Changing Due Date

Don't worry about it, everyone you talk to will have an opinion about when the baby is due. The baby will pick his own time anyway! My daughter has been having an ultra
sound just about every week because of something one of the tech's thought she saw on her ultrasound. None of the high risk tech's or doctors have seen this. Then she told her how long the baby was and another said that couldn't be determined, so remember the tech's don't know everything.

Congratulations on your pregnancy. As an older mother, I can empathize with the struggles you have went through and are going through.

If the due date is moved up, I would be more concerned than if it was moved later. Although the "due date" can be far from exact, under some doctors care, once you hit that 40 week mark, you may experience more pressure from your doctor to deliver.

I am not sure if you stated how far along you are. However, first trimester ultrasounds are the most accurate. Even the first trimester ultrsound can be off 5 days or more. The later in the pregnancy the more inaccurate they are.

As long as you and your baby are doing well, the risk is low for your baby staying in utero longer. The risk becomes higher if your baby is born early. According to the March of Dimes, even babies born late preterm (34 to 37 weeks),increasingly due to induction of labor or cesrarean, are more at risk than babies born at term. It sounds like you have a pretty good idea of when you got pregnant. You could choose to take it as a gift. Enjoy the special time you have with your 2 1/2 year old before you have another to compete for your attention. There is much about pregnancy and labor that is an inexact science despite our best efforts to make it predictable.

Some great websites for evidence based pregnancy and labor information are ICAN at www.ican-online.org/ or Coalition for Improving Maternity Services at motherbabyfriendly.com

Good luck

M. - I wouldn't worry with the difference in dates. As long as there was a heart beat and everything looked good your dates might just be off a little. I have been a sonographer for 33 years and see this lots of times. When you have your appointment next month they should get a better picture . When the fetus is so small, a couple of millimeters can make a difference in the dates. Good luck!
J.

Yes, it's all good. Due dates don't really mean that much, anyway. I think 80% of babies are NOT born on their date. The amount of time a baby needs to gestate varies, so there is no way to predict accurately when it will be born.

IMO the only thing to worry about regarding this issue is that many doctors get antsy at, or even before, the due date. This is totally uncalled for. As a previous poster pointed out, the danger of early delivery is actually higher than for at or shortly after the due date. The danger for later delivery doesn't begin until 42 weeks. (assuming a healthy placenta) So don't sweat it, lots of people will try go give you tons of stupid things to worry about needlessly, and it doesn't help you at all! Start practicing letting go of worries and trusting in the process right now!

Hi M.,
Usually they won't change your due date based on an ultrasound, even in the first trimester, unless it off your "period" dates by over a week. The ultrasounds in the first tri tend to be accurate + or - 5 days and as you get further along, they tend to get LESS accurate because starting in the second trimester, babies are more like kids and grow at different rates. Most of the time, it won't make much difference on what they "say" the actual due date is...as babies come when they are ready, but they should keep the differences in mind when it comes to the possiblity of inducing if you're "late" or if there are complications, figuring out when would you actually be considered "term" and it would be safe to deliver if necessary.
In my current pregnancy, my ultrasounds have been saying that my due date is off by about a week (baby measuring a week smaller than expected), but we haven't officially changed the "due date" except to keep it all in mind if I go "overdue".
Differences can be due to an earlier or later ovulation, how quickly the embryo implanted, among other things...
Chances are everything is A-OK! Enjoy your pregnancy!
I hope this helps a bit...

P.S. When are you due? Feel free to PM me if you want to chat!
A.

Good Morning M., Our daughter in law had her due date changed about 3 times during her second pregnancy. Then they told her they would induce her so pick a date.
She like you knew when she conceived, but for some reason all the ultra sounds showed different dates within about 2 to 3 weeks different. They thought Zane would be very big baby over 8 lbs if she continued on to the next week. He weighed in at 6 lb 9 oz. So sometimes it's really hard to tell.

Gen had several ( 3 ) miscarriages in her first marriage so we don't know if this had anything to do with it or not.

God Bless you M., with a safe and perfect delivery.
K. Nana of 5
PS our oldest son was due Oct. 28, he came on the 29th, 7 lbs 10 oz. Youngest was due Jan 16, he came Jan 5, SO we got PRESENTS...lol He was first baby born in western Butler co.
He was of a good weight also, 6 lbs 9 oz.

I think its ok. I had a due date set my 1st ultrasound, and everytime after that I measured 2-3 weeks further, due to having a huge baby. They kept the same due date, just because he was big, didnt mean he should come early. If they couldnt get a good picture, it might be a little off. Your next ultrasound, you will probably have better luck.

It's all good. Besides, in the whole scheme of things, the due date is not that big a deal. How many babies are born on their due dates? I had two that were induced at 41 weeks. Who knows how long they would have stayed in there? A couple of weeks here or there is not going to matter much in the end. As long as your baby is healthy and fully developed, you will see you baby when he or she is ready to say hello to the world. The future testing you have will help give you a clearer picture, but I had an ultrasound one week before my son was born (when you think they'd have a pretty good indication) and they thought he would be about 8 pounds. He was 10 lb. 5 oz.! If they had known that they never would have let me go that 41st week. The truth is, they just don't know everything.

I don't think that ultrasounds are that exact. I got gestational diabetes with my daughter and they said that she would be a 10 pound or heavier baby so I had to have a c-section. Toward the end I had to go once a week and have an untrasound. Come to find out she only weight 7 pounds 10 ounces. What does your obgyn say. I would go by what the Dr says. And by the way my uterus did the same thing.

Hello,
I have a tilted back uterus. It was not a problem. They also changed my due date. In the beginning of the pregnancy I was running big but by the end I was running small. They changed it to two weeks earlier. Even tho I was running small by the end he still came a day after the revised date.

I will tell you all is good. The doctor can change the due date all he wants. My cousin had a baby this week and he changed her due date by something like 3 days 2 weeks ago. Ultrasounds are best able to determine due dates in the first trimester, but it is always an educated guess! All babies grow at different rates so it is impossible to pinpoint an exact date anyway. YOur baby will come when your baby is ready to come, due date or not. Pushing your due date back may actually be in your benefit. I have seen many posts, and from my cousin's experience, am seeing an alarming trend lately. Many women have posted about their doctor insisting that they induce before the 40 week mark!
As far as your uterus flipping back, that is what they told me with my first child. I got the ultrasound and they pushed the due date back by a week, which, I seriously doubted. He was born 3 days after the orginal due date (the date I told everyone he would be born on to start with) and when the nurse did her assessment, it marched out with that of a 40 weeker. Go figure. Everything will be fine. Don't get caught up in due dates. It's just a guess.

Every time I had an ultrasound they changed my due date, based on the size of the baby, even though i knew the day I conceived. Eventually I had the baby on my original due date.

My last two pregnancies they changed my due date with the first ultra sound. BUT then later I measured ahead (and at the time I thought I would actually be). It was frustrating for me too, but I just kept it in my head the date I knew I was at and ignored the dates they gave me. All of my kids came before my due date so I knew I was correct!

been there, done that! Our daughter's due date was changed 3 times!

Each time, the date was based on her developmental size. Totally bogus! We knew the date of conception, & each time the tech presented her findings...the doctor changed the due date. Turns out size did not matter....& Gracie was overdue by two weeks. This DX was based on her development when she was born: overlong fingernails being one of the factors! Crazy, hunh? Oh, & her birth weight was 5 lb 2oz....& delivered at 42 weeks.

I am happy to hear that you are seeing a genetic counselor. A little bit of prep is always helpful.

Wishing you a safe & quick delivery!