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Pregnancy

private viability scan advice. please help

27 replies

Piffyonarockbun · 16/07/2013 14:55

I am 8+4 with a much longed for pregnancy. My last pregnancy ended 2 years ago with a mmc. Discovered at 10 weeks, baby died at 8. I then had severe spinal problems which needed surgery so despite the desperate feeling of wanting to try again immediately i was unable to. I also dont find it easy to fall pregnant so it all takes time.

My trust will not give me an early scan. Fair enough. Up until the last couple of days i havent wanted one. When i first found out i was pregnant i felt so sure it would be ok. Was really positive and happy. The last few days though i have felt less sure and i am now actively stopping myself thinking of a baby or being excited as i dont want to get too invested.

I am terrified of getting to my 12 weeks scan only to find another mmc. But i am also terrified of having a scan full stop. Im desperate to know but i really dont want to iyswim. I know im probably hard to understand. I know if i get a scan now and there is a heartbeat then my chances of a mc go down but i also know that a scan is a snapshot and it could still all go wrong at 12 weeks.

My dh thinks we should have a private scan. He has found ultrasound direct. I was wondering if any of you lovely lot have used them and if they are any good? Im in yhe bnorth east of england if anyone has any other recommendations. Also if you have a similar tale to mine if an early scan did actually make you feel better and more relaxed or if you just worried more.

Im sorry. I know this is epic. I started off this pregnancy very zen and what will be etc but the more time goes on the more im terrified by the thought of being back to square one again. Any advice or wise words would be much appreciated

OP posts:
beth27123 · 16/07/2013 15:36

If you're looking at the Newcastle branch I give full recommendations. They're a fantastic company.

MikeLitoris · 16/07/2013 15:39

Not used them but I had a privaye viability scan elsewhere and it did wonders for my nerves.

Good luck with the pg.

comfyonesie2 · 16/07/2013 15:42

I had an early scan at 7+4 privately. It cost £90 and was worth every penny even though we can't really afford it as we saw a heartbeat Smile I am still worried about the 12 week scan, so it hasn't taken that away as obviously things can go wrong at any time. But, I would say go for it & I really hope it's good news for you!

heronsfly · 16/07/2013 15:53

My dd1 had a mmc three years ago, it was a heartbreaking time as, like you she and her dh found it hard to conceive in the first place.
She fell pregnant again very quickly, but she had no joy in the pregnancy because of fear of a repeat, she had a private viability scan and swears it saved her sanity, although when she went for her 12 week nhs scan she told the sonographer to not turn the screen round until they could tell her there was a strong heartbeat,my lovely dgd is 2 now Grin
My dd is pregnant again, and although more relaxed this time she has had another private scan for reassurance, she told me once that she doesn't think she will ever be able to look forward to a scan the way other people do.
I think you should have one, it will put your mind at rest and then it wont be long till your nhs scan.

Piffyonarockbun · 16/07/2013 15:55

Thank you for the replies. I just started out so positively and now all that has gone away and i feel a bit numb. Last time i seemed to know something was wrong from the start but this time i felt so good!!

I think i might feel better if i saw sonething though so have booked a scan for sunday. Its a lot of money but im hoping that ill have a result like yours comfy Smile

OP posts:
Rosenip · 16/07/2013 16:15

Congratulations on your pregnancy, as somebody who has also had a MMC, I understand where you're coming from. The NHS offered us a provate scan at about 9 weeks, just as we had booked our private one, which we cancelled.

It was good to have the scan - but... it calmed me down for about 2 days. The I felt as I had done before and worried until the 12 week scan, and then the 20 weeks scan (which was yesterday).

I agree with the poster that said her dd felt scans would always be tricky for her after the MMC and I do think that's true... thing is, having a scan won't change the outcome of the pregnancy and there isn't much time to wait inbetween 8/9 weeks and the 12 week scan...

but remember, today you are pregnant!

comfyonesie2 · 16/07/2013 16:25

Good luck Piffy, let us know how you get on!

JoJoManon · 16/07/2013 16:27

doctoranddaughter.co.uk/?page_id=19

According to the above website you are entitled to an early scan:

Waiting 12 weeks until the all-important scan can feel unbearable. However, as soon as you have made contact with your doctor or midwife, you can request a dating scan which will confirm your pregnancy and help you to plan the date of your 12 week scan and nuchal scan (should you chose to have one). Many people do not seem to know that this early scan is available to them ? and perhaps your GP or doctor may not be forthcoming in offering this to you, but it is a provision made by the NHS for pregnant women in this country.

