Anyone not being offered a 12 week scan?

[hopefully]

My doctor has just informed me that my first scan will be my 20 week one. I am fairly horrified, as I have a MMC phobia, and surely it's important to have some kind of early scan? I was completely surprised and didn't even question it, but now I'm not amused.

I'm already paying for one private scan as I want to request flexible working, and want to ensure everything's ok before I tell work. However, I didn't exactly budget for paying for 2!

Anyone else been in this situation? Incidentally, I'm in West Sussex, so if anyone knows if it's normal in this trust, that would be interesting too...

[GColdtimer]

We got 2 "free scans". A dating scan at about 8 weeks and a 20 week scan. We also paid for a nuchal scan at 12 weeks which was about £120 I think. That is in Oxfordshire. If you are already paying for one scan, why do you need another one at 12 weeks?

[FoghornLeghorn]

Sweetkitty on the Due in July board has experienced the same but she is in Scotland.
When is your private scan booked for ? How many weeks willyou be ?

[VanillaPumpkin]

I only had a 20 week scan in York in 2003. It was my first pregnancy and I had not found Mumsnet so I knew no different.

[goingfor3]

I know in West Herts you also only get a 20 week scan. If you are having a private scan soon then surely you won't need another until 20 weeks as it's main purpose is dating and can be done at your private scan, although I am also pregnant after a mc so understand the more scans the better!

[Alishanty]

Hi I live in the Bristol area and as I understand you are not routinely offered a 12 wk scan. My last pg I had one at 8 wks as I was unsure of my dates and am getting one this time at about 13 wks as my cycle is not regular. If you know your dates they make you wait until 20 wks. Think its the same in the Wiltshire area aswell. I'm lucky I'm getting one as I wouldn't be able to afford to go private.

[hopefully]

I'm having the private one at nearly 8 weeks for reassurance rather than dating, as I need to inform work but wanted to make sure everything was fine before I told them, but was looking forward to the added reassurance of a 12 week one before telling everyone. It's not the end of the world by any means, but I was assuming I'd get it and am now traumatised! I guess if it's worrying me I can always fork out for another one. Grrr.

[McDreamy]

I was offered one in York on condition I had all the screening blood tests. No blood test no 12 weeks scan. That was 3 years ago.

[mustsleep]

in leeds you get two free scans, one at around 12 weeks and the other at twenty and i do beliveve that if you go over term you have another

[Loshad]

But you don't really need a 12 week scan, and there is a distinct lack of evidence to be certain that repeated scans don't have an effect on the developing foetus. I only had a 20 week scan with all of mine.

[mustsleep]

i was under the impression that a12 week scan was to check viablilty and if there was more than one in there etc

i also thought it was to determine if the spine had formed properly, i would certainly not be pleased if you only got one scan

[hopefully]

The main reason I want one is because I have two friends who have had a MMC discovered at a 12 weeks scan, and the thought of not finding that out and not knowing that something had gone wrong at the earliest possible opportunity. I also understood it was to confirm things were developing appropriately, but maybe I just made that bit up.

[dillinger]

In my area you only get offered the one scan at 20 weeks, and to be honest I didnt look into paying for a 12 week scan etc

[KelaS]

Same in my area - only 20 week is routine, although they do dating scans earlier if necessary - I had one at what I thought was 12/13 weeks (turned out to be 15 weeks so glad I had it!!)

Not sure of this, but would MW not be able to hear a heartbeat by 12 weeks? So, assuming you have an appointment around then at least you can be reassured that LO is still there as it were, and doing ok, which I think is pretty much all they can tell at 12 week scan - potential problems tend to get picked up at 20 weeks as far as I am aware.

[becaroo]

I didnt get a 12 weeks scan with my ds. I got one at 20 weeks and that was it.

Unfortunately, he was born with undiagnosed IUGR and so I would say if you really want a scan pay for one privately.

I am going to a different hospital this time just so I get 2 scans - 12 and 20 weeks!!!

[DITDOT]

I had to pay for 1 12 week scan and blood tests in York. £200. Seems to depend on how in debt your health authority are!! Had to book ages in advance also and do all the sorting out myself, including posting a vial of blood off through the normal post!!!!

[VanillaPumpkin]

McDreamy - That is interesting. I refused bloods when in York. I wonder if that is why I got no 12 weeker???

[hopefully]

Maybe I'll see how stressed I feel about it a bit further down the line and decide then - if they detect a heartbeat at 8 weeks and with the m/w at an appointment (assuming they bother to give me one of those!!), maybe I'll feel a bit less stressed about it. Only time will tell I guess.

[mustsleep]

mmmmm loverly a vile of blood, how did you manage to sort that out did you have a diy kit ( not sure i would be able to do that to myslf )

yuck

[McDreamy]

Vanilla - when were you at York? I was there in 2003 - 2005.

[Olihan]

IIRC it's very unlikely that a mw will be able to pick up the hb at 12 weeks with a doppler. At 12 weeks the uterus is still in the pelvis so it makes it almost impossible to pick it up that early. I think 16 weeks is about the time it can be reliably picked up.

I only had routine 20 week scans with all 3 of my pgs. With dd (#2) I had a dating scan at 12 weeks because my cycle was irregular but it wasn't offered to everyone. That was in Bristol. With ds1 I didn't even see a mw until 11/12 weeks when I had my booking in appt. With dd and ds2 I had an 'early bird' appt which consisted of them handing over a pack of leaflets about what to eat/not to eat, giving up smoking and a couple of other things. So don't be surprised by the amount of care you may not get before 12 weeks.

Is this your first pg or have you mc'd before? If it's your first pg and you have no history of mc I doubt you'd even be able to convince anyone that you needed an earlier scan.

What about a nuchal fold scan? Will you be having one of those done privately? That's done around the 11 - 14 week mark and will check in more detail the welfare of the baby. NHS 12 week scans really only check heart beat and size/date correlation.

[mustsleep]

olihan, this is my 3rd pregnancuy and i have been as early as 6 weeks and the mw has been able to pick the heartbeat up

[Hulababy]

When I had DD in Sheffield there was only one scan offered, mine was at about 16 weeks IIRR. They have since brouht in both scans.

[McDreamy]

Haven't been as early as 12 weeks but I remember DH bringing his doppler home from work when I was 12 weeks and he found DDs heartbeat although he did warn me he might not be able to find it.....but he did and she sounded wonderful!

[whomovedmychocolate]

I've been able to pick up a heartbeat using my doppler since 9 weeks. I'm also in Oxfordshire, because I had a bleed early on, I had a viability scan. If you have one of those they don't give you a 12 week scan, only a 20 week one. Mines at about 24 weeks though because there is a waiting list - which kinda begs the question - if there was an anomaly, how exactly would that work?

[lailasmum]

with my first pregnancy I just had a 20 week. with this one I have had 12 week, 20 week and will have 37week. Same area but things have changed. Would have been handy to have the dating scan with my first pg as when I went to have my 20wk scan they said baby was too small, my dates were wrong and to come back about 3 weeks later.