12-11-2008 - 31 Week Appointment

My mood while writing this blog: tired

So I had my 31 week appointment yesterday and just knew that it was going to go badly when I walked in. They had to have had 30 people cramed in there! Aparently they are taking Thanksgiving week off so they are doubling up appointments for the next two weeks... great! So I waited three hours just to get measured and to hear his heartbeat. And this was OVER lunch so I didn't get lunch until after 2pm. I was so upset. I have never heard of a doctors office closing for an entire week for a holiday.. Thanksgiving at that! I can see maybe closing for Christmas through newyears which is what the law firm that I worked at did but have never seen a drs office closed that long -_-

So anyways after waiting forever and ever I finally see the midwife.. and not the one I was scheduled to see either (grrr!). I was specifically supposed to see Robin or Jenny because I wanted to discuss the hospital birth options over birthing at the birthing center. It was right on my file that I was to see one of THEM and not the other midwives (they have 5 others now). So I got the lady that I dislike the most because she likes to downplay everything to me. I had wanted to discuss the due dates because the past couple times I have gone in they keep trying to tell me that my week is what I measure. yeah okay.. my first appointment I measured 10 weeks, my next appoint (four weeks later) I measured 12 weeks, next appointment (four more weeks later!) and I measured 15 weeks. So they changed my due date from January 9th (which was based on my estimated conception date) to January 29th! In order to have a due date of January 29th I would have been ON MY PERIOD when I had my first positive pregnancy test! So that does not make ANY sense to me at all! I had my first ultrasound and Joel measured 14 weeks while I was 16 which matched up with my dates and with the dates that Jenny gave me the first time I saw her but they still didn't change the due date from the 29th. Joel will be 42 1/2 weeks along with a due date of the 29th. My second ultrasound (on 9/15) also confirmed his age at 21 1/2 weeks which put me at 23 1/2 weeks. The ultrasounds all match up to a due date being around January 8-12th. But my measurements never match my weeks and they want to go by MY measurements. If they would go by LMP like everyone drs office does.. than my due date is actually December 29th, 2008. If they go by the two possible conception dates (4/12 or 4/19) my due date is between January 2nd through January 9th, 2009. So where do they get a date like January 29th? This is almost a month past what my actual due date could be!

So I try to explain all of this to the midwife.. and she tells me that they go by what I measure which I in turn told her was crap.. and then she measured me and I measured barely 28 weeks. And I KNOW that I am 31 1/2 weeks now. So she changed my weeks from what they had on file which was 29 weeks to 27 weeks. So now in their books I am 27 1/2 weeks. which means Joel is 25 1/2 weeks. WHICH IS TOTALLY CRAP! He measured 21 weeks way back in September! How can they do this? So now my testing dates are all off. They will be wanting to test me for the GroupB strep test when I am 40 weeks along and am supposed to take at 36 weeks ONLY. I'm taking my glucose test in two weeks when I will be almost 34 weeks along but they say it's fine because I will only be measuring 29 weeks then! I know Joel is older than 25 1/2 weeks. All of the things on the developmental scale that I should be feeling I have been feeling. Like his first kicks (long time ago now) and his hiccups, etc! He is not a 25 week old baby.. God it just makes me SO frustrated!! Why don't they listen to me? I feel like they should not be basing my due date on what I measure because I have consistently measured small. And they won't give me another ultrasound! I have been measuring small for months and I feel that I should have another ultrasound to at least check on Joel and make sure that he is okay!

It makes me so upset and I just want to cry :( why won't they at least check on him? What if something is wrong?

As an edit: she also said that Joel is head down (position straightup/straight down)... and said "so you must be feeling most of the movements up in your ribs now"? And I'm like NO! I feel all the movements below my belly button and to the left side of my belly. I only feel slight fluttering around the lower left of my rib cage. And she said well I'm hearing heart tones below your belly button so that means he is head down. And I told her that no that doesn't mean that.. I have read that with an anterior placenta and if I had great muscle tone before pregnacny (which I did) than the heart beat could reverberate around my entire belly and make it seem like he is head down when he actually isn't. She also said that I should be feeling lots of pressure now because of his head down there. No I haven't! The only pressue I have felt has been his head up under my RIBS! This upsets me because she won't give me any exercises or anything to do to try to get him to turn. I have read that I am supposed to start doing the breech exercises during week 30-33 because that is when they want to move to their final position. Also with me having a low anterior placenta they can actually move into their final position during weeks 29-31 because of the pressure and growth of the placenta down low. It keeps them from moving head down because it is so uncomfortable on their head.

I just don't know what to do. I have had it with the midwives.. if I could see Jenny or Robin it might be better because they agreed with me on my dates and actually listened to me when I said something. The other midwives treat me like a child and act like I dont' know what I am talking about. I have done a ton of research because I was concerned about his position/placenta so I do know a little bit what I am talking about I think! I just wish someone would listen to me!