booking appointment now freaking out slightly **could be triggering**

[Ravenclawmom]

so today i had my booking appointment, LMP date makes me 8 weeks. i seen GP last week who took one look at "definate bump" (according to him) and said im either dramatically further along than i think i am, or there could be more than one in there. i felt he was more joking than being serious and put it out of my mind.

Today: booking appointment: MW measurement came out at 16 weeks, so she said "oh at 16 weeks we should hear a heart beat" she then proceeded to look for HB with doppler for quite a long time and couldnt find one. her response to this was "My prediction is twins, that are less than 16 weeks thats why we cant find a heartbeat yet"
she has sent my notes off and has asked for an "urgent scan"

is this normal? my last pregnancy was 5 years ago and was supposed to be multiple but baby b did not develop after 6 weeks.

Im now stressing that she couldnt hear HB when she said she should be able to, im also now toying with the idea of multiples. she wrote it quie afew times on my notes "? multiples"

Any advice would be great. i know that i wont know for definite until i get my scan but i was hoping someone could give me some advice on how to calm myself down about everything. should she have rang the assessment unit when she couldnt find HB? i dont know.
i dont even know if i should be posting on this board but it seemed like the best place to go.

Thanks in advance for any replies/reassurance.

can you afford a private scan? I think I paid about £70 in central London. I just couldn't wait until 12 weeks to see the baby. that's your only option really.

What was it that was measuring 16 weeks?

I have never had my bump measured until much later in pregnancy and have never heard of anyone being measured at booking in.

Also please don’t panic, Doppler are not really reliable that early in pregnancy.

I think the midwife and doctor have really confused you (as they would have anyone!!) I would call up tomorrow and explain, and see if you can get an early scan.

I'm sure an urgent scan will be in next week?

And hoping it's good news for you x

In my area they don't listen for the heartbeat at 16 week appointment anymore as there's such a high chance of not finding it and causing undue anxiety. If that's any reassurance. It's strange they are measuring your bump though. It there confusion over your LMP?

she felt my tummy to see where the top of my womb is and worked out how far away from my pubic bone it was which gave her the measurement of 16 weeks. she only looked because i already have a noticeable bump so she thought i was further on than 8 weeks.
i will come back and update when i have had a scan, i will also look into private scans and see if the budget allows for one.

she didnt seem concerned but told me shes putting me as high dependency "just incase" and i have to call her after my scan to let her know if her "prediction" is right (her words not mine).

i presumed the "bump" was due to early pregnancy bloating but she said it looked more like a bump than bloat. its so confusing.

Thanks for your replies ladies, i really do appreciate having people who i can talk to about this. i havent told anyone and dont plan to until after my scan (except my DH obviously).

What terrible practice. The doctor should not just look at your abdomen and speculate like that and the midwife should know better than to just hazard a guess based on such little information. I'm a midwife and we don't just make guesses in front of women, it's not fair.

I’m assuming you’ve already had a dating scan if you’re 16 weeks. If so, did they not see more than one baby of the screen? As others have said, they don’t normally start measuring fundal height until 24+ weeks so it’s odd that she measured you.

Also never say 'bump' to women! Its just a slang term and means nothing in terms of gestation

i haven't had any scans as i should only be 8 weeks tomorrow based on LMP. got positive result after missed period 2 weeks ago. (my cycles are another matter completely) so booked in with GP to confirm and then with MW for today.
It was only from her feeling how large my uterus is that she said 16 weeks, i dont really have a "bump" when i lay down but she said top of womb is at my bellybutton.

Thanks again for all your insight. x

Definitely off that she measured you. I don’t recall being measured until much much later in both pregnancies.
“You’re measuring 16 weeks, 16 weeks we can hear a heartbeat so let’s try” SCREAMS unprofessional to me

Here’s hoping you get the result you want.

yeah i felt her attitude to the whole thing was quite "unprofessional" i think she got quite caught up in the whole idea of "? multiples" especially with how many times she wrote it on my notes. i was hoping for some clarity today but came out more confused.
Thank you for your advice. like i said i will come back and update when i know whats going on inside myself

x

Definitely off that she measured you. I don’t recall being measured until much much later in both pregnancies.
“You’re measuring 16 weeks, 16 weeks we can hear a heartbeat so let’s try” SCREAMS unprofessional to me

Also I am pregnant with twins but I still didn't have a bump or my uterus up to belly button at 8 weeks.

Update**
So got a phone call yesterday afternoon from frantic lady at ultrasound department who had "ONLY JUST" received my paperwork from last Wednesday. Went for my scan today and womb is tilted. Baby measured 8 weeks today but could find no heart beat.
I'm obviously devastated, gone from "possibly two" to none in a week. Thank you everyone for your support prior to this news.

Wishing you every health and happiness in your journeys. Xxxxx

Oh Ravenclawmom I'm so sorry the news wasn't better. What a horribly stressful few weeks you've had

I'm so sorry op. That's awful.

Thanks ladies. It means a lot x

Oh OP! I’m so sorry.

So sorry Raven

So sorry to hear this Raven take care xx