Dialogue 7

D: How are you, Mrs Wallace?

P: I’m fine.

D: Have you brought your urine sample?

P: Yes, here it is.

D: I’ll just check it. Fine, just slip off your coat… Urine is all clear. Now if you’d like to lie down on the couch, I’ll take a look at the baby. I’ll just measure to see what height it is. Right. The baby seems slightly small.

P: How do you know that?

D: I measure from the top of your womb to your pubic bone. The number of centimetres is roughly equal to the number of weeks you’re pregnant. In your case, it’s 29 centimetres but you’re 32 weeks pregnant.

P: Why do you think the baby’s small?

D: It might be because your dates are wrong. Remember you weren’t sure of your last period. The best thing would be to have another scan done. I’ll make an appointment for you next week.

P: Which way round is the baby lying?

D: The baby’s in the right position. It’s coming head first. Now I’m going to listen for the baby’s heartbeat. That’s fine. Can you hear it? It’s quite clear. Have you noticed any swelling of your ankles?

P: Not really.

D: Let’s have a quick look. No, they seem to be all right. Now, would you like to sit up and I’ll take your blood pressure.

P: Right.

D: It’s quite normal. Now I’ll take a sample of blood to check your haemoglobin. Fine. You can get your shoes and coat on again now.