Should I Change Doctors? - Clinton Township,MI

They said DD was likely due on 8/15. She was born on 8/6. My mom was told 2 different dates with me, about 2 weeks apart. I was born on the first one. If it's just a guestimate on the child's size and due date, I'd stick with the doctor. If the overall experience is not giving you confidence, consider another doctor, but do bear in mind that predicting when babies are born is kind of an inexact science. Babies are born at all sorts of sizes. My cousin's girl was full term at 5lbs 10 oz and my daughter was almost 8 lbs even. "Full term" can also be anytime after 37 weeks, but sometimes babies go to 42 weeks and are just fine.

Switching providers is not a big deal at all. Do it if you feel uncomfortable/unconfident for any reason!

A due date is an estimate and that is all. I don't see where you could lose trust in a Dr. over an estimated date.

But if you feel you need a new Dr. then that is your choice. We can not make that decision.

Good luck and congrats on your baby.

I was told that the due date is just an estimate. That you can actually go 2 week in either direction of it and it considered a normal pregnancy. Your still in the range of that with your first date and the ultrasound date.

I would wait until your next ultrasound and see what they say and go from there.

No Dr is ever going to perfect on the date. I wish you all the best with your baby! Make sure after your ultrasound if your still having any questions or fears to talk openingly to your Dr and make sure they answer all of your questions. If then they aren't getting answered, then I would change Drs. and find one that will listen and explain them.

KV:

TAKE A HUGE, DEEP BREATH!!! Let it out slowly....do it again...breathe...breathe....

A due date is an ESTIMATE - nothing more - babies are born when they are ready....I've had 3 miscarriages - one at 22 weeks so I understand your anxiety but I can tell you that you are only working yourself up. Each part of a Doctors office does their own thing. They might not have had your chart in the ultrasound room.

You need to stop freaking out. Seriously. I get why you are upset...having lost not one, not two but three babies - I GET IT. I really get it. But you are NOT helping yourself. For those ladies who were lucky enough to have their babies born on their due dates - GREAT!! There are many more whose babies weren't. Is it NOT an exact science. It's a guesstimate.

My son was due May 12th. He was born March 26th.
Nicky was due 9 August. He was born 9 July.

Stop stressing. You are only hurting yourself. Please please please calm down. Just be excited about the pregnancy and know that in May or June - hey - maybe even July!!! You will have a new addition to your family!! Have fun and breath!! Please!!!

Calculating a due date is not a perfect science. My OB was sure I was due later then I really was until they did the ultrasound. It sounds like you are having some anxiety because of your miscarriage, this is completely normal.

If you and your hubby are very concerned then yes get a second opinion and/or change doctors so that you feel comfortable and that they are relaying all information to you.

It is very common for a due date to change or be amended since it is often first calculated by your LMP (which can only determine an estimated time of conception not an actual one) and then amended once an ultrasound is done. And amended again after any subsequent ultrasounds. It is also natural to be concerned about your developing baby. If a second opinion will calm your fears you should get one, but I think you will find that your results would be the same. A due date is an estimation and baby often comes anywhere from 2 weeks prior to 2 weeks post due date. Also, the date range they have given you isn't large...only one week.

They are only talking about a matter of a week difference in the due date. If you only know the date of your last period and weren't tracking when you ovulate, I would not worry at all. It could be that you ovulated late, and that is what's causing the discrepancy.

I think it depends how far along you are in terms of size concerns. If they thought they were off by a month, I might be concerned about the doctor and my baby. While this doesn't sound all that alarming to me, I imagine having gone through a miscarriage you would be concerned about any oddity in the pregnancy. If you are not feeling good about your relationship with your doctor, or how they are handling your pregnancy, you would not be out of line to look for someone else.

Pretend you are back when I had my kids and there were no sonograms to measure anything. You gave them the date of your last period, counted 9 months and added 7-10 days on the date of the last period. It sure worked for me 7 times within 3 days either way with most. One was early and one a week overdue. Try that and then don't worry.

I wouldn't switch DR based on this. Trying to determine a due is not easy. I would actually stay with this Doctor because she is being thorough. With my son I was given a due date that I knew was wrong, the whole time they insisted that he was going to be a ten pounder plus! I knew exactly when I conceived but they tried to say based on blood levels etc I was wrong and had conceived later than I said. I didn't have any doubts, anyway late in the pregnancy I had another sono done. The tech was like are you sure about your last period, cause what they had in my file didn't add up to what she was seeing. I told her the date, she put that in and everything changed-to what I said in the beginning! My son weighed 6 pds at birth! Your Dr is doing what should be done. Also the dates are not that far off, now if they were giving completely different months I could understand, but this I think you have a good dr. Good Luck!

wow, relax! all three of your due dates are within a week of one another - it's really no biggie!

