Cock up with hospital, nuchal scan at 13+4

[VeronicaSpeedwell]

Despite my seeing the GP at 5 weeks and having my booking in appointment at 9 weeks, it seems that nobody sent my details to the hospital where the scans are done, and hence I got no date until I phoned up to find out what was going on.

I've just been offered a date at which I will be 13+4, calculated by my LMP. I'm currently 11+5. I know the window is supposed to be 11-14 weeks, but isn't it a bit risky booking it for just two days before the end of that window? Or does the 14 week cut off allow for inaccuracies in dating? I was lucky enough to conceive after just one 'real' period after stopping the pill, so there isn't a huge amount of data about my cycle length.

Emotionally, I'm pretty upset about the whole cock up, which has meant I've been making a series of incredulous phone calls to people who had no record of me, when I'd assumed I would soon be entering a new phase in my pregnancy. I know I'm lucky to have the NHS looking afer me, and that they have fitted me in. I just feel quite about the stress of all this, and also about the loneliness of the first trimester, in which I've elected to tell nobody. I really hoped this phase might be ending a bit sooner.

I had mine at 13+4, mainly because my notes got lost between hospitals and my booking in was at 11+ weeks. Was all fine and seeing the baby for the first time was amazing. :)

I had the same thing except my booking appt didn't happen until 11 weeks (after seeing GP at 5 weeks). I had a private nuchal scan at 12 weeks as wasn't willing to risk waiting in case dates were out. Private scan cost £100, is that an option for you?

I would think that they would have fitted you in earlier if there was any doubt about getting decent measurements from a late-ish scan, so please try not to worry.

Could you call your midwife team to get their opinion on it? Or is there any chance of you getting a private scan? I was abroad pretty much between 11 and 13 weeks with my last pregnancy and wasn't 100% sure of dates so I had a private scan just before I went away in case my NHS one at 13+something was too late. I'm a bit of a belt-and-braces sort of person, but it might help put your mind at rest too.

I'm really sorry you're feeling lonely at the moment. Maybe you could consider telling a couple of people before the scan? Miscarriage risk drops enormously after 12 weeks (in fact from around 8 weeks I think) so the chances are it'd be fine. Hope you feel better about it all soon, anyway x

Thanks for the responses, I really needed to let this out. I'd been so hoping to talk to friends soon.

I suppose I could go private -- the trouble with that is that I actually have great faith in the hospital here, which is brilliant in many ways, despite the admin trouble. The private clinic appeals much less. I suppose the hopsital might have booked my scan in for this date regardless of the mess up, as it's still within the window. If 13+4 is OK, then I shouldn't have any reason to worry except my own sentimental impatience to see my baby. I've been doing really well at staying calm through the first trimester, but when the hospital told me they had no record of me I ended up bursting into tears (after putting the phone down, thankfully ).

x-post with needinstructions. I've now called my midwife team, just to see what they think. I did have a very early scan, after some bleeding, and their dates were pretty close to mine, so I probably shouldn't worry about the timing.

Telling a couple of people is probably a good idea; I think the scan deadline has become a bit oppressive. I was away on honeymoon last week, so it felt easy to put this off, as I was so confident the letter would be on the mat when we got back. I've been quite surprised by the level of my disappointment when it wasn't there.

Thanks so much for listening .

Hope you feel better about it, before you know it you'll be crying at all sorts of random stuff like a crazy lady. :o

I already am! The cycle goes cry/vomit/cry/vomit... Good training I guess !

Get in touch with PALS for an earlier appointment. The EXACT same thing happened with me at York Hospital. I got an appointment through (after many phone calls and emails) with a date in which I would have been 13 weeks and 6 days. This came through the same day that PALS phoned me at work to say that they had managed to give me an earlier appointment exactly the week before at 12 weeks and 6 days which I happily accepted. It turned out that my scan put me ahead and I was in fact 13 weeks and 4 days on the scan! If I kept the original appointment I would have been 14 weeks and 4 days!
Dates from LMP aren't always accurate as I found out that it depends on your length of cycle. A short cycle like mine means you ovulate earlier meaning you can be up to 5 or 6 days ahead than calculating from LMP. My MW told me this at my booking in appointment at 9weeks and put me 4 days ahead. I didn't believe her and went on 'my LMP dates' until I had the scan which confirmed she was correct.

Are you anywhere near London? I went to the Fetal Medicine Centre for my scan-they train sonographers in how to do nuchal scans so you can trust them.

Do whatever you can to be seen. Even though I'd had a miscarriage and then a scan to check everything was ok and speaking to my mw as soon as of and having my booking in at earliest possible time it turned out I was too late for it. My bloods came back and I had to have an amnio, It all came back fine but I might not have needed it if I'd been in time for the scan results.

Thanks to everyone who picked up this thread after my last post, and sorry not to have been back. I was away for the weekend, then yesterday had time to quickly read but not to post as I had already spent half my working day surreptitiously on the phone to the hospital.

Thanks for all your encouragment to try and sort this out one way or another. I was all set to call the FMC if the hospital couldn't help, but they were actually very sympathetic. They are clearly insanely busy, as I had to hold for ages even to get through, but they did bring my scan forward by 2 days to 13+2, which I feel happy with. My scan is now a week today, so I'm counting down. I feel very nervous about what news it might bring, but glad that we won't be in limbo forever.

Thank heavens for MN and all its sage members. You all made me feel much more sane. It's wonderful to be able to 'talk' about things that, in real life, you're dealing with in semi-secrecy .

A similar thing happened to me but, mine was the evil gp of doom (as you can tell I don't like him) who not only spelt my name wrong but also wrote the number of weeks in such a terrible way that I ended up with the nuchal scan at 15 weeks, luckily I called in on time and managed to get the dates changed. If I was in you position I would definitely go private, if only for that scan.

This hapenend to me in my last pregnancy and I remember crying down the phone - it is very updetting, sympathies. I received my appt in the post for a date when I would have been 14+5. I asked them to bring it forward (I think 14+1, from memory, is that last date from which they can get reliable measurements according to the people who developed the test at the Harris Birthright Centre - they own the analysis software and algorithms). they said they couldn't, much crying down the phone, DP booked me a private scan at the FMC (this was a Friday) for the following Monday when I would have been either 14 or 14+1 from LMP and 7 week scan.

So Monday came, phonecall from NHS hospital, appt miracuously has become available, so I ended up having the private nuchal in the morning and the NHS one in the afternoon (I wasnt going to bother but was concerned I would not be booked properly for the 20 week scan if I didn't go).

Both thought I was 13+6 so it worked out ok date-wise.

oh just seen you'e sorted - excellent! Also second the FMC if you need it and any issues - top of the range scans and advice if you need it.

Thanks befuzzled, I am glad I am not the only one who ended up sobbing over this! Glad your story worked out well. I am being upbeat now, less than a week to wait. And realistically my dates can't be too far off, because I had a scan at 7 weeks after a bleed, at which the sonographer estimated the timing to be within 4 days of my own reckoning.

I went for my nuchal scan at 12+6 and was dated at 13+4. got low risk results back today!