Has anyone stuck to the 2 NHS (12 and 20 weeks) scans only?

[moomin35]

I am a first time mum to be and it seems to me like everyone pays for extra scans (4d etc) over and above the 2 free NHS ones. Although I would love any chance of another scan they seem a lot of money to pay. What did you all do and do you think I'm mad not to pay for more?

Yes I have only had 2 scans so far - dating and anomaly.

We don't really have time to be taking out of work schedule just to go and have a look at the baby in utero. Plus I don't want to see baby's face or find out sex before the birth so don't see the point.

I felt movement at 17 weeks and have felt it daily ever since so really haven't felt the need.

Also - think what you could buy for the baby with all those £100s spent on private scans!

I don't think it's a matter of 'think what you could but for the baby' for most people who choose to pay for private scanning it isn't a 'get the baby a cot or get the scan' situation. If you can afford it, great, if you can't, don't have the scan! It's only wasted money if you can't afford to spend it!

Fair point, but my opinion is I would rather spend the money on material things, but I understand why people get the early scans for reassurance.

I'm 26 weeks and have just had the 2 NHS scans - not planning to get any more (unless needed for medical reasons) although we were tempted as the lady doing the second scan was reluctant to tell us if we were having a boy or a girl (she thought girl) and we both came out feeling like she hadn't really bothered to look properly! Looked into private scans but very expensive and would much rather put the money towards something useful like a buggy and just prepare ourselves for a surprise boy just in case!

If you have never had an ongoing pregnancy, trust me the scans are money worth spending.

I can't even allow myself to believe I might actually need a pram at this stage.

Stuck to the 2 NHS scans for both babies, youngest is 16 weeks.

I will have had 4 by the end of first trimester (6, 7, 9 & 12 weeks) but all on the nhs and due to bleeding / previous miscarriage. I can't imagine that I'll pay to have any more above that and the 20 week one

I only had the nhs scans. A colleague was pregnant at the same time and brought her private 4d scan in. It looked freaky as hell to me although I politely cooed over it.

I did get extra scans on the nhs though. Placenta previa with dc1 and small baby with dc2 (not so small when scanned, just neatly packed in).

I met a woman at antenatal class who had been told at 20 weeks that she was having a girl so had gone out and bought lots of pink stuff but is now panicking that the sonographer might've made a mistake! So she's booked in for an expensive private scan to see if it really is a girl. It's like she thinks it would be the worst thing ever if she had a boy and he had to spend a couple of months wearing pink! I felt like telling her that if she was so worried she may as well just save the money on the scan and spend it on new clothes if it is a boy!!

Only had the two NHS scans. Think the 3D ones are weird personally.

Paid for early scan at 8 weeks with dd2 as had miscarriage and was anxious.

DS1: scans at 7, 10, 12, 20 & 36 weeks on NHS - EPU scans because of my miscarriage history plus a later scan as he turned breech

DS2: scans at 12, 15, 20 & 28 weeks so far - will probably have a 32 week and a 38 week. At 15 weeks we paid for the Harmony test which included an early anomaly scan (and they told us the sex) - others have all been on NHS - the 28 & 32 weeks are for growth (having a big 'un) and the later ones will be because I am 40 - to monitor placenta.

The only people I know who paid for the 4D scans were hugely upset by them as they were so ugly!

I've had 2 private scans so far:

with current pregnancy as our area has stopped offering nuchal scans

4D with DD towards the end of the pregnancy as I just fancied seeing her in there. I'ts a relatively short period of your life and I found it fascinating that there was a little person inside of me and I could just take a peek at her goings-on pre-birth. It was an amazing experience - my parents were there and they welled up. It was incredible to see DD asleep, waking up, stretching, looking grumpy, smiling. You could see DP's features in her face so clearly, you could see her hair! I just didn't want to leave the room - £65 well spent as well as the scan proved MW's assumptions wrong (DD was breech and her growth was normal - my fundus measurement was 4 weeks out...). I have looked at the DVD many times, also with DD herself... Will definitely have another one this time round.

I'd say around 1/3 people I know have had private scans for a variety of reasons.

Not sure about the comments about babies looking like potatoes and cauliflowers on 4D scans? They all seem to come from people who haven't had them. Babies on scans look like babies that are not fully developed and are floating in a very enclosed space in the darkness. I don't think that's creepy, just pregnancy!

Just had the standard with DS - I had two later scans because of low placenta/growth issues so four altogether. Looks like it'll be the same with this one. If you have the money then of course it's lovely to see baby a bit more, but I don't think it's necessary.

I had an early one at 6 weeks to check everything was ok because of factors in the background - not my request, doctor's decision. Then I just had the standard ones. It was all exciting enough without any 4D malarkey, plus I actually wanted to be surprised by the sex of the baby and would have just worried that the flash scan would give things away I didn't want to know.

Well maybe I'm just a worrier but having a proper nuchal scan was quite important to me. And as I said, I still didn't have extra, just instead of.