You shouldn't operate your life from a position of fear. Due dates change. It's not really a big deal because the baby will be born when it is the perfect time for the baby to be born.

They give you a due date based on several factors one being when was your last period and the measurements of the baby. It isn't an exact science though. If you want to change doctors, that is your choice. However changing doctors won't get to the real issue and that is your fear since you already had a miscarriage and that seems to be really what is the heart of the issue as I see it.

Find Peace within whether you change doctors or not. Personally I probably wouldn't change doctors over a change in due date. Get a second opinion which may help with the peace of mind you are looking for.

My due date was changed four times with my first child (admittedly one time it was changed for insurance reasons) and twice with my second. A due date is merely an estimate. I wouldn't let that alone deter you from this doctor. That being said, if you are uncomfortable, seek a second opinion. If you are already uncomfortable, you are always going to question this doctor.

With my first daughter they told me I was measuring larger than what I should be by the date I gave them for my last period. So they changed my due date from Sept 7 to Aug 31. Then 7 days after Aug 31 they said they would not schedule an inducement because my original date was Sept 7. My daughter came Sept 11th. My youngest daughter's due date was Sept 4 and she came the 13th. The estimate they come up for your due date is just an estimate. Even if they were 100% sure when your due date was....your baby can come at any time its ready, even if it wants to wait 9-12 days like mine did. I wouldn't switch because they can't confirm a due date.....

I think that if I were you, I wouldn't change doctors right away, but I would get a second opinion. It is certainly reasonable because of your past history.

No matter how "advanced" science is, calculating a due date still has a percentage of guesswork in it. If your due date was miscalculated and your baby is actually growing well for his/her age, then that's a good thing.

A due-date is, as everyone said, basically the center of a 5-week window in which you can have the baby. Since all of the dates given to you were within 5 weeks, I wouldn't stress too much over this. However, if you have a gut-instinct that you don't trust this doctor, absolutely look for another one. I gave birth with one OB that I didn't like very much and one that I loved, and I can tell you which was the overall better experience. When you're giving birth, trust is key.

I agree with what the others say...due date is not an exact science...however I would go with my hunch and there is a lot to be said for peace of mind...

Even 10 years ago ultra sounds were only done for serious issues. They did not do them as part of the regular office care appointments. If you have concerns about the health of your baby then talk to the doc. My sister had serious issues with 2 of her pregnancies and when she was pregnant with her daughter she had a weekly appointment throughout the whole pregnancy and did fine.

I think hubby's question about when the baby is coming is cute. Babies came when the mom went in to labor even 10 years ago. They did not pinpoint it to the near exact dates they do now.

Wow, those due dates are actually very close together, try not to be so worried! It's common to change the due date as the baby grows. My first came ten days AFTER his due date, that was a LONG ten days for me :(

I agree with most of the other posts.
Your origianal due date, which is technically called EDC ~ Estimated Date of Confinement (pretty old fashioned!), is just that, estimated. They start with the first day of your menstrual period, go back 3 months, add a week. However, if your periods are irregular, that messes it up. And the ultrasounds are the most accurate...in an early ultrasound, like 12 weeks, they measure the length from top to bottom (crown - rump) and given that length, they estimate how many weeks you are. Now the baby's bigger they can measure the length, the size of the head, the abdomen & the length of the femur in the leg. So there are more numbers to be a bit more accurate. Now none of this takes into account that maybe your family is smaller or larger than average. Checking again in 4 weeks is a good thing...they want to make sure that everything is growing at the rate it should be.
Most women will tell you that their date was changed after an ultrasound. Changing your doctor won't change that. You are past the point of needing to worry about a miscarriage - usually that happens in the first trimester (12 weeks). I'm not saying that it never happens after that, but not nearly as often. So relax and enjoy your pregnancy!
D.

Hi K V, congratulations on the pregnancy!
Like many have already replied below, a Due date is only a predicted time-period. The actual birthing may happen up-to 10 days sooner or later, or even more, depending on how the baby's growth progresses, your stress levels, your health progress, etc. Determining the due date during the initial months or pregnancy is only an estimate to start with. Sometimes, as your pregnancy progresses, your Ob/Gyn may also revise the due dates. It is not an exact formula..:)
So, unless you have any other issues with your current Ob, this one thing definitely needn't stress you out so much! Infact, changing an Ob/Gyn at this point of time, building up a doctor-patient trust relationship from scratch can be even more stressful! So, relax, and enjoy your pregnancy...
All the best to you!