Early viability scan - Oxford. Just want peace of mind.

[CaringForPod]

Hello,

Me again. I'm slowly driving myself mad and am considering having an early viability scan done privately in the Oxford area. I just want to see that the baby is alright, at the moment I just don't feel pregnant and want peace of mind.

Off to the GP tomorrow, but my surgery is known for being shockingly unsympathetic, and I don't expect any reassurance.

I've seen there's a place called the Beard Mill Clinic - anyone have any experience of them, or anywhere else?

Should I go ahead with the scan, I'd be about 7 weeks pregnant by the time it happens. I'm not expecting to get a scan that early on the NHS, am I right in thinking that? I've got no history of miscarriages or terminations, but I do have a history of depression and anxiety and just want to actually see physical proof that this pregnancy is real.

I've been in tears on the phone to my husband already today, I just fear the worst.

Anyway, that's my lot for now. Thanks, as always!

I went to Beard Mill at 8 weeks, the doctor there is lovely, and it was so reassuring to see the heart beat... I had had a miscarriage but my surgery weren't interested in reassurance, only if I was actually bleeding.

She takes plenty of time over it and will explain everything to you, all in all it was a lovely experience. Thankfully ours was all fine, but I know she'd also be good if anything were to not be right. It's not cheap in any way, but it was worth it as far as I was concerned to put my mind at ease, for a while anyway. It's not anything like as good as the later scans though when they actually look like babies rather than aliens... but hearing the heartbeat was amazing.

Phone them and they'll advise you the best time re. dates and what can be seen. I hope it all works out for you.

You won't get one on the NHS without current bleeding or a history of recurrent MC IME. I believe you can get scans done privately at the Radcliffe though.

At 7 weeks, they're won't be much to see and you may not hear/see the heartbeat.

Thank you for the quick reply. I really want to go for an early scan, so good to hear feedback about Beard Mill.

I thought I would be so happy when I got pregnant, but all I seem to be doing is worrying about every possible thing. Arrgggh.

Honestly, you won't see much at 7 weeks - probably not even a heart beat. If I were you, I think I'd be even more worried if I had a scan and didn't see a heartbeat. It's such a scary time - you have loads of sympathy.

Scary it is. Not sure my husband quite understands how I'm feeling. He is being a saint, but I'm sure he'd be more worried if he were carrying the baby.

I guess I just need to grin and bear it. I've come off my sleeping meds since finding out I'm pregnant so am just not sleeping either, making all these worrying thoughts worse.

If only I had confidence in my GP, but just think that tomorrow's appointment will give me zilch reassurance. Sigh.

If you can, wait till at least 8 weeks for a reassurrance scan. If your dates are right, you should see a heartbeat by then and that's the best sign of viability you can get from an early scan.

I'm not sure what you want your GP to do TBH. Most GPs are very matter of fact about early pregnancy and early miscarriages, simply because early losses are so common. They're still horrific for each woman, but I can see how GPs end up being matter of fact about it all.

Thanks, I think I'll take up knitting or something! I'm not asking for much from my GP, but they're so blase about everything down there. You could walk in holding a severed leg in your hand and they'd still somehow make you feel stupid for going to see them. People skills would be a start...

I think I know deep down that I should wait a little longer but nerves/panic/worry/anxiety etc are taking over. I only work part time, so I have too much time to think, that's my problem.

Husband due home soon, so I'll brain dump on him.

You WILL see the heart beat at 7 weeks - but may need an internal scan depending on uterine position/your weight - with an internal, the heart beat should be visible pretty much from the time it starts beating (I've seen my DC heartbeat at 5weeks,5 days). However, some units don't offer the internal scan (basically they insert a dildo(!)shaped ultrasound probe into your vagina), I think often because they think the woman won't like it (it's not painful). With an internal scan you also get much better measurement of the fetus and should be able to see the yolk sac and sac size more clearly - all information they can use to assess viability.

Not all private scans have the equipment to do internals - the one I went to at 8 weeks didn't.

I went to Beard Mill Clinc for a private scan and cannot recommend them highly enough. If I had more money I would have been back there every month!

I had a scan at 7+4 and could see baby complete with heartbeat - it was very reassuring and made it all seem much more real. 12 w scan is tomorrow and I'm still nervous, so the early scan isn't necessarily going to take away all your fears. Best of luck with it though

With my first pregnancy I worried the whole time that there would be no heartbeat at the 12 week scan and it made the first trimester more stressul for me. This time I got a private scan at 8 weeks and it was money extremely well spent.

I'd recommend waiting until 8 weeks because if there's a heartbeat then your chanes of m/c drop dramatically.

Congratulations! Chances are all will be fine but I'd always recommend the scan now because it means you can relax a bit and stop obsessing!

Don't worry, Beard Mill has the equipment to do internals (it depends on your dates, body size, foetal position etc.) and will measure sac size to give an indication of viability too. Like I said originally, I think you should just call them, they will advise you the best time to go to really reassure you. As I said too it doesn't take away all your worry, but after my previous experience it really helped me to settle. Of course it's no guarantee but you know that. We've discussed it and if I'm pregnant again in the future my DH and I have both agreed that (provided money wasn't an issue) we'd definitely do it again, Victoria was great, and it helped us both to connect with the pregnancy. Good luck!

Hi Caringforpod,

My husband and I went here for a viability scan at 6 weeks (I needed to be certain before telling my employer) and Victoria was fantasic.

We also ended up here last week after 'baby bump' decided to misbehave at the NHS nuchal scan... very amusing to watch but not very helpful!

Victoria was great, yet again. She made time to see us that evening and gave us a wonderful scan. Baby bump co-operated this time and she was able to give us the nuchal reading.

What was absolutely fascinating though was that she was able to look at every last bit of the baby and show it to us. We saw it's brain, it's lungs, it's bladder.... so much. It was utterly amazing. She also switched to 3D!!

Truly wonderful stuff!! We will be back again before long for another good look at our little one!!

I would second all the previous positive comments about the Beard Mill Clinic. I was very impressed and the ultrasound equipment was top notch - we had the most fantastic pictures of our 7 week embryo, and Victoria even showed us a 3D reconstruction. Had an internal scan and she was so gentle. Obviously it's only reassuring if all is well at the scan but overall I thought it was well worth the money.

I don't want to hijack this thread, so have posted a seperate thread asking if anyone has had a 3/4D scan at Beard Mill

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/1032955-3-4D-scan-at-Beard-Mill-Clinic-Oxford?rnd=1283377308690

Thanks so much for all your comments x