Ridiculous to think due date is wrong???

[LittleMissSnowShine]

Hi All,

I have PCOS and as a result my periods tend to be a bit haywire. Whenever I'm being really good, doing lots of exercise, eating healthy, not drinking too much and taking agnus castus everyday they can be every 6 weeks. But they can also disappear for months at a time!!

I found out I was pregnant on xmas eve and I hadn't had a period since 27th October. My original due date, based on dates, was 3rd August but this was based on me having a 4 week cycle, which I don't. The date has been moved around a couple of times, from 3rd Aug to 17th Aug to 27th Aug and now finally 28th Aug, based on dating scans.

I was really ill with HG for about 2 months in first trimester and I lost a lot of weight, so between that and the fact that there was a lot of disparity between scans that took place only a couple of weeks apart, I find it difficult to be sure that the due date they came up with was right.

I should only be 31 weeks now but I'm HUGE, need to wee all the time, really exhausted, swollen hands and feet, heartburn etc. I really look like I'm ready to go any day now lol but I'm supposed to still have 8 weeks or so still to go

Now I know all first time mums think they're going to have the baby early etc but with all the mix ups over my dates at the beginning and the fact that the rest of me is still a size 12 but I have a bump the size of a house I can't help but feel there must have been a mistake. What do you all think? Am I just being eager/optimistic/panicking or could there be something to it? Still a week before my next MW appt!!

Hi, i wouldnt stress ova dates wee one will arrive when fully cooked i was unsure of dates and was 3 weeks earlier than scans predicted which was when i thought i was due????????? get the midwife to check babies position next week, they will be able to tell where wee one is lying. For now though rest and relax

Thanks nomorebooze - I don't know why it's started to stress me out - I can't decide if it's because I want the baby to arrive sooner or if it's because I'm panicking that I won't have managed to get everything done lol

Our parent craft classes are the week before my due date as well, so if baby arrives early we'll just have to wing it

But also I just wanted to check whether it sounds like a stupid question to ask MW - "do you think my due date might be wrong?"

Better get the pregnancy relaxation hypnosis cds on!!

What did they date you at at the last two scans? Only a day difference in EDD isn't significant, so it seems those 2 scans "agreed". If they dated you as being between 10 and 14 weeks at that time, they should be pretty accurate. Scans before and after that stage are less accurate.

Is your MW measuring your bump? If not, maybe ask her to do that to reassure you - if your bump measures about right for dates, I'd not worry.

I had an early scan at about 6+4,followed by one at my booking appt 3 weeks later. I should have been 9+4 but they said I was more like 7+4, which is where all the confusion began!!

So the registrar told me to come back in 5 weeks time, when I should have been 12+4, according to second scan. When I did that, they decided I was more like 14+4, agreeing with my original scan date. As you said, this was probably the most accurate scan, and the 20 week one more or less agreed with it. But you do find yourself wondering if maybe the baby was just measuring a bit small for dates in the first half of the pregnancy but now has caught up..big style!!

Think I will ask MW to measure next week and see if she thinks bump is roughly the right size according to EDD or not. Not sure if I'll laugh or cry if she says baby is more likely to be here in 4/5 weeks instead of 8 tho lol!

Wow, and I thought I had a rough but I'm only off by 6 days. I too have PCOS and I believe my EDD is 6 days earlier than what they keep putting on all of my forms etc. Now this shouldn't be such a problem but I'm now 38 weeks and need a c-section at 39 weeks. They have booked that for 8th July when in fact it should be tomorrow if they went by the correct dates. I'm just praying I don't go into labour before the 8th because they will do an emergency c-section, and I'd prefer to be well prepared and relaxed before, and my partner there with me. I don't know how to get them to understand that my cycle is NOT the regular 28 day cycle. And baby did measure 5 days bigger at my 12 week scan. sheesh!

Wow mysti77, your EDD should be based off the dating scan. Otherwise, what's the point of having them? My EDD has changed 3 times, but we're now going with the result of the dating scan.

sorry to hear about that mysti!! this is the kind of situation i'm slightly worried about, although only slightly at this stage, because the baby seems to still be lying transverse most of the time. Now they tend not to worry about this unless it gets to 36 weeks and it hasn't turned, which should still be about 4 weeks away for me if my EDD is right. But if my EDD is wrong, then maybe I'm more like 34 weeks already and this is something to be a bit more concerned about since if you go into labour when the baby is still lying transverse this can be pretty dangerous.

My friend is an obstetrician and she keeps trying to assure me that the scan dating is very accurate but I find that hard to trust completely since the scans I've had didn't really agree with each other!!

Have you asked your MW, mysti, whether she things you're measuring ahead of what you should be? I know we're supposed to just try and be relaxed about these things but as you get closer and closer to the due date it's hard not to worry that there might have been a mistake, esp for us PCOS ladies and our irregular cycles!!

I'd think of it this way - you've only 1 scan that didn't agree with the others, so the likelihood is that on that day, either you had a poor sonographer, the sonographer was having a bad day or made a mistake or the baby was in an awkward position (or a combination of all 3). Having had 3 scans that agree is pretty good.