You should bear in mind that until some time between 6 and 7 weeks, a heartbeat is unlikely to be detected in the embryo, so a scan at 4-5 weeks can only show that conception has occurred, and not that a fully formed embryo is developing. It is ideal to wait until at least 6 weeks before you go for a scan as the results of a scan before then may be inconclusive and disappointing.

Christelle2207 · 16/07/2013 16:35

I had a scan with ultrasound direct at what turned out to be 8w4 days- I deliberately waited till after 8 weeks because by then there should be a hb and if there is, chances of it working out, other things being equal, I believe are about 98%.
They were lovely to me, I wasn't there long though- about 15 minutes and the nhs scans were much more thorough. Unlike you I didn't have a previous miscarriage but was ttc for years without success so also very anxious. In my case I then had less than 4 weeks till the nhs scan and it definitely made the wait more bearable and the whole thing was amazing to watch and also (for me) reassuring. I could see my little bean jumping around and his heart beating clearly. Am now 38 weeks. Let us know how you get on.

Christelle2207 · 16/07/2013 16:38

Ps my husband found it very reassuring too and appreciated living with a (slightly) less nervous wreck afterwards.

Piffyonarockbun · 16/07/2013 16:48

I didnt know that about the early scan. Thought i would have to have spotting or something to get one on the nhs. Im hoping that seeing a heartbeat will calm me down a bit as i have read on here that it is a good sign.

I keep telling myself that i am pregnant till something happens to show otherwise but after one mmc i know that i could just be fooling myself. Its horrible when something goes wrong with your first as i dont think you get that 'innocence' back iyswim. I see pregnant friends who blithely assume it will all be ok and it never crosses their mind it could be anything else. Id love to get that feeling back Smile. Pregnancy looks so easy till you give it a go yourself Grin

At least with this early scan ill get a piccie so even if it does go wrong ill have a little reminder Smile.

Im feeling a bit less panicky now so i think the scan is the right thing to do. Thanks for all the advice. It has all helped. I feel much better!!

OP posts:
HappyJoyful · 16/07/2013 16:48

Congratulations.

I was lucky to finally conceive after 5 cycles of IVF, I was a bundle of nerves, despite an early scan at the the IVF hospital to confirm there was a heartbeat.

It felt like an eternity. I know how you feel though as you say, I kept thinking I'd go for another scan privately - on 'bad' days, I'd spend all day frantically emailing clinics to see if they had appointments for that day and then somehow feel reassured by the fact I could get one if needed and didn't need one! Does that make sense?! A close friend however had a number of miscarriages and went weekly between 8- 12 weeks for a private scan and she said it saved her sanity and relationship, so if you can afford it and feel it will help you, I'd go.. I think with me I felt I couldn't afford it and it would almost feel more stressful!

Alternatively, I do suspect if you could chat about your anxiety to your GP then you may be able to get referred for an appointment for a quick reassurance scan.. surely they must offer this as someone says if you push it - don't be afraid to. I know friends who had IVF and they had a panic and thought there was some blood and went to A&E and were reassured with a blood test and a positive outcome.

Good luck

HappyJoyful · 16/07/2013 16:50

Piffy, we cross posted.. don't get me started on friends that just think all is ok. I wish you well

Piffyonarockbun · 16/07/2013 17:14

Thank you happy. I cant imagine how hard it must have been for you. Im so glad you finally got there . I might actually ring the midwife tomorrow and ask. I will probably be dismissed as neurotic but its worth a try Grin

OP posts:
ananikifo · 16/07/2013 17:26

I believe ultrasound direct is the same company as baby bond? If so I used them at 9 weeks in Manchester. It was a positive experience. They were lovely and professional, and showed us a heartbeat trace which we didn't see on the NHS scans. It was all on a big screen tv and we couldn't take our eyes off of it. I'm not sure what the NHS does in early scans but this scan was less detailed than our 13 or 20 week scans, because there was less to see. She did measure the foetus and date it, and write a report which we could have shown to the mw but she wasn't interested. They also gave us tons of pictures.

CheeseFondueRocks · 16/07/2013 17:53

Yes, Ultrasound direct is Babybond. We used them in both pregnancies and they are great. The sonographer is the same that does our NHS scans. It's just her second job.

In this pregnancy, we had the scan at 8+4. And yes, if you see a heartbeat at that stage, your risk of miscarriage goes down to 1.5%. With a heartbeat at 12 weeks it's between 0.5 and 1%, so really not that much difference.

Yes, you can see a heartbeat and still miscarry before the 12 week scan but the same can happen with/after the 12 week scan. The chances are very similar.

