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Original poster

Were children ever allowed in scans?

163 replies

Chocoqueen · 28/02/2021 15:57

I'm currently expecting my first baby, and all the appointment letters I've had say no children in scan. Obviously this isn't a problem, and I get the reasons but I was wondering if that's always been the case? I distinctly remember going to one of my mum's scans when she was pregnant with my youngest sibling in the mid-90's, I'd have been about 6 or 7, and my other sibling a year younger. Childcare wouldn't have been an issue as my dad was in the scan as well and my grandparents all lived close by and babysat a lot so we could have gone to theirs if needed. Does anyone else remember doing this?

OP posts:
Clymene · 01/03/2021 04:56

They weren't allowed in my hospital. I would never take them either. I found out that my baby had died at a 12 week scan and I have two friends who found out their babies had severe abnormalities at their 20 week scans.

As a PP said, it's a medical appointment, not a fun day out.

Waves12345 · 01/03/2021 06:02

With my three children (2011/2013/2016) I brought them for all scans, I checked before and was OK.

YouCantBeSadHoldingACupcake · 01/03/2021 06:59

My 3 year old was at all my scans for my 1 year old (had regular growth scans) and on the letters it said that your well behaved children were fine to attend. it's only since COVID that they are not allowed in my area.

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Angel2702 · 01/03/2021 07:07

I had to take my eldest for some scans but o think the 20 week scan they asked for no children as it’s important they aren’t distracted.

BlackSabbath · 01/03/2021 07:08

My DC came to their younger siblings NHS scans, it was no problem. It wasn't stated on the letter that children weren't allowed, and nobody said anything when we got there. I was last pregnant 3 years ago so may have changed since then. Also I'm in the noth east

Magicbabywaves · 01/03/2021 07:12

I took my eldest (9 months at the time) to a scan in 2014.
I then took her again when she was four to a 20 week scan.

Both at two different London hospitals.

uytp · 01/03/2021 07:16

Children are allowed in scans at my hospital, currently, but the sonographer reserves the right to stop the scan if they are too distracting

NoParticularPattern · 01/03/2021 07:17

Depends on the hospital and sometimes the sonographer. Mine have always said no kids on the basis of childcare being unavailable but if there’s someone else with you (in my case my husband) who can look after them then they’ve never had a problem (pre covid). Apart from one unusually miserable sonographer who I’m quite sure would prefer to do all scans without actually seeing anyone at all in the flesh. She once told my husband that he was not allowed in to my 12 week scan because it was “policy”. Despite me holding a letter from said hospital that said he was. And that was 2017 so waaaaaaayyyyy before covid. I haven’t seen her for a long time so I wonder if the realisation that patient facing roles do actually involve, erm, patients has led her elsewhere.

VivaLeBeaver · 01/03/2021 07:20

Where I work policies were tightened up around 20 years ago to heavily discourage this. Couple of incidents of people getting bad news at scans. Not appropriate for a toddler/young child to see their parents that upset and then be sat in on discussions about termination which happened.

Then sonographers starting to say they were worried about being distracted during scans. That they’d miss something while being distracted. I’m not a sonographer but have been in dozens of scans and they certainly do seem to concentrate like crazy....I can imagine having a small child burbling away or wriggling wanting to get down makes it harder.

CharlieAteMyCake · 01/03/2021 07:23

Ds1 was a toddler and we had to take him to my 20 week scan with Ds2 who was born in 2006. Dh was responsible for Ds1 whilst I had the scan. Ds1 also came to all my midwife appointments too as I was a SAHM with no help, we had just moved to a new area and we knew no-one.

bluebluezoo · 01/03/2021 07:31

Scans weren’t around when I was a child.

I don’t think children should be allowed in. It’s a medical examination, and if everything isn’t OK the it would make a horrible situation a million times worse.

Friends of ours made the 12 week scan into a big thing for their 7 year old. “We’ve got a big surprise for you”, took the kid out of school, made a big day of it

Fortunately everything was Ok but I couldn’t understand that attitude at all.

Sonographers aren’t there to show a child their baby sibling, their job is to look for issues.

Luckystar1 · 01/03/2021 07:34

I had my middle child 4 years ago, and her older sibling was at the scans. He was only a baby himself.

