Should I have been offered 20 week appt?

[belfast80]

Hello,
I had my booking in appointment today and I am 9+1 (thought I was 10+5 but dates were wrong, arrgg, another week of feeling rubbish!). Apart from a horrible wee registrar making me feel like rubbish for wanting to talk to a consultant about an elective section, it all went well. But..this is my first pregnancy so I am not sure what the protocol is but I have shared care with my GP and the hospital and have booked in for the quadruple test and scan at 16 weeks but then I have no other appointment until 29 weeks. After reading some of the threads on here it would seen that a 20 week scan is pretty standard - is that the case?
Thanks in advance.

I used to live in Edinburgh and for a few years up until recently you weren't offered a routine 20 week scan, though they do now.

I believe that there are some that don't so that maybe the case where you are.

You say that your are booked in for the quadruple test and scan at 16 weeks though, so it wouldn't surprise me then that you didn't get a third.

I'm not sure how shared care works but do you have access to a community mw attached to your surgery?

Am sure she would be able to answers your questions a bit more thoroughly. Don't be frightened to her ask as I think different HCTs offer different appointment structures etc.

I'm in Belfast so that might be the case. I think I can chat to a midwife in my GP surgery so will phone the antenatal dept. and ask them or give her a call. It's all so daunting :)

where abouts are you? in england now the national screening committee is trying to get every women to have a dating or nuchal scan at around 11-12 weeks and a 20 week anomlay scan. it does depend on where you live.

Hello pinkheart - I am in Belfast. Have not been offered the nuchal scan and had the dating scan today at my booking appointment. Am very confused by it all!

Round my way we have scans at 12 & 20 wks, but I think the timing & frequency will depend on your health authority.

My MW gave me a schedule of when I would be having scans/blood tests etc - very useful!

I live close to two hospitals. The one I'm under do a routine 12 week scan and the Nuchal fold test, followed by 21 week scan. The other hospital seems to only do the 20 week scan, so if you want to have a 12 week one you have to pay to have it done privately. So Hospitals really vary.
Do you have a reason to elect for a caesarean? (I noticed you said this was your first.) If you don't have a specific reason this is probably why you didn't get much response back. I had a normal delivery first time round and when I was expecting twins I presumed I'd be able to opt for an elective cs, I couldn't have been more wrong, they didn't want to know unless there was a medical reason for me to have one.

in mids its 12 and 20 weeks for scan
nuchal private only - nhs bloods at 17-19 weeks instead
mw appts - i had booking in, 15 weeks, 20 weeks & next is 25...

the dating scan is almost the same as a nuchal scan with the exception that they do a blood test and measure the back of babys neck on the scan, putting the two results together to calculate your risk of downs syndrome (called the combined screening test) you may be able to pay privatly to have this done, although it very much depends on position of baby and your body size if they achieve the nucal scan) imo the quad test is better as it tests for more things that the combined screening does, its only draw back is that its tests laster on in gestation so if the results were not as you would hope it doesnt give you as long to make decisions as to what you would want to do re: amnio, termination, leave nature to its course etc. of you course you dont have to have any screening if you dont want to, if knowing the results wouldnt alter your decision to continue with the pregnancy then theres no need to have it done.
its all confusing i know!
If your only offered a scan at 16 weeks, again you could always pay for a private scan or a private 4d scan later on in your pregnancy.

Combined care with gp/midwife is very common in my area. they get maybe 2 appts at the hospital to see the drs here and then back out to the midwives. i feel its better on a personal level as you get to build a relationship with your midwife rather than seeing different registras and not getting to see the actual consultant at the hospital.

have a good chat with your midwife and see what she has to say.
good luck with everything and hope you feel better soon

Thanks for all the info everyone.

Nancy10 - yes, I have a medical reason for opting for a section. It's a neurological issue which would pose no direct medical theat to me or baby but causes chronic pain which cannot be treated and high blood pressure when I get an attack which usually happens I am stressed. I have panic attackes etc. as well which are related. It's all a bit complicated but I know 100% I wouldn't be able to cope with an attach of the pain combined with labour pain.

Pinkheart - thanks so much for the info and the supportive words. x

I'm in NI, and have had 12 week scan and 20 week scan, I didn't have any anomaly tests/scan. I'm having shared care too, I've had 20 week scan with all my dcs but have never had anything but a midwife appt at 16 weeks. Now 28 weeks, all going well, just to let you know private scans, 4d scans are really dear here, limited places do them so they pretty much charge what they want grrrr!!