Would you have a private scan?

[bluechameleon]

I'm 8 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. I've already had an early NHS scan to rule out ectopic pregnancy and saw a heartbeat then. My 12 week scan is the day before we go on holiday to France for 10 days. I'm considering having a private scan before - maybe at 10 weeks ish, so that if something's gone wrong I won't find out just before the holiday. However, all the private scan will do is identify that baby is alive and the right size, so obviously there could still be other bad news at the 12 week scan. I just can't work out if it will help to put my mind at rest or not. What would you do? BTW while we are not rich the price of the private scan is not really an issue.

If you want it, get it. Peace of mind is a priceless thing. The anxiety of the first trimester is awful. This is my 5th pregnancy, I have two children and had two losses. I thought the anxiety would go but it was nearly worse this time. Get the scan if you will feel better.

I've been making the same decision. I'm 6 weeks, and had a mmc found at my 12 week scan in my previous pregnancy. I've come to the conclusion that, although a private scan only gives a snap shot at that day and things could change between that and 12 weeks, actually the risk of things going wrong at that point is actually pretty low, assuming all looks good on the private scan. I really think it will help with my anxiety, so I've just booked one for two and a half weeks time.

If you think it will put your mind at ease and its affordable, then I think it sounds like a good idea! It certainly isn't going to hurt.

I had a private scan at around 10 weeks when I was anxious. Worth every penny. It was a lovely experience, very calm and friendly. Not rushed like the NHS scans can be. Came out feeling 100% better. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again (in fact we did. We had a gender scan at 17 weeks because we'd had such a nice experience the first time). If you want to and can afford it, go for it

I had a mmc at 11.5 weeks, so had a private scan at 10 weeks with my next pregnancy. It was worth every penny.
Go for it if you will feel reassured .

I had a private scan with my first pregnancy and it wasn't a great experience because when I was scanned my dates didn't match up and I just knew something wasn't right but the lady scanning me said it was fine (I was 3 weeks out!) She was lovely but it didn't feel like a medical examination, the place we went was more just about the photos iyswim.

Two MCs later, and my third pregnancy I tried to do differently. I only let myself do one cheap pregnancy test from Tesco (I still have the second one on the shelf in the bathroom) and when it said positive I decided not to test any more because trying to see the lines get darker etc last time drove me mad and didn't change anything!
We said no to private scans, OH was deadset against it because of the first experience we had he was convinced it would make me more anxious.

But the closer I got to my point of previous miscarriage the more terrified I became. I got past that point (10 weeks 4 days) and told OH that now I wanted a private scan before I could book in with the midwife. I think now we both just wanted to see. We went to a private hospital and not just the pop-up type scanner place we had been before and it was more expensive but for me so much more worth it.

We saw a specialist who also works at the hospital where I will be having my baby, and his field is finding problems on scans and moving forward if they find a problem. It was wonderful, he was professional despite my being hysterical going in and was very quick to say everything was matching my dates before doing a more thorough look, because he could see how distraught I was.

I am not judging the baby bond type places because they are amazing for most people, but that was my personal experience and for peace of mind it was worth spending a little more to actually go to a hospital x

I second haz- go to a hospital for private scan , not a place which is just about the photos. I was unnecessarily worried when I had a scan at the baby bond type place

Tbf, Babybond normally use moonlighting NHS sonographers so you should get generally the same result as from a hospital scan. Obviously, as with any scenario, there will always be exceptions to experiences. Other companies use different types of people, e.g. midwives who have undergone additional private training to scan. All info should be on a company's website or ring and ask who they use if it puts your mind at rest.

Re the original q, we've had private scans and like others, also found them worth every penny.

I had 3 private scans with my 1st pregnancy. 1 at 8 weeks, 1 at 13 weeks after a bleed and one (was a gift) at 16 weeks for gender. I'm not suggesting for a second you have 3 but if an early reassurance scan will put your mind at rest then do it. Don't worry about what anyone else thinks.

I've just had an early reassurance scan with this pregnancy and I'd 100% recommend it. My theory is that anything you can do to relax and reduce anxiety is going to increase your odds of a happy and healthy pregnancy/baby.

If you need the reassurance then do it. I had quite a few private scans at Babybond as I was struggling with anxiety due to a previous loss. The sonographer at the Babybond we visited worked for our local hospital- that's why we chose there. When we explained my anxiety they were amazing and went through the scan in as much detail as they could to reassure us.