Midwife calculating wrong due date? Anyone had this?

[Leleophants]

I've had my booking appointment and the due date is a week earlier than my early scan and working it out from last period! All my apps, early scan and own calculations work it out a week later. Doesn't fill me with hope! Or do the measure from a week before your period starts? So confusing!

I also didn't get asked any question by myself about domestic violence so maybe she was just a bit rubbish? Annoying it's all on my notes though.

The first 2-3 weeks of your pregnancy you're not really actually pregnant anyway, just gearing up to ovulate, then ovulating and the fertilised egg takes another week or so to implant. So it's perfectly possible you could have been on your period during that time, in fact most people are on their period for the first 4-7 days of "pregnancy". They usually count it from the day of your last period simply to give you a more recognisable start point since most people don't know exactly when they ovulate.

It is quite likely that since your last period was actually a withdrawal bleed from contraception, you did ovulate roughly a week later, once you'd gone past the usual 7 day gap. That would account for the dating of your pregnancy seeming too early.

It's quite likely you'll be asked the DV question later on when you're on your own, since most partners don't come to every single appointment, just the first few if that. In fact, it probably wouldn't be very helpful to routinely ask too early on in a pregnancy if it scared the woman away from antenatal care.

From my experience at my booking appointment they calculated my due date based on a 28 day cycle where as my cycle averages about 24 days so I knew that due date I was given was wrong and was then given the correct due date at my 12 week scan.
And they won't ask about DV if your husband was present they will wait till they see you alone but you will probably have been given some leaflets about it.

My due date was a week earlier than my early scan and LMP predicted. I had been temping so new exact dates and my due date had me as conceiving on CD2. However DS was born slap bang on the due date I was given by the NHS so they obviously did know what they were doing

Who told you you would get asked about DV?

I think you are jumping the gun a bit calling her unprofessional.

Even professionals make human error mistakes, did you point out she had made a mistake according to your dates?

She may be planning to ask about DV another time.

I was fully expecting the DV question too after all I'd seen on here. I thought they usually sent the husband out to ask the question but she didn't. So either we didn't didn't look like candidates for DV (yes I know looks don't necessarily mean anything) or they'll ask at a later date. I don't intend to go to any appointments with a midwife alone though as I have general anxiety and health related stuff sets me off so I know I'll want someone there for support.

The dating thing pisses me off though. I've been using Natural Cycles for 3 years. I know how my body works. I have a consistent luteal phase so cycle length really does just fluctuate for me when I ovulate slightly earlier or later & the cycle we conceived I ovulated early (day 10) yet there's no place in the notes to record that. When the midwife asked me what my cycle length was I explained the LP bit and it was clear I knew what I was talking about but there was nothing for her to do other than write in the average length being not 28 days 🙄. I'm a scientist and I like accurate information!!

They would never ask about DV when your husband is in the room. That would be unprofessional.

You're really worrying about nothing. The most important thing is that you and your baby are healthy. Due dates are a load of rubbish anyway!

For those who didn't read all of my posts- she did not ask my partner to leave the room. I agree she could not ask with him there. That wouldn't have been good either.

I am aware of how period dates are recorded - that's why I wrote the post. My midwife recorded my period start date incorrectly. My notes say incorrect period dates which is frustrating as even the referral (which was lost twice!) had my correct period dates.

Thanks for those helping but please read all comments before posting what I've done wrong!

Also my referral was lost twice so I think there is some unprofessionalism in my hospital. I'm planning on moving for these concerns.

You may not be able to move. Where I am you take the hospital you're given! Also it's my due date today. No baby yet! I wouldn't jump the gun and say she is unprofessional. They are trained to pick up songs of DV as a PP said. Also, if you're this worried at this stage you may struggle later on as you probably won't see the same midwife twice and you will have to discuss your pregnancy progress and medical history many, many times. Try to chill out; this is only your first appt of many. Good luck.

I think you are overreacting somewhat. It's really not that important.
These aren't serious concerns.

I really do feel for NHS staff.

Do you have health anxiety? You sound quite worked up about what seems to be a non problem.

My incredibly professional midwife didn’t ask me about DV.

I think you're being a bit precious. Just embrace this as the first of likely many small errors they'll make while you're pregnant.

In my area the domestic violence queston is asked as part of the home visit at 16 weeks, not at booking.

Asking your partner to leave the room isn't considered good practice. Because if you were experiencing domestic abuse an abuser would just ask his partner after the appt why they had to leave. And to be honest they'd probably guess why and it could cause problems.

Different areas will deal with this differently. Some will take the woman out the room on the pretext of needing to weigh you, get a fresh urine sample, etc. Others will wait till the next appt as men often attend the first and not subsequent ones so they will ask then.

Sounds like the only issue is that she write the wrong LMP date down. She's human. It's not the end of the world. Point it out to someone at your next appt.

I believe it’s something like 4% of babies arrive on their due date, and in France pregnancy is counted as41 weeks, so there’s a lot of wriggle room.
I was given a couple days of different dates, but both mine were a fortnight “ late”. Or a week if you’re French,

She would not ask you about DV in front of your husband and would not ask him to leave the room because if you were experiencing DV that could escalate the risk. You seem determined to find fault here.

It is important to get it rectified as the wrong due date could make a massive difference down the line. You could end up not being induced until 43 weeks instead of 42 weeks if you went overdue.

If they did a section and won't do it until you're 39 weeks you'd actually be 40 weeks so have to wait another week.

If you developed complications then having the wrong date could affect treatment plans.

Though hospitals do normally go in scan these days.

Don't worry, your due date is always a rough guide using your LMP until your 12 week scan. At that scan you will get a revised due date which will be more exact. I'm not sure they always ask the DV question either tbh - I'm not sure I was asked directly. I think they more feel you out maybe.

At booking in they go by lmp as they need to err on the side of caution for making sure tests are done on time. The official date will be given at the 12 week scan

I had a private scan at 8weeks(ish) that gave me a due date.

Then NHS said due date was a week earlier,which got recorded on my notes.

Couldn't use last period as they were very irregular.

DD arrived right on her due date according to the private practice, or a week late according to the NHS. Didn't make any difference.

Look, the 12 week scan is the “definitive” date scan, my trust print out the EDD based on measurements as their “definitive” and underneath the EDD based on LMP as the “backup”.

My EDD is 9 June according to all scans/measurements etc. However as my cycle length is 31 days according to LMP and cycle length I should be 15 June.

I’m choosing to try for a VBAC this time for that reason and if I don’t get any action by 18 June I’m asking for a CS as I don’t want to go too far over...

OP I get where you are coming from but it’s way too early to sweat at this stage and your MW sure as hell wasn't unprofessinal, that’s a bit tight of you to say.

Having PCOS, very rare periods and struggling to conceive I had absolutely no idea I was pregnant until the latest in a long line of tests that was positive!

My last period was about 5 months previous, so no use using that, they just did a scan and decided (guessed / estimated) I was 12 weeks from the scan.

At my pre natal classes, where you are supposedly roughly the same date as others I was clearly further along than the others, I asked them to 're-do' the due date, it I was told it's only an estimate and the baby will come when it comes.

According to the original date given DS was born at 37/8 weeks, weighing 9 pounds! Fairly certain I was 40 weeks + but as they say it wouldn't have mattered what number they gave me, he would always have been born on that date!

Someone's hard work...

I was given one date, had a scan and they put me back a week. DC was then two weeks late. Felt like I had been pregnant for 10 months, not nine!