Due Date Confusion...

Updated on December 16, 2011
K.H. asks from New York, NY
14 answers

Hi moms!

Wondering if something similar has happened to you and need some suggestions...

We found out i'm pregnant with our third child with at hone pregnancy test 9 weeks ago ( just as i missed my period). I went to the doctor t 6 weeks, and he said there'sbaby but no heartbeat. He thinks i must've conceived later, which must be, bc at 8 weeks whhen i returned, there was heartbeat. He said it looks like 6weeks pregnancy due to the sixpze of the baby, not 8 weeks. So he changed my due date to two weeks later, putting me at 6 weeks along rather than 8. This hasn't happened to me before....

The thing is, i want to keep my original due date, putting me at 8 (now 9) weeks,bc i was onbedrest withboth pregnancies and last month was so difficult. Oh, i should mention i had c-sec with both kids, so my concern is that ifi push back my due date, i might go into earlier delivery.

What do you think, moms? Keep the new due date or changeback to the originsl?

Thank you!

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Featured Answers

L.M.

answers from Dover on

As soon as you have an ultra sound, go with the due date of the that one because that is based on development whereas those done later in the pregnancy tend to be based more on size and we all know that full-term babies vary in size.

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J.☯.

answers from Springfield on

That happened to me, as well. I was told that I most likely ovulated late that month and that the due date from the u/s was very accurate. My son was also a scheduled c-section, and he was born at 39 weeks, 1 day. I had some Braxton Hicks contractions, but nothing else.

The reality is baby will come when baby comes, but the u/s is going to give your OB the most accurate picture available. Listen to him/her. If you go into labor eary, they'll deal with it.

Congratulations!

3 moms found this helpful
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R.K.

answers from Norfolk on

I had a similar dilema when I first found out I was pregnant. I decided to use both dates. I would humor my doctor and listen to him, though in the back of my mind, I also kept my original due date. In my third trimester (or just before) it became evident that I was most likely correct and in result, did in fact deliver (via c-section also) a two weeks earlier than my doctor anticipated (and the baby was at a 40-week term to add).
All in all, it really doesn't matter who is right or wrong. Two weeks don't really make a huge difference. Also, after talking to my OBGYN and Pediatrian, the due dates given are never exact. There is no way to really know the exact date the egg was fertalized. I would worry if it were a month off, but two weeks really won't make a huge difference.
The best advice ever given, and the best advice I ever took was to be extremely up-front and honest with your OB with how your feeling, your concerns, your worries, what happened during past pregnancies (and even though they say "all pregnancies are different", it's still important), and what you want and don't want.
Good luck!

3 moms found this helpful
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D.M.

answers from Detroit on

Songbird---First, congratulations. Next, I would just simply be ready to go starting at what you first thought would be your due date. As others have said, 2 weeks is within the time you might be ready anyway...but it doesn't really matter right now. As your pregnancy progresses, you'll get a better idea of when you might actually deliver.

Medicine is really more of an art than a science. Got to tell a cute story. I am the first baby in my family. My mom was given a due date of late December. She was absolutely sure that the doc was wrong but...well, that's what the doc said. I was born on February 3rd, which is more what my mom had thought. Can't remember how the doc explained the 6 WEEK difference but my dad says I've been late ever since. (I have a bit of a problem with being late almost all of the time :-0)

Bottom line, it's a bit too early to worry about it yet. Wait another 4 months and then start planning that delivery. Good luck...D.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from New York on

An early ultrasound is the most accurate way to date a pregnancy. You should keep the new due date. It is more accurate than the first. People frequently ovulate earlier or later than normal -- that must be what happen with you.

I know you WANT to be due earlier than you, but that will put you at risk of delivering the baby too early and him/her not being ready for the world yet. Talk to your OB about your concerns, but early ultrasounds ALWAYS trump the "time from your last period" method of dating. The thing is, this early on, the size of the baby can basically pinpoint conception to within about a day.

Also, your concern is going into labor before your c/s, right? I totally get that, and no one wants to have to rush to the hopsital if you have a c/s scheduled. However, even if the early ultrasounds weren't so accurate, that risk is smaller than the risk of delivering a baby 3 weeks before the due date (presuming you're having a c/s at bout 39 weeks -- if your due date is actually 2 weeks early, you could deliver at 37 weeks). Your baby would have a MUCH higher chance of ending up in the NICU.

