Advice needed, midwife saying I'm further on than I possibly can be at booking in appointment!!

[1wish]

Hello, I've just come back from my first booking in app with the midwife, according to my lmp and a scan I had at the EPU I am about 13 weeks pregnant.

However I asked her if she could see if she could hear a heartbeat as I've already got a noticable bump and my early scan showed the baby right at the top of the uterus (so I thought it would be easy to find!)

She wasn't keen to do it so early but said she'd have a feel to see if my uterus had risen, well when she did, she said there was no way i was only 13 weeks and felt more like 16-18 weeks!! But she failed to find a heartbeat Though she wasn't worried by this.

I told her there was no way that I'm 16-18 weeks gone unless it's immaculate conception and for numerous other reasons including the first scan and early blood tests I had.

She then said well it could be twins or a fibroid

Just wondering has anyone else had this? Needless to say i'm now worried sick, any advise would be greatly appreciate.

(she can't get me in for a scan for at least a couple of weeks and i'm wondering whether a private one would be a good idea)

What a load of old cobblers she is talking, if it was twins would the sonographer really have missed on one scan??? A fibroid would normally show up on an early scan also. It could be a full bladder or bowel that is causing you uterus to be at the height it was today. Try not to worry and I wouldn't waste any money on a scan, you know that your LMP coincides with your early scan, fundal height does change from week to week and not always at a gradual or average rate.

When I got unexpectedly pg earlier this year I had no idea of dates.

MW estimated 10 weeks due to size of my uterus. Or twins

Scan showed 6 weeks a couple of weeks later and just the one baby in there so MW was wrong wrong wrong! I've been told the scans are MUCH more accurate than the MWs feeling your bump.

they can be very full of shit, tbh. my booking MW wrote all of my dates down wrong anyway, so from that point every other calculation of dates was wrong till 12 week scan. Just try and wait for your scan for a definitive answer.

don't be sad 'cos she didn't find a heartbeat .. that would be a farkin' amazing thing to find at 16 weeks let alone 13 weeks

she's full of shit by the way

don't worry

Your dates, and the scan dates indicate that oyu are about 13 weeks pregnant, so it is likely that she has made a mistake. I don't know if a sonographer would miss twins, probably not I would have thought.

Don't worry too much, but if it would help you set your mind at rest then go for a private scan. Or could you ask the EPU for another scan?

So your midwife reckons a quick prod of your stomach is more accurate than a scan, your LMP and when you know you conceived???

Bonkers. Ignore, ignore, ignore.

Thanks so much for all your quick replies, I guess your right about the midwife accuracy thing, I'm now more concerned that if my uterus is so big and high as she says, then why can't she find a damm heartbeat?

From looking at threads on here, i've read that people often hear it at 13 weeks with the midwife and quite a few on those home doppler systems. I could understand why she couldn't hear it if my baby was low or my uterus still deep but according to her it isn't arrghh

Think I will go for a private scan, because I know I'll worry myself sick. Just sad because I was convinced I'd be able to hear it, I even bought one of those home doppler devices (it arrived today but dp's hidden it from me cos he knows I'll drive myself and him mad with it)

Aww 1wish, don't torture yourself... try and get a private scan ASAP. (((HUGS)))
I'm sure all is fine.. do let us know how it goes.
x

1wish - when I was pg with DD1 the MW told me they don't try and find the heartbeat at such an early stage because more often than not they can't find it, and they know that causes women a great deal of unnecessary worry.

1wish - echo what claricebean has said, at my 16w midwife appt she said they don't like to do it that early any more as they are likely not to find the heartbeat.

But, you could get a doppler yourself as then you would be more likely to find it as you would have the time to spend looking. At that stage it can take a while to find as you have to keep changing direction as the baby can be moving around a lot.

A doppler may be cheaper than a private scan?

If you do get a doppler, angle it down towards your pubic bone.

I live abroad and was given an internal scan at 7 weeks. Thing looks like a dildo [hmmm] but anyway, with an internal scan they can see the heartbeat (which they can't with a normal scan of your tummy) even as early as 7 weeks and can date very accurately. They tend to do an early scan like this, because they said it is possible to date the pregnancy most accurately at this stage. Past 8 weeks or so, the growth rate of the fetus starts to differ quite alot from woman to woman so it is more difficult to be as accurate, even in a scan, so it is a bit mad of her to contradict you and your earlier scan on the basis of some tummy prodding.

I would try not worry too much as it sounds likes she was probably talking a bit of nonesense.

1wish, I have a large fibroid that wasn't picked up at a 12 week scan. I went back for another scan 2 weeks later and hey presto - huge big fibroid. It's outside my uterus but sitting right on top of it (so to speak), so it is making my fundus height all wrong for my dates as far as my midwife is concerned. I'm now 30 weeks and midwife says I feel more like 36 , had scan today though and baby is bang on size. Feeling great though and it isn't causing any problems.

when i was 33 weeks pregnant last time round i was measurin 47 weeks pregnant...go figure!!!!! i told her it was more likely to be the all you can eat pizza buffet at pizza hut..

I have a HUGE cervical fibroid, pushing my uterus right up: it could be easily felt at 10 wks (but no hb heard at that stage), and now I'm 27 weeks and measuring (def looking) 30+.

Means a c-section instead of a homebirth for me, but this is v. unusual I'm told...

Definatly go by the scan, you may have been bloated or anything. I don't even think my MW felt my tummy before about 16 odd weeks and didn't measure until much much later. No heartbeat when she tried @ 14 weeks either - she said that was ok though.

Hi again, just for an update, I went for a private scan today, baby measuring 13 weeks and 3 days as thought so midwife was way out!

All was fine, baby actually waved at me and I could see all its little fingers, it was pretty amazing The heartbeat was strong but even the sonographer had a job getting a clear reading as baby was jumping all over the place

The sonographer also said he was 70% sure it was a boy!! But i'll not be buying any blue just yet

Thanks again for all your responses, and there are some scan pics on my profile if anyone's interested

Aaw bless, what a beautiful little profile on your scan pics! Glad all is well!

Incidentally, my mw put one hand on the bump and proclaimed my baby would be huge (but not twins thank goodness) and he was 7lb 2oz in the end, so I'm afraid I don't have much faith in that fundal height stuff either! Too many variables.

That is great, glad that you had the scan, you can relax and enjoy the pregnancy now.

Great photos, and I am very of you in the bikini

Good luck for the rest of your pregnancy.