Lying about LMP?
I'm not pregnant yet, but I was thinking the other day. Would you consider lying to your OB about the first day of your last period? It would have to be a small lie, less then 6 days, so that they wouldn't adjust your due date after a scan. But enough to give you time to go into labor.
Here's my line of thinking.......Most people I know who are attempting VBACs have only been allowed to go 7 days past due. I ovulate late in my cycle, so the due date wheel has my due date too early. My DD was born by c-section 15 days past due, after 59 hours of failed induction. I'm not sure how long she was planning to hang out in there, but my fluid levels were totally fine and baby was not in stress at all. I really feel like if we had just waited a few more days, the baby would have decided to join us on her own.
Trying to give myself the best chance at a natural VBAC next time around. Is this crazy?
Re: Lying about LMP?
Ok, so I'm not totally crazy. I was thinking 3-4 days, too, since my cycle is usually 32 days. I don't want to be blinded by my own desire for a VBAC, but that silly wheel is ridiculous.
I've thought about it, but didn't do it.
And by the way, your birth story for #1 sounds like the exact same one I had! They moved my due day up 10 or so days earlier than it should have been (I know exactly when I ovulated), and DS was born just a couple days after his original due date (rather than the 42 weeks, 2 days they tell me I was at). I was only in labor for 48 hours, though, you beat me there
Sounds reasonable to me. You know your body.
I was told by a couple providers that they'd only "let" me go to 41 weeks. I went to 41 with my son and didn't go into labor on my own, so I shopped around until I found someone who was comfortable going to 42.
In an ideal world, you'd find someone with a more flexible attitude to all birth issues, but I know that's not always possible. I think your idea is a good solution if a provider has a rigid date in mind.
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
As a woman with long cycles, (35 days at the shortest up to 45 days) I found it helpful to keep close track of the possible conception dates. With DS they originally said I would be due 1/15 and then changed it after the early ultrasound to 1/30 which fit better with my tracking. This time around I used Fertility Friend and knew exactly when conception occured and they have based my due date off of that instead of my period.
You know your body best and if you go in with all of the facts, a good doctor will listen and will be able to more accurately give you you EDD.
Don't feel bad - it was all the same after 12 hours : - )
I have been thinking about this the past couple days too, i think because a girl on my local is having a c/s tomorrow at 41 weeks for no good medical reason. She is 0 dilated and effaced and her dr told her there was no good reason to try an induction because it probably wouldn't work. I did what I could without getting preachy but she seems at peace with her decision now so I let it go.
I knew the day I conceived DS, but my EDD was based on u/s. I did buy myself a couple extra days with the conception date and my charts from fertility friend, but not enough for my body to kick in on its own.
I would def consider lying this time around, my only concern would be that I might put myself into that window of an u/s changing the EDD again. Hopefully I'll find a provider I can trust and it won't be an issue!
I'm OK with lying in this instance or saying you don't know and having them do a dating ultrasound.
But even better would be to find an OB or midwife who
1. Takes your word about your cycles instead of believing a wheel
2. Doesn't put the 41 week limit on VBACs.
My OB is ok with me going to 42 weeks and possibly a few extra days (with monitoring and assuming everything looks OK). And when I told him that I had been charting and knew my LMP date was a couple days off, he never questioned it.
Wow. I don't think you're very educated on VBAC. Perhaps you should be the one to read some research and have an educated perspective before bringing your scare tactics and anti-VBAC stance onto this board?
Most everyone on this board knows that the odds of a scar opening during a VBAC is 1% or less, depending on the source. For many women, this is an acceptable risk they are willing to take after reviewing their history and situation with their care provider. Your response to the OP mentions no risks of recurrent elective cesarean. Perhaps you need to understand that no birth choice is without risk, and that all the research (including ACOG guidelines) shows that VBAC for low-risk women with healthy pregnancies is almost always safer for both mom and baby than another cesarean.
If you don't want a VBAC, that's fine. You have your own choices to make as do we. But please do not bring your scare tactics here. They are not welcome and this is not the place. We all thank you kindly.
Do you think if it was this easy, we would need organizations like ICAN? Do you realize how many OBs refuse to "allow" women to VBAC even though ACOG says it's a perfectly legitimate and usually healthier option? Do you realize many hospitals have VBAC bans (either on the books or de facto)? Perhaps if you realized any of this you wouldn't make condescending remarks about how "easy" it is to find a VBAC supportive OB and birth location.
By the way, being asked to sign a waiver form as you mention is a huge red flag to those of us who want to find truly supportive OBs and midwives. It contains risk information about VBAC but not about the other side of the coin - recurrent cesarean. That does not help patients make an informed choice, now does it?
I am all about trying to VBAC. I would never ever LIE to my provider though. If you feel the need to lie then you likely need a new provider that you can trust and that fits more with your ideals.
It's odd to me that people would think lying is ok if it gets you what you want. I think there are better ways to go about it and personally, I think a patient would be much happier with doctors/midwives that hold the same beliefs and ideals than one they had to lie to even a little bit.
I hope you are able to have the VBAC you want while being honest with your provider about your pregnancy as well. GL.
I did not, I ovulate very late, which I didn't find out until baby #1. My original due date put me at 10/19, after a "16 week" u/s they moved it back to 10/31 and I gave birth 10/29. With DD# 2, I flat out said I had 1/2 a day of sptting on 4/1 and wasn't comfortable with that being my LMP... MY dr. gave me an u/s and moved my due date from 1/6 to 1/29 and I delivered (via emergency c/s) a 7lb 3 oz baby... so I knew it was accurate.
This time I went in, told them my LMP was 11/7 which put me at 8/14 due date. I plainly asked for an U/S explaining my first 2 babies and I got moved back to 8/23. I guess I don't see a problem with it, but I was just comfortable enough with my doc to say "hey this was my LMP, but it won't match up with a due date, I need a dating u/s"