Why I hate going to the midwife......

[mower]

I go to the midwife looking forward to the check up and to listen to the baby to hear everything is alright. But today, as well as numerous times in previous pregnancy, all she can hear is the placenta swirling round and an extremely faint heartbeat for about two seconds.

She says not to worry but rather than come back at 28 weeks which would be the norm come back in four weeks time. All very well, but that is four weeks of worry for me.

Anyone else experienced this?

Yes. The midwife couldn't track DD1 at all at 24 weeks. We had to go to hospital for a scan and my heart was in my throat on the way over.

She had an anterior placenta and that made it harder to hear her.

I would go to your nearest maternity ward and asked to be monitored. You're 24 weeks aren't you? You can say you're worried as you haven't been feeling much movement and they should do all they can to reassure you

mower - can you feel the baby moving? It can be difficult to find a baby's heartbeat soemtimes depending which way it is lying. The most recent guidelines for antenatal care from NICE actually recommends that the baby is not listened into by the midwife because it can cause such anxiety. As long as mum is reporting that the baby is moving there is no need to listen in, but i know it is a sound mums like to hear.

What is an anterior placenta? Glad things worked out ok for you, must have been nerve wracking.

mower I had an anterior placenta - it means it's on the front wall of the uterus, so can get in the way of the listening equipment! It can also mean you don't feel movements so early, because you're feeling them through the placenta iyswim!

Think that I can feel the baby moving, may be wind though! Am only 16 weeks. Completley understand why they recommend midwife not to listen in, is so not reasuring when this happens, was nearly in tears walking home, sorted myself out now though, nice bit of chocolate helped!

The placenta was just under my belly rather than on the back part of the uterus. So I didn't feel her move as much - although I could feel it from the back - and she was harder to get a heartbeat w/the Sonocaid thingy.

I am 20 weeks and the midwife hasnt even attempted to listen to the heartbeat - am not due back for another 3/4 weeks either. Have seen the heart beating on the scan and have started to feel movement so am not too worried about it. Some midwives dont even try to listen for a heart beat as early as this (16 weeks) so try not to worry too much about it.

I think at my hospital 18 wks is the earliest they'll try and listen for a heartbeat at a routine midwife appt. That's when i went along and asked for a heartbeat check. It took a while but then they found it--again, something to do with the position of the placenta.