16 week midwife appointment

[Eminybob]

Does the midwife use a Doppler at this appointment to listen for a heartbeat? I can’t remember from my last pregnancy when it was first done?

I’m having such anxiety about this pregnancy, I thought I’d feel better after the 12 week scan but every day I convince myself a bit more that something is wrong with the baby. I don’t think I can wait until 20 weeks to be reassured.

Also, I am quite podgy around the stomach area, will this effect if they can use a Doppler or not?

I think it depends on the area - none around here do so I was a bit disappointed but my cousin is a midwife further away and she said they always do. They might if you ask and explain your anxiety though?

Mine did in both pregnancies. Two different areas and I am a bit podgy but they still managed to pick up the heartbeat with no issue. Would a private scan ease your anxiety at all do you think? Usually possible to get an appointment same or next day and not all that dear.

Thank you.
With my ds they definitely used one at some point as I had a recording. I think it was before the 20 week scan but I can’t remember.

It's not local policy to here however my MW offered, explaining that it's not always easy to find that early on and if she couldn't it didn't nessisarily indicate a problem. She found it fairly quickly and I too carry a bit of excess weight around my middle

Ha I just found the recording from ds in 2014! I didn’t realise I had it on my phone still, I’ve had a couple of new phones since then it must have been stored in the cloud!
Anyway, it does look like it was at around 16 weeks, so that’s good to know.
Thanks for the replies.

A lot will only try from 25 week appt now as it can be hard to find at 16 weeks and causes a lot of stress when not picked up straight away.

They tried with my first 3.5 years ago but with my second last year they didn't. They couldn't find the heartbeat at 16 weeks with first so I found it unnecessarily stressful.

Hmm that’s what I’m worried about, especially now I’m carrying more weight than I was when I was pg with ds. I think that would stress me out even more.

I think it’s just so hard now I’m in the 2nd trimester and the symptoms are subsiding but I’m not starting to feel movement yet, I may have a bump but it’s hidden under the fat, so I don’t feel as pregnant any more.
Maybe I’ll look into a private scan. I know dh will be dead against it though. He’s so laid back about everything he’s practically horizontal!

With my first they didn't. With my second I told her that I was feeling movements every day, and she said she would try to hear the heartbeat if I wanted but only if I promised not to panic if she couldn't find it - as I was feeling movements I was happy baby was ok regardless so we went for it, and she found the heartbeat.

I had my 16 week appt on Tuesday and the midwife didn't use the doppler. I'm sure they did in my first pregnancy though.

NICE guidelines now suggest we don't look for heartbeat at 16 weeks and most hospitals follow this. I can be persuaded to try but only with the proviso that if we can't hear it, there is no panic. Actually, I'm quite good at this and have a very sensitive Doppler.
What we don't want to happen is woman crying and asking for reassurance scan when we struggle to find enough scan appointments for the planned scans.

The midwife always has at my 16 week appointments but they do warn you not to get upset if they can’t find it.

I had the same midwife for my second pregnancy so when I went for my booking in appointment I managed to convince her to look for heartbeat at 8 weeks. She said it's a needle in a haystack chance but within about twenty seconds she managed to find it. I know that chances are she wouldn't have found it but I got lucky. That heartbeat is currently asleep on my chest

With my first three pregnancies they did listen to the heartbeat at 16 weeks, but with my fourth they said their policy had changed and it was too early to always hear it and it causes unnecessary stress to the EPAU if they send people there to check the heartbeats after not hearing it at the 16 week appt.
I needed the reassurance around this time so I booked a private scan.

The thing is, they find a heartbeat at 16 weeks, I’ll probably still worry something will happen between 16 and 20 weeks. Then after the 20 week scan I’ll worry again until the birth.

I don’t remember being this anxious with ds, even though I’d had a missed miscarriage just before getting pregnant with him. Or maybe I was but just blanked it from my memory.

They are much less likely to do it at the 16 week scan now than they were a few years ago so it will just depend on local policy.