have pointless scan booked for Thurs, who thinks I shouldn't cancel it?

[SenoraPostrophe]

I know it sounds like an odd question, but in this area, you get 5 flippin scans. this will be the 4th (at just under 8 months). I can't be bothered, it's hot and I think it's pointless. I told the midwife I thought it was pointless and she said it isn't, it is necessary, and that women in Marbella (which I mentioned as an example of a place where they "only" have 3. didn't dare mention the uk!) have lots of complications. she also wrote "doesn't understand the importance of testing, is too busy for a scan!!!" in my little record book.

so anyway. I think excessive scans in normal pregnancies are pintless, a waste of time and money and even possibly detrimental to the women and babies. But given that they do do so many, they don't measure bumps and things that often.

I want to cancel the app, but can anyone give me a good reason why I shouldn't?

nope - nothing to let us know things were not quite right. Dd1 was not a very energetic baby anyway in the womb - boy what happened to those days she is such a busy thing now.

I see. So there really is no right answer- son just go with your instinct and do what you feel is right. From what I hear, most women would love to have the chance to have lots of scans, and then there are others like me, who are trying to avoid them for various reasons and beliefs. As a rule of thumb, Id say if you felt anything out of the ordinary and wanted reassurance then go. If not, I wouldnt bother.

scans in the third trimester are done for a reason, that is to check the blood flow in the umbilical cord and the amount of fluids in the sack.

My friend in Madrid started cancelling her appointments because she had just had enough. She is now having a child in UK and is bowled over by how blase it is. In marbella, Ive just had my second scan but have to go back as the blooming baby was in the wrong position. I don't think it's the end of the world if you cancel.

eidsvold - snap! My ds had exactly the same problems as your child on his last scan(although he isn't Downs).

My hospital had arranged a routine 35 week scan, which I thought about cancelling as we had moved to a different area (and hospital) literally the week before my scan was scheduled. During that week, I booked in at my new hospital, where they reckoned baby was small for dates and arranged a scan for the next week (ie I would have had 2 scan appointments in the space of a week). I decided to keep the appointment at my old hospital anyway - where they told me the dopplers were poor and fluid low, and I should see one of the doctors, which I naughtily didn't, as it was my old hosptial. That night I went into labour, and had an em CS the next day, the decision to operate being based on the scan. ds was in SCBU for 3 weeks. Was pleased I didn't cancel. BUT it was simply a fluke.

SenoraPostrophe - if there are no other concerns, regarding size, you feel baby is moving normally, you have no blood/fluid loss, everything has checked out normally so far - well, there seems little point in yet another scan. But as with myself, eidsvold and a couple of others, sometimes odd things can still be picked up (again don't mean to scare you, this is just what happened to me).

well I may be wrong but I think in the UK we have a relatively high stillbirth rate compared to other European countries (and I am sure I read that it increased in the UK recently). I think new research has been conducted, that found that babies that are small for dates could be more at risk, and we aren't that great here at identifying those at risk. Many of those babies could have survived if the problem had been identified earlier. So, perhaps extra scans would help in these cases. Personally I would have attended the appointment.
I'll be having a 36 week scan here anyway, but that is because I have a low lying placenta.
Hope all goes well for you

haven't read through all of this thread - but how the hell did we manage to make it into this world. The first time my mother saw a scan was when my sister was pregnant. If midwives knew their job a bit better there would be no need for this. My DD was in breech position the week before she was born and throughout pregnancy I was being told by midwives and doctor that she was in the right position. My mum who was a midwife couldn't believe they had got it wrong. Over reliance on machinery these days in my opinion - although scans are great, 1 or 2 should be enough!

I'm afraid you are right majormoo.

I am another one who had a late scan which picked up very low levels of amniotic fluid. I had been sent for the scan as I wanted a home birth and the estimated weight of my baby was high. My authority does not like home births over 10lb.

There had been no decrease in fetal movement, no changes at all that I noticed.
I was admitted and induced that day, I was really pleased it had been picked up, without that scan I would never have known.

I don't want you to be worried but i would probably go.