I am so confused . . .

[HeatherO 7]

So by last menstrual I am 16 weeks and 3 days along in my pregnancy. By an ultrasound taken at 11 weeks (I couldn't go at 8 weeks because I was traveling in the Middle East for a month) I am now 14 weeks and 6 days along by ultrasound dating.

I had an ob appointment today and they listened to the fetal heartbeat which was strong and very easy to find. I told my ob doctor that over the weekend i just started to feel the baby moving (miniscule fluttering sensation deep in the pelvis at mid-morning after I drink my 1 cup of coffee a day) and she said that most people don't feel it before 16 weeks at the earliest and sometimes not until much later.

I also showed my doctor that I am definitely showing and when I try to feel for the top on my uterus . . . the top seems to be right underneath my belly button but I read that it should be somewhere between the pubic bone and belly button. I asked because I thought maybe I was feeling the wrong thing and perhaps it is just muscle there . . . but I have almost no abdominal fat in my belly and my belly is very hard in that region like as if I ate a softball. She felt for it as well and said it was in the same place, directly below my belly button . . . so I was feeling for the right thing. She then mentioned that she usually expects it to be right at the belly button around 20 weeks and I am just a little under the belly button.

So what are your thoughts? All the signs seem to say I am 16 + weeks along . . . except for the ultrasound which is supposed to be the most specific and reliable. She said they determine the ultrasound date by the head to rump measurement.

So would you guess I just have an extra big, extra active child who is still at an early fetal age . . . or I have an older but smaller than usual infant? I know there is no real specific answer but I was just curious what people think. or if they have had similar "dating" dilemmas.

[ckelly37 1]

I had a similiar situation they told me my due date was between the end of sept to oct 4th and i had my son sept 14th he was 7lbs 8oz and 19.5 inches..he measured smaller on the ultrasound but had a very big head...i went my by my own judgement not theres i thought they were wrong and im asuming by me having him at 37 weeks (by there calculations) they were off he was a nice size healthy baby...what does ur baby calculator tell u when u put ur LMP in?? im sure ur 16 + weeks not 14 doctors dont know everything..good luck

[HeatherO 7]

I had a similiar situation they told me my due date was between the end of sept to oct 4th and i had my son sept 14th he was 7lbs 8oz and 19.5 inches..he measured smaller on the ultrasound but had a very big head...i went my by my own judgement not theres i thought they were wrong and im asuming by me having him at 37 weeks (by there calculations) they were off he was a nice size healthy baby...what does ur baby calculator tell u when u put ur LMP in?? im sure ur 16 + weeks not 14 doctors dont know everything..good luck

My calculations are 16 weeks and 4 days as of today.

My son was born on his due date and weight 6 pounds, 11 ozs and was 20.75 inches long. He was a healthy size for a 40 week baby . . . but certainly not a big baby. Perhaps I am just prone to having smaller babies, no complaints there, lol.

[eejaydiva 3]

I don't think ultrasounds are the most accurate when it comes to sizing or determining certain things...a few stories

1. My friend Amber had "eclipse twins", Baby boy was perfectly behind baby girl in the uterus, so they only saw the outline of 1 baby and the 2 heartbeats were in perfect unison until the 4th month when Amber looked 8 months pregnant and insisted they make sure there weren't twins. 3 previous ultrasounds had failed to discover TWO BABIES. I was in the room when they found the second baby by bouncing a second ultrasound gun off her back..we both burst into tears.

2. My brother was born "early" by doctor's due date calculations and weighed nearly 11 pounds. My poor mother went thru a vaginal delivery too! She knew when her last menstrual period ended and how long her cycle days were, but in the 80's, just like today, all women are based on a standard 28 day cycle and a 4 day period...so she was actually 3 weeks overdue by her dates, but 5 days early based on the doc.

[JaimeSTL 4]

Ultrasound dating is generally very accurate early in pregnancy. However, even if they mismeasure just by a tiny bit, it can give a big difference in your due date.

I'm 12 weeks 4 days, with my third baby. My uterus is already up almost to my belly button. Things tend to stretch out a little faster with subsequent babies. You also tend to feel movement sooner. The 16 week thing isn't set in stone. Several women on my due date list, who are between 12 and 16 weeks, are feeling movement already.

To have a difference of 11 days between LMP due date and ultrasound date, you would've ovulated on day 25 of your cycle and would've had a 37-39 day cycle. Is that typical for you? Will you have another ultrasound? Maybe that will clear things up and help you figure out which due date is accurate.

[Jachut 487]

You absolutely cant tell, its very frustrating, but I thought it was at the 20 week ultrasound that they can really only just start being a bit more convinced about dating the pregnancy. Early on you can have a smaller or bigger bub that throws the dates out. Its all a bit hazy for me now, lol.

Actually on second thoughts, I do have that arse about, its after 20 weeks that baby's growth starts to be different between different babies.

BUT - weird things can occur. I fell pregnant with my first baby and was able to be relatively sure of the conception date - as Doug went away on a business trip to New Zealand the next day - so it cannot have occurred any later than what it did. However, this was on the day my period finished, so no way should I have ovulated for at least a week - longer because I have only 2 day long periods. Sperm ostensibly can only last 24 hours or so in the body. Well, ah, it lasted a good 7 to 12 days in MINE!

