that the medical profession tend to err on the side of caution, partly imo because the likelihood of them getting sued if something goes wrong is ever increasing.

You are different to most people though, you want to be left alone (with very good reason) and you're in the minority there. I just don't think they understand where you're coming from.

What you have to remember is that you are in charge, don't let anyone do anything you don't want them to do. Do you trust your doula? Perhaps you should let her take the lead. She can decide when you need a midwife, if and when you need intervention and if and when you need to be hospitalised.

Iron tests - if your iron is low then all they can do is give you tablets and maybe test you again... shouldn't make any difference to your birth plan at all. You are generally pale anyway which your midwife wouldn't know. Are you taking iron tabs

[TigerFeet]

(sorry can't ring we are being quiet while dd goes to sleep)

[cmotdibbler]

Is it just this midwife who is being so negative ? Cos when this 'more senior' one comes to see you, I would tell them that you don't like this negativity about your birth plans, and that you'd like to see the evidence base for their statements (please). This really throws them when they are just trying to make you fit in.

I refused to see one of the community midwives as she was so horrible to me in a previous pg that miscarried. And in fact I managed to transfer to the midwife led unit, just so that I could get my antenatal care with them (although of course the thought of giving birth there was lovely) - in the end I had to deliver in the DGH as DS was prem. My doula made it all bearable though.

Isn't Floradix supposed to be really good for iron levels ? Of course, so is dark chocolate and dried apricots which is a much nicer intake.

[TigerFeet]

We will bring you lots of broccoli

[BabiesEverywhere]

cmotdibbler,

I am sorry you had such a hard time with your CM, especially with a pregnancy which ended so badly Glad to hear your doula really helped your situation. Between my doula and my DH we will get though this.

I don't understand wht she is so negative. she seems happy when a problem exists and determined to find another one, once I solve a particular problem.

Arggh, I am so nervous, I just want this visit to be over already I might be waiting until 5pm.

[cmotdibbler]

Some people are just like that though, especially if they are trying to get you to do what, for them, is the 'right thing'.

I have a friend (actually wife of a friend)who would moan that people never did anything that included her and her children. So we'd organise to do something - and then she'd find reason after reason as to why she couldn't do that. I know that she's actually just a martyr complex person, so now do a jaunty OK, what a pity statement.

Are you still carrying DD ? DS is spending less and less time in the MeiTai now, and his promotion to pants full time makes it a bit more of a lottery !

[BabiesEverywhere]

Arrgghhh, We waited in all day (DH took day off work to be here for this meeting) Tried ringing them several times. got though at 4pm. Apparantly she is coming to see me at the weekend, she was planning on ringing me tonight when she got home !!! What a waste of time. She just really upset me on the phone.

PS. We carry DD a little bit but now she normally walks most of the time. I miss carrying her.

[cmotdibbler]

Oh FGS. Do they think people have no life but to wait in for them ? And you're stressed enough with them as it is. Gah.

[BabiesEverywhere]

:(

I am cancelling my next CM appointment, I have had enough of this crap

[cmotdibbler]

I was just reading your other thread - my brother was DC1 - 10lb 11oz, 2 hour labour, no pain relief. I was 10lb 6oz, OP, 5 hour labour. No problems.

Do you know that you can post problems with healthcare providers anonymously if you want at www.patientopinion.org.uk and then they feed it back to the hospital and to campaigning charities ?

[BabiesEverywhere]

Thanks CMOT, I had a look at the website you linked to.

[morocco]

website v v useful for your pct, be, v good tip to post on there