Funny story from my midwife appointment

[littlefishygg]

So I had my '16 week' appointment yesterday at 18 weeks and the midwife said let's look for the heartbeat. Now I have had a doppler since 11 weeks and have been finding the heartbeat since then and know exactly where to look to find him. I told her this and she basically dismissed me and said I was probably actually hearing the placenta as the heartbeat is 'very hard to find' at this point. I explain where I find the heart beat (about an inch below my belly button and slightly to the left) and that it is normally around 160bpm.
So she starts looking and is looking really low down and finding absolutely nothing. She must have been searching for a good 5 minutes when I reminded her that I find the heart beat higher up and pointed to the area, after another 2minutes of trying to find his heart beat she begrudgingly looked where I told her and she found the heart beat instantly and low and behold it was exactly 160bpm!!

Silly midwife thinking she knew my body better than me. I get she is the expert but I was so sure and she refused to believe me and turns out I was right along.

Just thought I would share. Anyone had similar experiences of the midwife thinking you are a silly pregnant woman and you turning out to be right!

 

[kazine]

Hard to find at this point my arse! I can hear baby's heartbeat pretty much anywhere I put the doppler now!

 

[purplecupcake]

She said the heartbeat is hard to find at 16 weeks? My midwife started listening at every appointment starting 10 weeks. I think I'd consider getting a new midwife if I were you.

 

[whigfield]

That would probably cause me to be really rude to her. I started hearing LO's hb on the doppler from 8w4d and I think the difference in the rates are really noticeable and easy to distinguish!

 

[littlefishygg]

She said the heartbeat is hard to find at 16 weeks? My midwife started listening at every appointment starting 10 weeks. I think I'd consider getting a new midwife if I were you.

In the UK many midwives won't even attempt to find the heartbeat until 24weeks. Some will chose to look at 16 weeks but in the UK I have never heard of them trying any time earlier. I had a fall at 13 weeks and had to go to the hospital and even there they refused to check the heartbeat then!

 

[littlefishygg]

I think because this is my 1st baby and am 'young' (22 years old but there seems to be a general consensus that I am young to be having a baby) she decided that I wasn't intelligent enough to tell the difference between my roughly 80bpm pulse and my babies 160bmp pulse. Maybe next time I will have to mention to her how I just finished my M.Sc. and make her realise I am not just some young bimbo who has found herself pregnant (not that she should make that an issue even if I was!!)

 

[Enasy]

I am 24 weeks tomorrow and I still haven't heard babies heart beat my midwife hasn't even offered to let me hear the heart beat. Don't have a doppler myself either. maybe at my next appointment

 

[Gingerspice]

Yeah in uk the MW would 't listen until 16 weeks and even then they say 'don't panic if we can't find it, it is still early to pick up'

 

[Lavendel]

oh wow..
i found out i was pregnant at about 9 weeks and had an appointment straightaway with my midwife. she said she wasnt sure she could find it already, but she found it at the first attempt. with the home doppler however, i had to wait til 12 weeks. but at 16 ... sounds so weird...should be so easy, even with low quality home dopplers!

 

[apple_20]

She said the heartbeat is hard to find at 16 weeks? My midwife started listening at every appointment starting 10 weeks. I think I'd consider getting a new midwife if I were you.

It's standard practice in the uk for them to tell you it's hard to find because in some cases it is, and it scares the crap out of women if they said 'yeah it's easy to find, but I can't find it'

 

[lilmonkey86]

my OB's office starts with finding HB at 14 weeks on the doppler, it's nice to hear at each appointment just gives some reassurance, the nurse at my office is awesome, she asks how many weeks +d ays i am and literally gets the heartbeat first try every single time!