You can be sure of when the actual act took place, lol, but you cannot be sure of when the actual conception did.

And even when you are you can go weeks overdue anyway, or the baby can come early. So I guess just being happy to know he/she is in there and growing normally has to be enough to content us.

[JaimeSTL 4]

You absolutely cant tell, its very frustrating, but I thought it was at the 20 week ultrasound that they can really only just start being a bit more convinced about dating the pregnancy. Early on you can have a smaller or bigger bub that throws the dates out. Its all a bit hazy for me now, lol.

Actually on second thoughts, I do have that arse about, its after 20 weeks that baby's growth starts to be different between different babies.

Yep, you're right. In the first and early second trimester, most babies grow at about the same rate. In the late second and third trimester, growth differentiates and is determined more by the baby's genetics and other factors. You can trust a 1st trimester ultrasound, but later ultrasound can vary by a lot.

I had several ultrasounds at the end of both of my previous pregnancies. Two days before my son was born, the ultrasound said he was approximately 7.5 lbs. He was born at 6 lbs 3 ozs. With my daughter, ultrasound about 4 days before her birth put her at about 5.5 lbs, she was born at 4 lbs 5 ozs. Later size estimates are determined by head circumference, femur measurement and arm measurement. My kids have big heads. LOL Early dating ultrasound uses head to rump measurement, making it much more accurate.

[losingjusme 12]

i was told the first ultrasound is the most accurate ... and i had mine at what i thought was 8 weeks ... they pinned me at 6weeks a few days... i've been measuring pretty much spot on with their timing since then... so i have NO CLUE when i'll deliver... with the ultrasounds i'm where i should be, with the uterus measuring, i was 33 weeks at my 31 week appointment. i have another OB appt tomorrow, so we'll see. my next ultrasound isnt until the end of January, i'm due Feb 13th.

[Daisalana 33]

I was also told my 1st ultrasound was more accurate (it was 4 days behind what I was going off of - LMP).

But with this 2nd 21 week ultrasound, according to all the various measurements, some recorded almost 22 weeks, some recorded 20 weeks and 4 days, etc. I asked her about it, she said they give a 2 week window for error on each side, so there could be a 2 week discrepency on either end.

I figure it'll happen when it's ready to happen, despite what we mark on the calendar :shades_smile:

[HeatherO 7]

1. My friend Amber had "eclipse twins", Baby boy was perfectly behind baby girl in the uterus, so they only saw the outline of 1 baby and the 2 heartbeats were in perfect unison until the 4th month when Amber looked 8 months pregnant and insisted they make sure there weren't twins. 3 previous ultrasounds had failed to discover TWO BABIES. I was in the room when they found the second baby by bouncing a second ultrasound gun off her back..we both burst into tears.

I have a friend who had twins, a boy and a girl. She had the two standard ultrasounds, found out she was having a boy, but never knew she was having twins. The first inkling that she got that there was more than one was after she delivered her son and the doctor said there is another one . . . and then out came a baby girl. She had her OB care through a clinic with a solid reputation here in Ohio and had adequate prenatal care. How a whole baby got missed, I am not sure, but maybe the "eclipse" phenomenon might explain it. This is only the second time I ever heard of that happening.

I was wondering what I would think if I was "surprised" with two instead of one. I think I would be both thrilled and scared to death, lol.

[HeatherO 7]

To have a difference of 11 days between LMP due date and ultrasound date, you would've ovulated on day 25 of your cycle and would've had a 37-39 day cycle. Is that typical for you? Will you have another ultrasound? Maybe that will clear things up and help you figure out which due date is accurate.

My cycle was exactly 28 days for years . . . but I was on the pill so it was artificially regulated. I am not sure what it would have been otherwise. I also got pregant the first time off the pill so I did not even have a chance to see how long the first non-medicated cycle would be.

I know I did not get a positive pregnancy test for almost 6 weeks out from my last period so it makes sense that I may have ovulated late. I must have taken 5-6 tests before I got a positive and they were of every different brand, digital and otherwise. My first positive was on a dollar store test . . . the others previous were Answer, EPT, etc and were supposed to tell you early.

My next ultrasound is the big one which should give me the sex if the baby is cooperative on January 12th. I have heard to drink a big cup of coffee and also to drink a big cup of orange juice before the test so that the baby is active . . . I don't know if any of that is true. Perhaps I will try both, lol.

My husband is absolutely convinced it is a girl due to a "dream" he had. That makes me even more curious about the sex . . . boy or girl is fine with me, I am just exceptionally curious.

[HeatherO 7]

I figure it'll happen when it's ready to happen, despite what we mark on the calendar :shades_smile:

You are soo right . . . it is just so much fun to speculate. :0)

I just can't wait to see my baby for the first time, lol.

[JaimeSTL 4]

I know I did not get a positive pregnancy test for almost 6 weeks out from my last period so it makes sense that I may have ovulated late. I must have taken 5-6 tests before I got a positive and they were of every different brand, digital and otherwise. My first positive was on a dollar store test . . . the others previous were Answer, EPT, etc and were supposed to tell you early.

In that case, I bet you did ovulate late and your due date by ultrasound is more accurate. It isn't foolproof because I've known other women who got a positive late, but with that plus the ultrasound, I'd say that's the case for you.