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Pregnancy 18-34 Community
This patient support community is for discussions relating to pregnancy and childbirth in women age 18 to 34.
Paternity test or not
by dddman3, Apr 01, 2008 05:51PM
My girlfriend found out that she was pregnant at the end of Feb and that she was due 5/1 she had her period up til mid jan. Since we couldn't go off of LMP they dated the baby by u/s. She normally would have her period around the 17-22 of the month. I have read on several websites that in the 3rd tri u/s can be off by as much as 1-21 days. According to due date calenders i've came up with 4/22 or 5/22. If the child is born before 5/1 chances are slim that it isn't mine. So here are my questions.....
1. Is it possible the u/s is 3 wks off (my close friend had her due date change from 7/29 to 8/21 and deliverd 8/27)?
2. Should I still have a paternity done regardless of any due date?
3. At apprx. 30 wks the baby weighed about 3lbs but measured small. Could they have read it wrong?
4. Do they use gestation age for dating that would mean 2 wks later right?
i'm keeping my fingers crossed and sayin my prayers cause i would do anything to know that this child is mine. Thank you
1. Is it possible the u/s is 3 wks off (my close friend had her due date change from 7/29 to 8/21 and deliverd 8/27)?
2. Should I still have a paternity done regardless of any due date?
3. At apprx. 30 wks the baby weighed about 3lbs but measured small. Could they have read it wrong?
4. Do they use gestation age for dating that would mean 2 wks later right?
i'm keeping my fingers crossed and sayin my prayers cause i would do anything to know that this child is mine. Thank you
Post Comment
1). U/S can be off by about 2 weeks! But babies also grow at their own rates. For example my 1st daughter was normal size at birth. But my second was VERY chunky and long and I KNOW when she was conceived. So in the 3rd trimester I would say that it is very possible for the baby to be bigger or smaller than average.
2). Yes, you should have a paternity test. Has she admitted to having sex with someone other than you? Remember, sperm can live up to 5 days in the vagina, then it can take 7-12 days for the fertilized egg to implant. You can see how that leaves a lot of room for dates to be off.
3). Yes, u/s are not 100% especially when measuring size. My friend was induced a week or two early becuase her doctor thought she was going to be a really big baby. Her baby ended up being 6 lbs 9 ounces which is the smaller end of normal sized baby at birth.
4). Gestational age is the pregnancy dated based on the last mentrual period and is a 40-week pregnancy. Conceptional age is how old the baby truly is which is a pregnancy dated at 38-weeks long.
WITH JOY
Think of it this way: a woman starts her period. About two weeks after the start of the period, she conceives. Two weeks after that she finds out she is pregnant (well, not in YOUR case, but this is what is typical). The time between that last period and the positive pregnancy test is 4 weeks, but her baby is actually only 2 weeks old. The doctor dates the pregnancy by the LAST MENSTRUAL PERIOD, not by how old the baby actually is. That is what gestational age means.
At this point it doesn't matter when baby ARRIVES, it matters when baby was CONCEIVED.