I am upset by this, not sure if I should be, or where I go from here?

[mosschops30]

I have spoken to my MW since I was 30 weeks about my concern over size of baby.
She said that if I got to 40 weeks and was still measuring 40cm she would refer me for a scan. At my appointment with her on friday I was 39-40cm and am now 40wks.

So I rang a lovely MW this morning, but unfortunately she was in the wrong department, but gave me her name, pointed me in the right direction and said to phone back if I had any problems.

So I phoned the community midwives and explained that Im now 40 weeks, am concerned about baby size, and that would like a scan because if baby is big then would like early induction or ECS (explained that am part of the anaesthetic team and would like to choose who does it if I have to have a CS, which is very common within the theatre environment).

She was very short with me saying that even if I was 43cm at 40 weeks I wouldnt be referred for a scan, that my MW is very experienced, that if I want to pick my own anaes team I should go private (which is not what I meant at all).
I asked her how was this offering women a choice and listening to my concerns to which she replied that the choice was I could go consultant led instead ....thats my choice i.e. listen to your midwife or get a consultant

I was really upset, this is my 3rd baby, Im normally very small, and Id like to know if this baby is big to be able to make an informed decision as to whether I go 2 weeks over, or try and get an ECS or early induction (she told me I cant have one until Im 40+13).

Any advice would be good, please be nice, Im hormonal and may cry . I would phone the original midwife i spoke to but dont want to look like Im going behind peoples backs IYKWIM

Mosschops - not too much to add apart from lots of sympathy, these last weeks are tiresome. I was tiny with DS and he was a whopping 9lbs 13.5oz . Was an easy HB - 2.5hrs beginning to end and I had a tiny tear which they debated whether to leave or not. DS was my second child and was a surprise weight as DD was only 7lbs 15.5oz.

do you have any colleagues who would be willing to be on call and come in if you needed a cs?

it might put your mind at rest if a friend would be able to do it

mosschops

I know exactly what you mean about theatre teams - its not about clinical competence its that inexplicable bond you feel with some people and not others in an environment you work in daily and who you feel most comfortable with seeing you when you are feeling vulnerable.

Ask to see a doctor for an opinion re growth - you can still be midwife led care if you want, an opinion is just that and most would be happy to go through the options with you as a professional courtesy if nothing else as they will all understand the weird feeling of being a patient in a hospital you work in.

I get scanned every 2 weeks now by Dr, as I live abroad, and this is what they do in the third trimster. Scans are nice, but in my non-medical experience, totally shite at giving an accurate weight or size estimate. DS1 was off by .5kg, and DS2 was supposed to be 3.5kg, when in fact he was 4.5kg. DD1is expected to be small,which I really doubt, so I'd not use scan s to settle any queries you have. Even my obstr. says they're useless at properly sizing babies.

absolutely difficult I dont have any question about colleagues competence, it is just who you feel comfortable with.
Unfortunately its impossible to ask someone to come in, in the event of me needing a EMCS. I think if that happened I wouldnt care anyway as long as me and baby were healthy.

I dont know whether to speak to my MW today or not, I dont want her to think I have no respect for her professional opinion, and I have seen another midwife a few weeks ago who said baby feels 'long rather than chunky'.

I was worried about dd being a large baby so I had a private scan at a clinic called Mums here in the Midlands. Cost about £120 but was well worth it to put my mind at rest.

Know this doesn't really answer your question but its another avenue to explore.

Yes thats an option, but £120 is a lot of money for something that may be inaccurate (how accurate was yours btw?).
I would much rather spend the £120 towards xmas for the dc's

That's a good question, I think it came back as 8'9 and she was actually 8'6 when born. It put my mind at rest because the midwives were predicting 10lbs and I was very scared!

Appreciate its a lot of money though.

Mosschops - I just wanted to try to give some reassurance to you. I have 3dc, with my second pregnancy I was huge, at the beginning I had the "are you sure its not twins" from the midwives!!!!! Towards the end of the pregnancy I was measuring 3cm or so larger and they kept muttering about we really should refer you for a growth scan, but in our area you had to be more than 4cm at 38weeks to get a scan!!!!! So I went into labour expecting a big baby. My first was 7lb12, so was expecting one that was way over 8lbs.... so was very surprised (as were the midwives!) that I was all water (a big splash!!!) and a little 7lb3oz baby arrived.

With my third pregnancy, I was smaller than the first and second right til the end. With the birth I was very surprised to have very little water and a huge 9lb baby!!!! (ok big for me).

So size of bump means nothing.
Scan sizes mean nothing.

You just have to trust your own body!

As an aside when I was in hospital before the birth of my second child, I was in a ward with tiny woman who had the opposite problem and was being told by everyone that she was having a tiny first baby and would probrably need SCBU.... but she gave birth vaginally to a baby of 12lbs+ . The whole maternity wing was expecting a huge six-foot father to walk in, but the dad was as small as the mum . But the good thing was that despite the mum being tiny (hieght and build) she managed to give birth to her huge first baby naturally with just gas and air and no tearing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You managed to give birth before, so you should rest assured you mananged to get babies out before, so you should be able to do it again!!!!! But I can understand your fear, and it is understandable. With having to be induced before perhaps you will need to be again, but it won't necessarily lead to an EMCS, and if it did, perhaps you would be lucky and it be needed at the same time as your preferred collegues are on duty.... hope you can manage to think of some positive possibilities to help you relax in these last few days.

Best wishes to you for a fabulous birth.

thank you rainbow for such a lovely post I actually winced at the thought of a 12lb baby
I know what you say is right, and Im sure my body will cope with whatever its grown in there , neither me or dh are massive so would be quite happy with an 8lb baby.

Guess its just a waiting game

I have been told every baby I've had is a whooper, 10lb's at least, my you'll never get that one out (I'm a size 6).
They have each been exactly 7lb 6oz.
Oh and I put 4 stone on.

i have had 2 big babies. I always worked on the assumption that providing I didn't have any metabolic problems such as diabetes my body would just make the right size of baby for me. My first was 9lb15, 2nd 10lb7. The 2nd labour was 2.5 hours with a second stage of 2minutes. Throughout most of my pregnancy my fundal height measured at 5-6cms more than it should. Try not to worry and trust your body. The reason the fundal height might reduce at around 40 weeks is when the baby engages and moves further into the pelvis which doesn't always happen until delivery after the 1st pregnancy. good luck

Just wanted to say same sort of thing really. I am 5'1, usually size 6. First 2 ds were 7lb 6oz and 7lb 13oz. Wasn't overly huge with either of them. Third time round I was as big as a bus!! Dd came out weighing 9lb4oz, no problems at all other than her not waiting around for a mw to deliver her Next ds was 8lb 13oz and currently due next week with dd who they are saying is measuring small this time and have had 2 extra growth scans for, they are predicting between 7.5 and 8lbs, we shall see!

I'm sure you will be fine and you might get a surprise and have a little one, these things are always so unpredictable. Good luck