Thanks japhrimel, that's true and it does reassure me slightly. I'm seeing the MW on Monday so I'll post again after I've seen her and update on what she says, just in case there's any other PCOS lurkers having similar concerns that their allocated EDD is inaccurate

Last trimester - scary times!!

Spooky almost same situation as you. Original due date based on cycle was 19th July. However I am really irregular and always had a suspicion I had PCOS - my sister has it too. I never had any investigations etc as I wasn't over bothered with irregular periods and it actually only took 2 months to concieve.

They told me at the dating scan that my ovaries looked extremely polycystic and also that it was smaller than it should have been and so moved the date back to 3rd of August. However I have an enormous bump and been measuring up 2-3 weeks bigger than anticipated at MW appointments so wondering whether original date was right and I am 37 weeks preg now not 35 weeks. Asked my midwife about it last week and she seemed to think the dating scans are very accurate and said ultimately it will turn up when it turns up but it does make it hard for planning ahead etc. Hope it all goes well for you!

"it will turn up when it turns up"

Logically I know that's true but when you consider trying to go along to parent craft classes, buy baby clothes, get a car seat fitted etc, then every week does really count in getting ready for the baby's arrival!!

Let us know what happens with you agirlcalledvicky and if your baby does end up arriving ahead of schedule. Best of luck with it all!!

I agree that the 'it will turn up when it turns up' statement is not helpful because if there are particular 'complications' the dates are important.

All of my scans my baby measured large but they didn't change my date. I went to a consultant today and once again expressed how worried I am because they have booked me for a c-section on what I calculate to be 40 weeks. When I told her this she said that if I go into labour before the 8th July (they say that's 39+1, I think it's 40) then I am to call an ambulance if no one is around to take me to the hospital as it's an emergency situation. I am hoping and praying that this doesn't happen because I really want my partner to be there with me, I know I'll be so scared. EVEN if they want to say that my due date is 14th July, that's wrong, as that's based on someone with a 28 day cycle, mine is a shorter cycle.

I think not only does it make it hard for planning, but if you are to have certain things like tests done, the dates need to be closer to correct. For example, I had a gestational diabeties test done. First off, it was done later than it should have (when I went they said I should have come in 2 weeks before). In my case, that meant that I should have been there 3 weeks before!)

Likewise, I had an ECV done to try to turn the baby at 37 weeks. Now maybe that should have been done a week earlier and perhaps baby would have been smaller and more likely to turn?

I'm going to keep this thread 'on watch' so that I can see how we all progress as we near our "due dates".

Good Luck ladies

Mysti - Don't know if this would be your cup of tea, but have you tried out any natal hypnotherapy stuff? There's a CD specifically tailored to planned c-sections and the obstetrician I know said she's seen loads of women come in for sections listening to their ipod right up until they go into theatre and even then their birth partner/MW/they continue to say some of the key phrases under their breath and it helps them stay really calm. So might be worth a go, especially if you're feeling a bit stressed out and anxious about things...

I had a look through my notes a few weeks ago and saw that I should have had a GTT done because my dad is an insulin dependent diabetic and has been since he was 17, which puts me in one of the risk brackets. But they never gave me one! So I phoned hospital just to check and they were completely vague and unconcerned about it all! I know I'm only 26 and apart from HG at the start I've been pretty well throughout the whole pregnancy but you do get a bit pissed off at having to basically demand things and make a fuss just to get a basic standard of care.

Anyway, tho, I'll watch this thread too and looking forward to hearing about your hopefully very relaxed and as planned c-section Mysti, and the arrival of your LO too, agirlcalledvicki. Will be interesting to see who is right - us or the due dates?

Thanks LittleMissSnowShine, I'll try to look for it, I haven't heard of that before. I'll keep you updated

It is not good when you have to do your own research and demand the attention you deserve for your pregnancy.

I've been using the Maggie Howell cds:

www.natalhypnotherapy.co.uk/14.html/

Or there's a Tania Cotterell one on Spotify (if you use that) which you can check out for free!

Good luck with it all!!

Just to give a bit of an update on this - saw my GP this morning because MW was worried last week that LO was breech and wanted me to see GP instead of coming to her this week.

I'm supposed to be due on 28th Aug so I should be 34 weeks at the minute. But GP is convinced I'm measuring ahead and is so convinced that LO will be arriving earlier (no longer in breech, head has begun to engage, fundal height bigger than expected etc) that he wants me to come back again in a week's time to see him again, instead of going to MW.

So I had to phone hospital this afternoon to see if they could re-arrange parentcraft classes for us, since we weren't booked in until 10th and 17th Aug. They eventually, reluctantly, did this but kept going on about how the EDD you're given at the 20 week scan is completely accurate etc.

It all seems a bit mad to me!! My GP is also a qualified obstetrician and has about 35 years experience but apparently what he has observed with his own eyes is less reliable than a scan I had done 14 weeks ago

So watch this space! Anyone else had any other news on whether their due dates are accurate or not?

Update - My son (breech baby) was born via emergency c-section after my waters broke at 38+3 weeks gestation. I was booked for the c-section on the following Thursday. I asked to bring it forward a week as I thought my dates were wrong. They refused and like I predicted I went into labour early.

Congratulations!