How far along? 17 weeks
It seems that there is a discrepancy with when our baby is expected to be born.
Everyone always asks "When are you due?" to which I answer "Good question". If you ask my midwife when our baby is due, she will tell you October 29th. If you ask me, I say something else. Why is that? Well, doctors and midwives all calculate your due date based on the first day of your last period, then they count 40 weeks and that is your due date. The problem with that? The calculation is made assuming that all women ovulate at 14 days into their menstrual cycle. The actual gestation of a baby is actually 38 weeks.
When someone asks you how far along you are, you are actually 2 weeks "less pregnant" than what the doctor's tell you (that is if you ovulate at 14 days) meaning your baby is actually 2 weeks younger...eg. Right now any midwife or doctor would tell you that I am 17 weeks pregnant but the baby is actually only 15 weeks developed...or is it? Anyway, it was a surprise when we first found our midwife and we were told I was 7 weeks pregnant not 4 weeks like I thought. How could I be 7 weeks pregnant when our baby wasn't even conceived 7 weeks ago? I accepted it anyway because, well, I like immediate gratification and I liked the sound of being further along than I actually was. Seems ridiculous to me that the medical field in all their scientificness count the gestation of your baby to be 2 weeks (in most cases) more than when your baby is even conceived. So why did I think I was 4 weeks pregnant not 5? Why the debate with my due date? Well, seeing as Simon and I were planning our pregnancy I had been tracking my ovulation for several months before we started "trying" and I know based on basal body temperature* that I ovulate at 20 days (like clockwork)- 6 days later than the assumed 14 day ovulation. For some reason when, on seperate occasions, I told the midwife and the ultrasound specialist this, one actually said "that is not possible" and the other was sure I was wrong. Oh really?! Why is it so hard to believe that I ovulate at 20 days??? I've heard of many women who, in their quest to conceive, discover they ovulate early or late in their cylcle- so why is it not possible for me? Hmmmm??
So, if you ask Simon and I when our baby is due we will tell you November 3rd- if you are now trying to calculate when our baby was conceived...shame on you.
Since we have insisted with our midwives that I ovulate at 20 days, we have been informed that, in a situation where the due date is not certain, the due date will be established by the development of the baby as judged by ultrasound...fair enough. So far we have seen 2 of the midwives of the team and with each of them we have had the due date conversation and each brings up the ultrasound dating...and i just have to say that I hate their unbelieving tone and that they seem to be just throwing out the ultrasound bit to shut me up until they can prove me wrong. It's not just my imagination...it's Simon's too.
To add to the debate,apparently most first babies are born a week late and many people believe the full moon affects when women go into labour. (Our second appointment with our midwife happened the day after the full moon and 5 women went into labour...the midwife we met with says that she and nurses at the hospitals concur that they have more births on a full moon.)
So...
Midwife says: October 29th
Simon and Marie say: November 3rd
1 week late because of first birth: November 10th
According to full moon: November 10th
Okay, this is getting a bit long but I feel it necessary to explain why it even matters when the baby is due...
1. Gestation of the baby- Gestation is very important when participating in genetic an other screening tests- each step of the testing has to be done at certain weeks of pregnancy
2. If your baby is "overdue"- If your baby is more than a week overdue it is recommended to induce labour as complications may arise making it difficult to have a vaginal birth -one being the baby is too big. However, if you conceived later in your cycle your baby may not be overdue at all and induction unnecessary.
* basal body temperature (BBT)- the temperature of your body at rest.
When trying to conceive it is useful to measure your BBT. If you measure your BBT at the same time every day(recommended when you first wake up) and track it you should see roughly the same temperature every day...however, after you ovulate your BBT raises .2 degrees and remains that temp. for the next few days. If you are planning to conceive this can help you establish when in your cylcle you ovulate, though some may have irregular cycles.
oh yeah, and the following I quoted from a web site with conceiving tips...
"It is incorrect to assume that every woman ovulates on day 14 of her cycle. In fact, a woman's normal pattern can mean ovulation on day 10 or day 21."
SO THERE!
No comments:
Post a Comment