Taking 12 month old with us for 12 week scan...

[stickybean]

Has anyone taken their baby with them for a 12 week scan?
I am keen to make up some excuse (have't told anyone i am pregnant) and ask my mum to have her for the morning. My DH thinks we should take her with.
I am not that keen in case she plays up or worse if there is bad news (no reason to thik this but always a possibility).

Have you done it? If so how was it?
Would you do it?

[Picante]

I'd go on your own if you can so you can concentrate! Also whether good news or not so good you may get emotional which might upset her as she's so young?

[allaboutme]

I took DS1 with me to mine, he was a bit older (about 16 months ish)
At that age you can pop them in the buggy, its not a very long time so she shouldnt get bored. Take a couple of little toys and something she doesnt normally have but will LOVE and will take a while to work her way through (like a bag of wotsits of something lol)
Good luck!

[ExtraFancy]

Is the scan at an EPAU? If it is, I would tactfully advise you not to take her - the EPAU is often full of women who may be waiting to hear if they have miscarried or not, and the presence of a baby/small child can be awful if you get bad news.

Just my twopenn'orth!

[allaboutme]

I only took DS because I had no babysitter btw. If I had someone on hand who would have taken him with no questioning then that would be a better option tbh.
Why does your DH want her there? if its because he thinks it will be more hassle to leave her behind with your Mum questioning you etc then fair enough, but if its because he wants her to be 'involved' or something like that, then no way take her. She's too young to know any difference and will have much more fun at Nannys house!

[alardi]

I had 1-2 preschool-age DC with me. However, I am very matter-of-fact about potential bad news (false scares are so common ime, that I don't really worry much almost no matter what they might say). Then I attended scan for baby4 all by myself (DH minding the other 3) just so I didn't have to haul the troops and their potential to whinge with us. I couldn't see making any instant decisions without DH, and otherwise I could phone him soon enough about the results (good or bad).

[Picante]

Ooh extrafancy that's a v v good point!

[MaybeAfterBreakfast]

I took ds1 to my scans (12, 20, and later weeks) and not dh (couldn't get time of work, and I didn't see any need for him to come). I didn't have anyone who could take him. He would have been about 16months old I think at the 12 week one.

It was fine but he got very fractious as we had a long, long wait (2 hours). I'd leave her with someone if you have that option.

[Harimosmummy]

I took DS to all of my scans... He was about 10 months at my 20 week scan, AFAIR...

But, I went private, so no waiting about (and even then he did get a little impatient!

All the others, I timed so he'd be asleep!

No-one ever seemed to mind me bringing him with me.

[littleducks]

I was lucky in that my scans with ds were at my local small hosp where you sit in the corridor briefly not in a big waiting room but i did take dd with me she must have been 18 months ish

I have also taken both dcs to gynae scans (which is done on the same scanner in the same room) i just always put the youngest in the buggy and bribe the oldest

When i had mcs, the EPU in in the maternity part of the hosp so i was surrounded by pg people waiting for antenatal mw appointements (but diff scan room as smaller scanner) and in the way out i had to walk through the corridor where mums with newborn babies were being wheeled on bed from labour to post natal ward. TBH it didnt bother me in the slightest but i have just realised that some women might have been devastated by that perhaps the hosp planners should have thought ahead like extrafancy

[stickybean]

Thanks so much everyone, i think the reason he wants her to come with it because it's easier than sorting something else out, i also think he thinks it would be nice.

I agree with you all though, from her perspective it will be boring and long winded sitting in the buggy when she could be playing at her grandmas house. I think my DP has a warped idea of DD as a well behaved little angel he should have been at the midwife appt with me this week where she screamed the entire time!

You've helped me make my mind up, thank you.

[jardins]

When we went for the twelve week scan a few weeks ago we took our 5 year old son as we had just moved to a new part of France and consequently had no one who could look after him. Before going in I asked the doctor if our DS could come in and he promptly retored that it was not the sort of show a 5 year old should see. I must say I kind of agreed with him as a) there could have been bad news, and b) the doctor might have needed to do an internal scan. So unfortunately my DH had to stay in the waiting room! However a 12 month old is not the same as a 5 year old.

[LittleMissBliss]

We took 16m (i think then) ds he was fast asleep through the whole thing. He was a pain in the 20 week scan but the hospital were running an hour behind and i was in the scan room for over 40 minutes. They did have toys and books in the room though, so i think they expect and are used to siblings coming for the scans.

[Egg]

I took DS1 (15 months) to my 8 week scan at EPU as was short notice scan due to spotting and had nobody that could have taken him. I was on my own with him as DH was at work. He sat in his buggy blissfully unaware as I practically blubbed being told it was twins.

I didn't worry about him being present if it was bad news, he was too young really to understand, but did feel awkward in the waiting room with him, knowing that most people are at the EPU because of potential mcs or other complications.

He also came with us for 12 week scan as DH came too (this was at routine ultrasound place not EPU), we both agreed that if he started acting up DH would take him outside to wait so as not to distract the sonographer.

[MrsTittleMouse]

I wouldn't take any age of child to any scan appointment unless I absolutely had no choice. It's very rare, but if the scan had picked up a problem with my baby then I would have wanted to be completely selfish and concentrated entirely on me - and not have to be Mum and look after my child.

Even really good news is emotional as Picante says. When we had DD2 the scans were one of the few times that we could really think about DD2 and concentrate on the fact that we were going to have another little person in our family - instead of concentrating on how we were going to cope with a difficult pregnancy and an active toddler that didn't nap!