12 week scan...

[MaryMandala]

I have my 12 week scan coming up, an extremely nervous and not sure what to expect. I've had a look online but keep finding conflicting information on what they actually do.

My question...

What was your experience?
How long did it take?
Could they tell you your results there and then?
Were you also a nervous wreck?

Struggling to calm my nerves!

It's pretty quick - they're just checking how many babies there are, whether there's a heartbeat and then they measure head to rump for dating. It was amazing though 😍 and yes I was a complete wreck beforehand, I was totally convinced there wasn't going to be anything there.

And yeah they tell you everything there, although most of it you can see for yourself. No idea what happens if it isn't good news though.

i have mine tomorrow and even though i booked an early reassurance scan last friday where everything was perfect i'm still a nervous wreck so much could go wrong in a week!

So i feel ya pain

@Spam88 thank you. So you didn't have the nuchal scan can I presume? I thought they looked for downs and other abnormalities!

Glad I'm not the only one who's absolutely terrified!

@anyfreeusernames oh man. It's scary isn't it! Best of luck

They couldn't measure my baby so I had to keep emptying my bladder little by little. In the end they did a TV scan.
Not much happens, they measure the baby and I think they check it has 4 limbs and then they see where your ovaries are. I didn't have the testing though so if you are I'm not sure if it makes the scan longer.

Take some coins with you to buy the pictures!

@RowenaDedalus Thank you. I'm having the testing so maybe it'll take longer in my case. We have two babies in our family (well, one adult now) that have minor spina bifida which is adding to my worries I guess!

Must be a relief when they tell you baby is ok!

Hi Mary
Firstly congratulations.

I have my scan coming up in a few weeks but my midwife went through the process with me at my booking appointment, is this not something that was discussed? Maybe you can give them a ring, that's what they're there for after all.

They should measure baby and make sure everything is in the correct place and that baby measures correctly. They will measure some parts of your baby to see if there's any indication of DS and if those are all ok they will tell you there and then. You'll then probably be taken for some bloods and paperwork for your Edwards testing. I'll be having that too.

Please don't worry. Hopefully everything will be wonderful and you'll get an amazing view of your baby and some lovely photos to take home afterwards. Remember one day at a time, one moment at a time. Xxx

Oh yeah, sorry OP, we didn't have the downs screening so I totally forgot about that!

Well my next anxiety is about the 20 week scan! Always something to worry about. I echo the advice to take every day as it comes and enjoy the special time of being pregnant

I worries @Spam88  I didn't even know you had a choice to have it or not have it!

Thanks @MouseLove - they are very long moments/days aren't they! 10 weeks never passed so slowly... my midwife didn't really explain much she just said they would test for downs and check all was ok...

*no worries!

I was a shaking , nervous wreck before my appointment as was convinced something was wrong. It doesn't take very long at all, they will scan over your belly and tell you if there is one or two babies , your EDD , if there is a heartbeat and they will also measure fluid behind babies neck as they can use this as an indicator for Down's syndrome etc. They will tell you if fluid is normal there and then.

If you haven't already had your bloods taken to test for abnormalities (downs , Edwards etc) then this would be done there after your scan - you won't receive these results straight away but in a letter a week or so later. They will also do a carbon monoxide test and ask you to blow into a tube , you will be told the results of this there and then. This was how it went for me , in the SW so this may not be everyone's experience.

Good luck OP! It really is magical seeing your baby for the first time

Thank you @firsttimebabybirther ! Really helpful. I haven't had my bloods. Was meant to a couple of weeks ago but the hospital is 19 miles from me so am having them on the same day as my scan. That'll be another scary wait to add to my list...

I just had my 12 week scan in UCLH! I was nervous to see if everything is okay, but I also tried to keep in mind that worrying won't change anything... I also kept reminding myself that statistically it's all most likely to be fine. As for the actual appointment, I kind of just go into autopilot when I'm nervous...

First they asked if I want to do the blood tests for chromosomal abnormalities to which I agreed. They took blood and asked me a few questions regarding my health (do I smoke/drink, family history of chromosomal abnormalities, etc).

If you would like to take a picture of the ultrasound home tell the sonographer before she starts. Also mine usually charges for it so take some cash with you (I don't know how much as in the end she forgot to charge me...).