Had the youngest during COVID so, nobody attended anything except me.

yikesanotherbooboo · 01/03/2021 07:47

When did regular scanning start?
I had a 12 week scan with DC2 in 1993 and had a baby in buggy with me. DH was at work and although DPs could attend antenatal appointments it wasn't an expectation in the way it is now. By the time of DC3 in 2000/2001 my DH did come to 12 week scan but I had no preschoolers then. I agree as above though, if DP is available to attend scans they should be the child care. Social norms have changed a lot eg pregnant women remaining in work nearly until their due date, partners being able to take time off for antenatal care and after the delivery, much longer maternity leave and thus fewer SAHMs etc so some of the changes around children might be practical.

Girlwhowearsglasses · 01/03/2021 07:52

DS1 came with me to 12 week scan in 2008. He was 18 months old.

"Do you have just the one child already?" Asked the sonographer, before asking if we wanted "the good news or the bad news" and telling us we were having twins Hmm.

DaisyDreaming · 01/03/2021 07:59

Yes they were, I was there when they found my mum had miscarried

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 01/03/2021 08:00

@bluebluezoo

Scans weren’t around when I was a child.

I don’t think children should be allowed in. It’s a medical examination, and if everything isn’t OK the it would make a horrible situation a million times worse.

Friends of ours made the 12 week scan into a big thing for their 7 year old. “We’ve got a big surprise for you”, took the kid out of school, made a big day of it

Fortunately everything was Ok but I couldn’t understand that attitude at all.

Sonographers aren’t there to show a child their baby sibling, their job is to look for issues.

That’s a risky move even after you consider the potential for bad news at the scan.

My DD1 was 6 when we told her (after our 12w scan) she was having a sibling. She had spent about a year telling us she wanted us to have a baby so she could have a sister. Her reaction when we told her? She cried. It was too overwhelming for her. If we had taken her to the scan and that had been the first she heard about it and she cried then, that would have been really distracting for everyone in the room.

Girlwhowearsglasses · 01/03/2021 08:01

Just to add, we didn't have any childcare and it was a Saturday (they were behind in scans and had scheduled extra scans). Aftett hat I had many, many scans and wouldn't have talken DS to them. It was really really difficult as sometimes you would be waiting two hours for a scan and paying a sitter who needed to go or ask a favour was a big ask. Even having my mum with me to have DS1 in the waiting room whilst I went in for scan was really stressful as he was really active and there wasn't any thing for him to do. When you're worrying about your two babies in utero for scans that's stress city.
Don't know the solution but I do think pre COVID down hospitals could have creches set up in the way some local authority leisure centre have them (pay for an hour or two). I think it does stop new mums getting healthcare sometimes too so it's important for women's health

RufustheSniggeringReindeer · 01/03/2021 09:43

We has a sex scan privately about 18 years ago and the children were there as well as MIL and my dad!

Obviously something could have been wrong but honestly that never crossed our minds...only dh and i attended earlier scans and because the other two children were scanned at an NHS hospital A) they wouldn’t tell us B) we didnt want to know anyway

zigaziga · 01/03/2021 09:48

I had a two year old with me at a scan about 2 years a go.
I think the only rule as such was that there should be another adult who can take the child out if needed etc.

zigaziga · 01/03/2021 09:49

In fact, at the hospital in the scanning area there were plenty of toys for younger kids so it was definitely a thing and that’s not long a go at all.

trevthecat · 01/03/2021 09:51

Depends on the trust. They can where I am

SoCrimeaRiver · 01/03/2021 09:56

At our hospital, you could have older children in the waiting room but not in the scanning room, so dads / grandparents / mum's friends clog the seats so pregnant women had to stand Hmm. This was 2009. I don't think they can prevent you taking the DC into the waiting room, pre-Covid, as you often saw extended family outings with pregnant women, dad, sister, both parents, best friend etc. proper family outing, but they all stayed in the waiting room, and only one person plus the pregnant woman could go in for the scan.

Quit4me · 01/03/2021 09:57

My 2 year old came in for my 12 week scan in 2011 (south England) wasn’t even questioned

Keiki · 01/03/2021 10:00

My trust started doing a third scan in 2018 and DC1 came along to that one, but didn't stay for all of it. Lots of children in the waiting room with their parents at that time for various scans, it was our choice not to have DC1 at earlier scans in case of issues.

JTTWC · 01/03/2021 10:14

My daughter who was 2 came with me in 2017! She was an absolute terror and quite soon after that the hospital stopped allowing children at the scans. Well I think the age limit is now 11 and over!

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