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M.C.

answers from New York on

I am a mother of 3 as well, 3 c-sec! Sounds like doc couldnt find a heartbeat! Has this doc delivered the other babies? If you're second guessing the dr's abilities then maybe you should find another dr. I had to change my dr after my 1st was delivered.. Remember, doctors are just people that attended a different college!
Good luck

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A.C.

answers from Washington DC on

I honestly would like to burn or shred those stupid little wheels they use to calculate a due date (at least that's what they used with me). I have a REALLY long cycle and yet they ALWAYS calculated my due date based on a 28 day cycle when mine runs 36-45 days (especially back then).

My OB and I argued my ENTIRE pregnancy about when my daughter was due because he REFUSED to listen to me when I told him my cycle was so much longer and therefore that little wheel wasn't going to be accurate. I'll give ya 3 guesses and the first two don't count who was right?

My oldest son they were more accurate on because I was still on a 28 day cycle from the pill when I got pregnant with him. And the youngest was a "Oh you're leaving for several months tomorrow, lets do it NOW" military lifestyle baby ... so I knew EXACTLY when I got pregnant with him LOL

Either way though my boys didn't come when predicted and my daughter was induced. So a small difference isn't really a big deal (2 weeks either way is actually considered normal and full term). If it was say getting to be closer to a month difference in date I'd have a problem, but I'd also wait a little bit to see how things progress with the pregnancy.

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S.H.

answers from St. Louis on

you'll know later on as the baby develops more.

With my daughter, I knew the dates of my last period. I also knew that I ovulate later than normal. My due date was based on this.

The doctor's due date was based on my last period. & then at 4 months, the dr changed my due date based on the size of the baby. I was quite upset, because I knew he was off by 2 weeks or more.

My figuring put the due date on the 16th. His new date was the 30th, but it had been the 10th. I knew his dates were wrong.

In the end, my daughter was born on the 23rd. She was considered "full-term" by the dr, but had a headful of hair you could actually put into a curl on top of her head. She also had finger & toenails....past the ends of her digits! The consensus by the nurses (& me) was that she was "late" by quite a lot!

On the other hand, babies are born at "their" time....Peace! & congrats!

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H.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

I had this happen with both my girls. As my days went along and we did more measurements and u/s we found it true to be we were due later then we thought. and you wouldn't go into early delivery if they push back your due date, if anything it would possibly be a late delivery or a delivery on time if the origional dates were correct. No worries the baby will come when it comes Congrats

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M.H.

answers from Chicago on

My second child came 11 days before the scheduled C-sect.. They come when they are ready..

Towards the end of your pregnancy, if you feel like you can not make it to your job or feel that you need put on bed rest the doc will do that accordingly.

Congratulations and good luck!

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G.T.

answers from Rochester on

What difference does it make what the due date is? The baby will be born when it's ready to be born. Whether that is on the due date, 2 weeks early or 2 weeks late!

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M.F.

answers from New York on

The due date DOES matter, contrary to what some posters say bc it is what the doctor goes by regarding decisions to induce, etc, when baby is late for example. Anyway, the docs swear by the early ultrasounds and in my experience are pretty inflexible once they retrieve the data. I experienced the opposite with two of my kids; the due date was pushed forward (earlier) based upon bone measurements, and ALL my kids came late. I wondered each time if the lateness (in two cases) was bc the due dates were moved. Just make sure the docs have a solid rationale for changing and hopefully all will go well. I didn't want to change my due dates either! I understand what you are going through believe me! Good luck.

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J.H.

answers from New York on

I totally see your concern that some posters might not be getting here. I never had due date issues, but I did have two c-sections and I was totally freaked out that I would go into labor before my scheduled c-section for #2 (I had NO desire to attempt a VBAC, and sure didn't want to end up with an emergency c-section). So I agree with what someone said below about being upfront and honest with your OB about this. Ask him about why the at home test would have been positive so long ago and see what he says about the possibility of going into labor early. Your concern is valid - don't let others dismiss it away.

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E.M.

answers from New York on

Keep the due date the doc gave you. Mine was moved up when I had an amnio because of the development of the baby (actually at 12 weeks when I had the nuchal scan, the nurse said I was a week ahead of what my doc said) so that was confirmed at the amnio when they did the anatomy scan. It may change in the coming weeks, so I would plan on the date the doc gave and it may even change again. Good luck!

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