For us, the early scan was always so valuable for peace of mind.

maybemyrtle · 16/07/2013 17:58

Hi. Congratulations on your pregnancy :)

I'm in a similar situation to you, pregnant again after a mmc in March 2012, that was picked up at the 12 week scan. I'm only 5-6 weeks along but we've already decided on having a scan in 3 weeks for all the reasons you've given.

Really just wanted to post to wish you luck and reassure you that your post and concerns resonate. Flowers

williwonti · 16/07/2013 20:28

Congrats. This has been really useful for me too, as I have been thinking of having a private scan in 2 weeks (when I'll be 8 weeks). I know it doesn't guarantee anything but will possibly (hopefully) make the wait that bit easier.

Piffyonarockbun · 16/07/2013 20:40

Its so nice to know im not alone. Iv had to tell work im expecting. My job makes it really obvious so i had to tell people before i was even comfortable with it myself.

None of my friends or family outside work know so its like some parallel universe!! My workmates know about my previous mmc. I just dont know what to say to them. They ask questions out of interest. Do i want a boy or a girl etc and i just think in my head. I just want a baby. Iv not even thought past finding a baby there yet!! They mean well but in the last 3 years there have been 11 babies born to my close colleagues. 2 within the last month and one on my previous due date (how unlucky!!) and another have just had their 12 week scan.

Im still trying to get my head round everything and had noone to talk to so its really helped getting it down here. I hope you all in the same boat as me have good news for your scans Smile. Ill update aftery scan on sunday. Fingers crossed Grin

OP posts:
maggiethemagpie · 16/07/2013 20:53

I went down the private scan route. I was convinced I would miscarry ( I had never done so before but several of my friends did). however I agree with one of the posters above who said it only reassured her for a couple of days. I ended up having a scan weekly between weeks 5 and 12, as well as my NHS scans - plus a private one at 20 weeks too.
Looking back now, I feel I wasted a lot of money but I just kept needing that reassurance. I wish I'd just had one or two private scans and not kept going back there like some sort of addict! I dread to think how much money I spent, it could have bought us a new pram and more!

Anyway all was well so I shouldn't complain. What I'm saying is, if you go down the private scan route don't give in to the need to keep having them - if I was pregnant again I may have one at 6 weeks to see a heartbeat and then again at 12 weeks to check for downs/anomalies ( I had a really thorough scan at 'this is my' which was far superior to the NHS one which only checked to see if there was a baby there) but apart from that I'd save my money.
This is my have centres in the north, they are really good - better than babybond in my opinion.

SunshineMiddle · 17/07/2013 14:45

I had a mmc last year. I'm now 29 weeks pregnant. I found that a private scan at 8 weeks really helped to reassure me and break up the time before the 12 week scan. I also reasoned that if things had gone wrong again I'd want to know sooner rather than later.

I totally get what you say about that loss of innocence.

Piffyonarockbun · 17/07/2013 16:12

I promised an update so here goes. I had booked a private scan for sunday but decided i would ring the epau and tell them i was anxious. They dealt with my previous mmc so were really understanding and got me in this afternoon for a quick scan.

I was so stressed and shakey and at first i couldnt see anything but thankfully there was a heartbeat and a baby measuring almost exactly right at 8+6. DH and i burst into tears and nearly set the sonographer off. Im very lucky to have got the service i did today from the nhs. They were wonderful. They even gave me a picture of our little blob!!

I feel so much more positive and knowing the odds of things going well have gone up i feel a lot better.

Thanks for all your advice and support. It really helped knowing i wasnt alone. Smile

OP posts:

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maybemyrtle · 17/07/2013 18:03

Ah Piffy thanks for the update, that's made me smile lots :) Good to know too that they were so understanding, maybe I should speak to them rather than go down the private route first. Thanks for raising this, definitely made me think!

So very happy for you - and congratulations, again. Happy & healthy 9 months! Flowers

HappyJoyful · 18/07/2013 09:38

Ahhh, lovely to hear that piffy. Made me go all gooey!

Pentagon · 18/07/2013 12:13

piffy I've just seen this thread and can't tell you how happy I am to read that all is going well. I have had 2 MMCs (1st pregnancy and 3rd - 2nd pregnancy was successful and resulted in my beautiful DD and I'm now 25 weeks with number 2) so can totally sympathise! But you've passed the critical stage and, as mentioned above, the risk of miscarriage is minimal. Enjoy your pregnancy (you certainly will after 12 weeks and even more so after your 20 week scan), all the best! x

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