Taking children to a scan

[stickybean]

I'm having a scan next week (36 weeks.) I live abroad and it as a standard scan, weight, position of baby etc. My husband wants to bring our children with because he thinks it will be nice for them. I think they would love it but also that perhaps it's not appropriate. It might annoy the sonnographer, the other people in the waiting room.

They are 3 and 4 and well behaved most of the time.
My gut says no but I feel like I'm denying them something lovely.

Any thoughts?

My hospital (UK) will only allow one other person apart from the mother in for the scan.

I'd not take DC in, just in case a problem was spotted.

My hospital specifically states that children are not allowed in and must be supervised by an adult in the waiting area. It says this in all their paperwork and also on large signage in the waiting area.

That said, I saw a sonographer come out to the waiting area and call a man and his 4 year old son in to the scan room. So I presume the mum when she was in there asked and they said ok.

I hope they say yes to you too but it is their discretion.

My hospital won't allow it.

We did take DS to a private gender scan we had at 22 weeks. He was completely uninterested.

DD1 went to my 20 week one, DH was in Europe with work. Never crossed my mind to find a babysitter.
Didn't have one anyway.

Only after reading people worry on here have I thought about it.

If it had been bad news I'd just have to have smiled sweetly and carried on. I'd have had to do that until DH returned at the weekend anyway.

Nothing in the paperwork, 13 years ago, sonographer didn't seem bothered she was 3. She said "I think it's a girl, but don't rush out an buy lots of pink" then she glanced at DD1 and said "I guess you don't need to".

Actually I eventually did because pink suits DD2 and not DD1

Our hospital says children are not allowed to attend scans but we had no childcare when I went for my 12 week scan so dh was going to wait in the waiting room with ds. When the sonographer called me through he said ds could come too and seemed really happy to have him there, telling him that was his baby brother or sister on the screen and explaining what all the different parts were etc, I think its up to whoevers doing the scan and what kind of mood they are in on the day. It could have been difficult if there had been a problem though, I'm not sure I would have wanted him to see that but thats obviously much less likely at 36 weeks.

Having had a 34 week scan, you really can't see very much at that stage so I wouldn't bother as it probably won't be very interesting for them. Everything is so big at that point that it gets a bit hard to see enough at once to go "ooh, baby". It's more "bit of leg bone, back of head".

Sorry to put it bluntly, but will it be "nice" if they diagnose a problem with the unborn pregnancy during the scan? Would you be able to hold it together without showing the slightest sign of your distress to avoid upsetting the DCs?

It's a medical procedure, not a family entertainment.

If DH nts them to see baby in utero, I suggest you book a private scan after you have had an all clear on the anomaly scan.

It's not an anomaly scan, OP quite clearly says she is 36 weeks and it's a standard weight/position scan. Chances of anything being wrong will be slim. Give her a break!

I misread as 26 weeks , hence thought standard meant mid-term anomaly scan just done a bit later than UK.

I've taken DC's to all my scans (apart from DC1's scans obv!) because we had no childcare and I wanted DH with me. I had a missed miscarriage which was diagnosed at the dating scan. The sonographer said that she was sorry, there was a problem and could DH take the children to the waiting room. Then she did an internal scan and confirmed it. They hadn't known I was pregnant and didn't realise afterwards either, they were 5, 3 and 11 months. They were there when DC4 was diagnosed with a cleft lip at the anomaly scan too. They didn't notice anything wrong then either (aged 6, nearly 5 and 2 this time). It should be fine. I would bring a book or something though as they will probably find it boring.

I agree with ellie

Plenty of people have no choice but to bring older dcs with them and the sonographer will tactfully let you know if dh needs to take them out.

When I have taken mine I went in alone first to make sure all was ok, then they werecalled in with dh, if the sonographer is happy to do that.

Having said all that, I also agree at 36 weeks there won't be much to see that they'll be able to recognise, so if that is the only reason, there isn't much point.

Good luck with the rest of the pregnancy

I had to take my 1&3 year old to both my 12&20 week scan.It was either we all go,or pay £80 for extra nursery day,or DH couldn't come as no-one else to look after them.3 year old asked lots of questions,sonographers said it was their most entertaining scan of the day!Fortunately all was well but had there been anything wrong would have preferred them not to be there as my mind was not 100% on the scan,I was worried they'd press buttons etc.
I don't think I would have been denying them an amazing experience by not taking them though,and given the choice I'd leave them at home.They have never said anything about it since and to them,actually seeing their new baby brother for real has meant so much than the picture on the screen did

I thought I replied but I think it must have got lost somewhere, sorry if this appears twice.

Thanks for all your thoughts. Here you get scans all the time for no particular reason at all. So in terms of finding a problem I would think they would have spotted anything obvious by now.

Saying that, my gut feeling is not comfortable about it. It's not a spectator sport and I think I would just prefer to focus on the scan than on my kids if I have a choice.

Ds (3 in June) came to both my scans as otherwise DH couldn't have come. Tbh I did find it very distracting and I'd rather have gone alone in some ways, but it made it real for DS and allowed DH to be there, so overall no regrets.

I am a sonographer and I don't like people bringing children to the 12 and 20 week scan as there is potential for bad news and I have to concentrate for an extended period of time. However growth scans later in the pregnancy are generally quite quick so I am a bit more relaxed about parents bringing their kids in for those. I don't think would be a problem.
In general Most sonographers are too polite to say anything anyway and would never make a parent leave their child outside on their own or make the father stay out with them. I do make parents/ friends sit outside though and let them come in at the end. Of course it depends on the hospital and the individual sonographer.

I took my 7yr old daughter to my 20 weeks scan we found out we was expecting a boy. She saw the baby wave + she loved every minute of it. My hospital had no problems with her being there + I think its a lovely + she will remember it for years. It was new yrs eve so had she not been off school she wouldn't of been there but I can honestly say it made no difference her being there. I think its down to personal preference + and all depends how old ur child/children r