Should I trust my dating scans?

[lozzie12345]

Hi,

I have had 3 scans now, one at 7 weeks, one at 14 weeks and one at 20 and they have all given me the same due date which is all a week ahead of my LMP date.

As I get closer to this date I am wondering whether I should trust it or could it be that my baby is just growing big? I have never been pregnant before and really struggled to conceive so everything is completely new to me, and I am worrying that I might get wrongly induced. If my scan date is correct it means I conceived very early in my cycle (day 8) which seems very unlikely for me as I usually have 33 day cycles!

Thank you

I wouldn't worry too much as a week is not a big deal - would be more worrying if there was several weeks difference. I think a baby puts on roughly half a pound a week in the final stages, so it won't mean your baby is massive.

My DC3 arrived a month early according to the scans, but was the same size at birth as DC1 and DC2 (who were around the term date), so I suspect the scans of being wrong (I didn't have an LMP date because I was still bf so didn't have my periods back).

I understand you not wanting to be induced. You don't have to be induced, you can refuse the procedure. You don't have to have any sweeps either. I had already decided before my first DC arrived that I was going to say no to both - in the end he arrived before it was necessary.

Even if you go considerably overdue, you don't have to agree to induction. You can choose to be monitored - e.g. to visit the hospital each day and let them listen to the baby's heart to check for any distress. If you're worried about it now, you could discuss it with the midwife and go through the options.

Most important thing to remember is that it's your body, your baby and your choice - nothing in childbirth is mandatory, even if it's sometimes presented that way.

I can also recommend having a doula (look at the Doula UK website for more info). A doula can be really helpful for talking all of this type of thing through with, and for helping you to express your choices at the time.

Thanks, I might look into having a doula hadnt really thought about that.

I know a week isnt much, but me and my partner briefly split just before I fell pregnant and there has been a slight doubt in the back of my mind throughout the pregnancy that the baby might not be his. My midwife has said that the first scan at 7 weeks is accurate to within 3 days and I shouldnt worry, but I am getting so paranoid that my LMP date is more accurate which could mean that the baby might not be my partners. Either way I know I wont know 100% until my baby is here but I was just wondering if the scans tend to be accurate.

Its just another worry / stress added to the long list! I do feel a bit like I am not really given many choices / information about anything I am just told what will happen. I thought with it being my first baby there would be tonnes of help but I do feel quite let down with my doctors / midwife. I am still clueless about birth / labour and I thought my doctors / midwife would be a lot more helpful but I find myself coming to these websites quite a lot for information and I still feel as unprepared as ever :(

That does sound stressful, poor you.

Actually, a 7 week scan is likely to be very accurate. I had a scan at 6.5 weeks with my first (because of suspected miscarriage) and I know that the development is really precise at that stage - it's not just size, it's about things like the heart beat beginning etc. So it's quite unlikely a scan at that stage could be a whole week out.

Does your partner know about the possibility of the baby not being his?

A doula is a really good idea for support in knowing more about childbirth and your choices - midwives/doctors just don't have the time. Also if there's any possibility of your DP not being there for the birth, or your relationship being rocky again around that time, the doula can be a very dependable source of support.

That's what I thought and my other scans have matched up with it but in just worrying he might just be measuring a week ahead. It would be pretty unlikely to measure a week ahead so soon wouldn't it? Plus my blood test results were pretty close to scan date and clear blue digital matched the scan for conception date so I didn't tell my partner as was told the chances of it not being his were small. But now as I'm getting closer to due date I'm feeling guilty and awful as ever and wish I'd said something from the start.

Maybe post on the Relationships board about the 'should I tell my partner' issue as there are lots of people with useful advice there.

I really think it's unlikely to measure a week ahead at 7 weeks. It's not just size, it's about whether various organs etc. have begun developing.

Does your partner know you slept with someone else during the split? Did he?