Now two weeks behind instead of one

ladyteach0505

I've been a week behind in measurement for two weeks and then went in tonight and found out we are now two weeks behind. The ob said she's sitting low but if it's the same next week I'll get an ultrasound because it's 3 behind or greater.

I have an anxiety problem as it is and I told the doctor I was going to have a hard time dealing with this for a week and he told me not to worry because I'd had a good nst today. That just didn't make me feel better though.

He also said if she slows down to go to labor and delivery- which really sucks because I've had many times in the last month where she'll slow down enough for a few hours to make me think I needed to go to L&D only to have her start moving before I'd leave. So now I feel like with the growth thing I've got to be hypervigilant about her movement all day long in case there actually is a placenta or growth issue. I also feel my memory racing back to everything in the baby books about how infections, etc can manifest w low birth weight and preemie babies.

I guess I just feel helpless at this point. I don't feel supported by my family or friends and I don't know what to ask of the doctor to feel more reassured or like the situation really is fine.

Should I ask for an ultrasound before next week? I've read on some forums where people who are two behind get ultrasounds weekly and mine acts like ultrasounds Aren't necessary. Can you tell how frustrated/worried I feel?

pixieprincss

In regards to baby, it sounds like your provider is continuing to give you very normal advice. As far as your emotional well-being, is your provider able to work with you on a plan about your anxiety? Is he or she aware of the depth of your feelings? While more information about this situation might help, if you are truly dealing with an anxiety disorder then--as you probably know--more information may not help with peace, as that is the nature of the disorder. It might be worth looking into what some options are for that are, to help with comfort on not only on this, but for all that parenting brings in terms of post-partum hormones, change in sleep, realities of a new little person, etc. Best of luck to you!

ladyteach0505

Yeah, it's been a topic of conversation I bring up almost every week, which is how I've gotten nsts. But the thing I don't understand is that nsts seem pretty common at a lot of practices, but my OB acts like he's doing it to make me feel better.

pixieprincss

Ah, that explains the NST. I actually was surprised that they offered you one. I'd never heard of anyone getting one for a normal size variation (which this sounds like) when not at 40-41 weeks.

KonaCoffeeBean

pixieprincss said:

In regards to baby, it sounds like your provider is continuing to give you very normal advice. As far as your emotional well-being, is your provider able to work with you on a plan about your anxiety? Is he or she aware of the depth of your feelings? While more information about this situation might help, if you are truly dealing with an anxiety disorder then--as you probably know--more information may not help with peace, as that is the nature of the disorder. It might be worth looking into what some options are for that are, to help with comfort on not only on this, but for all that parenting brings in terms of post-partum hormones, change in sleep, realities of a new little person, etc. Best of luck to you!

This is so true. A couple of years ago, when I had very poor management of my anxiety, I was in and out of the doctor's office every couple of weeks. They would do some test, and I would feel better for a little bit, and then go back looking for more tests and answers, consuming medical resources that did not address my real problem, which was truly a mental health issue. My physical symptoms went away when I addressed my anxiety head-on with SSRIs and some additional therapeutic work.

ladyteach0505

Thanks for the feedback.

I guess the thing that muddies the waters even more is my pregnant friend asked her ob today about my situation and he said he would have me get another ultrasound to see why she's measuring small.

I am going to try to see if I can get in with that doctor for a second opinion appointment but with 2-3 weeks to go it feels like I'm down to the wire. Honestly I am just concerned that a different ob would say he would look into it without even seeing me. Like, is that the standard procedure in terms of growth and ordering ultrasounds? If so why didn't my ob order one?

ladyteach0505

meltwithyou Yes, I have an infertility counselor I've seen since last summer.

finchfeeder80

Also, some babies are just smaller. Just like some people are smaller than other. They didn't give it to me in weeks, but my baby was in the 12th percentile for a little bit, and is now in the 33rd after the last checkup. The doctor was never worried, they were just keeping an eye on it. My husband was a small, full term baby and I was an average sized one. So there's a chance our kiddo could be small. I think you're causing yourself a lot of unnecessary stress and making a mountain out of a mole hill. 

CatsAreShady

ladyteach0505 said:

meltwithyou Yes, I have an infertility counselor I've seen since last summer.

Is this infertility counselor trained to deal with anxiety? It doesn't seem like it's helping much. I think the anxiety is the real issue here and that needs to be managed first.
Measuring small or large at this point is still just an estimate and not anything to panic over. I'd try to find a therapist who specializes in anxiety instead of a new OB.