Then we went to the 'table thingy' where I lay down and before I knew they already had the gel and then ultrasound device on my belly and within seconds we could see a little baby on the screen!! It felt very unreal and I started crying straight away and throughout most of the ultrasound :D (which the sonographer either didn't notice or tactfully ignored)...

I think the first thing the sonographer did after seeing the baby was recording the heartbeat. She then seemed to have a checklist on what she wants to see (quite a lot!), including both legs and arms, the brain, the heart, the spine, the bladder, blood flow, etc. For us that took quite a while as my baby kept moving around every time she tried to concentrate on something, and I kept thinking, oh no maybe it's not there, but we got there on the end ... She measured the length of the baby with which they will determine how many weeks/days pregnant you are and your due date. She also measured the fluid at the back of the neck to see if a chormosomal abnormality is likely and she'll tell you that straight away.

After the ultrasound they gave me the option to wait about 2h at the hospital for the results of the blood tests, or to go home and if they find anything to worry about they would give me a call before 6pm and then send a letter home. With the current weather I opted for the latter one ...

I think all in all the appointment probably took about 30minutes. And one more tip I read and did myself: drink about a pint of water an hour before the ultrasound, apparently that helps with getting the womb in a good position for the sonographer to see.

All the best!!! xx

It is a scary wait , just remember they will give you a 1 in something chance of it happening so you will not get a definitive yes or no.

I promise it's not as bad as you think , I hated being pregnant but wish now that I had spent less time worrying about the next appointment (I had quite a lot due to some abnormalities) and more time enjoying each day I got to be pregnant!

Thanks @artio87 @firsttimebabybirther - I've had miscarriages before so this concerns me however I have horrendous sickness and a few other symptoms so take solace in this. Anxiety central!

So will I have to wait until blood tests before they either tell me something's wrong or if I have the 'all clear' (for now)

They will measure the nuchal translucency and take bloods but you won't get results for your risk level immediately. My baby had a slightly high NT - 3.8 - so they fast-tracked my bloods and I got the call with the odds the next day, but if there's nothing to worry about it may take up to a week to get the results I think. Hoping it all goes OK for you. It's wonderful seeing your baby for the first time

Thanks @TinyTerror1 ! I'm excited but bloody terrified at the same time. Fingers and toes 🤞🏽

I should add - once you have the risk result, if you are higher risk (classified as 1 in 150 or higher; please remember this is still less than 1% chance of something being wrong with your baby!) then you will get an appointment with the consultant and will be offered testing, either the non-invasive test NIPT if it is available in your area or CVS or amniocentesis. The results for this take another 2-3 days usually for the main 3 chromosomal conditions (Down's, Edward's, Patau's) before you get your all clear. But all of this is highly unlikely to happen to you. So relax and look forward to seeing baby for the first time! xx

My trust will phone you if you are high risk once they get the bloods back (I think if the NT -the fluid alone is very high you get referred to fetal medicine even before they get the bloods back as it alone being high is an indicator of issues). If you are low risk you find out at your 16wk midwife appointment. I had to have the scan first and then have bloods as they need the edd for the calculations. No carbon monoxide test here.

I was petrified of it, was convinced they would find everything to be wrong. I was half an hour late going in but the sonographer was really nice. As soon as they started the scan we saw the baby moving around which neither of us were expecting so that distracted us I think from worrying for a bit!
They took a lot of body measurements from head to bum to get an average I assume. They looked for multiple pregnancy as well. They measured nuchal translucency thickness at the neck and told us if the measurement was in the normal range or not which helped us relax a bit.
Had bloods straight afterwards and then had a wait for 4 days until a letter arrived. Anything high risk in my area gets a phonecall so I was a nervous wreck all week waiting for a call and it was national downs and awareness week so not easy to take my mind off it!! Luckily we were low risk!!

Good luck, I honestly was so nervous but was probably worse whilst waiting for the screening results to come back as I'm a bit older. I hope you get on Ok!!!!

I also had to go for a wee twice whilst we are waiting b4 the scan as I knew my bladder wouldn't be able to cope if I had to wait any longer. The scan was fine with the liquid I had drunk so I'm not going to drink so much for the next one. My sonograpber said to ignore the "have a full bladder thing" as long as there is some liquid in there :) Don't want to be thinking about needing a wee when the scan is going on!!

so i has my 12week scan today, no need for a full bladder she checked how many where in there (1 thank goodness) checked skull and spine and had a quick listen to the heartbeat :) spent more time doing paperwork