How to know if everything's ok between 12 & 20 week scan?

[LittleNia]

I know it's probably a silly question. I'm 16 weeks, it's been a month since my 12 week scan where we saw one healthy wriggly little baby, but I'm a month away from seeing it again. I thought I was getting a bump, but it was just bloat and has passed and I've not felt any movement as of yet. I know it's still early days, I just crave the comfort that'll come with a bump and some kicks. I just feel like, how do I know it's all ok? Is not having blood and cramps enough? I'm not anywhere near as much of a nervous wreck as I was in the run up to my 12 week scan, I just couldn't feel less pregnant and it's hard to find comfort in that.

I heard the heartbeat at my 16 week appointment then started getting movement at 17/18 weeks. Have you got your 16 week booked in soon? Not all trusts offer Doppler that early but it can't hurt to ask

Thanks for that, @Heyha

My midwife can't book me in for my 16 week check until I'm just over 18 weeks so I've still got a few weeks to wait for it. I am hopeful I'll be able to hear the heartbeat!

At 16 weeks my sickness went and I didn’t get any movements until 19 weeks; I found that 3 weeks quite difficult as the symptoms were reassuring and I didn’t “feel” pregnant. It helped when movements started and at my 16 week midwife appointment we heard her heartbeat.
I think during the inbetween time you just have to hold on to that if nothing is going wrong (bleeding, pain etc) then everything is ok. It’s a difficult time but you’ll feel movements soon.

The chance of a missed miscarriage after the 12 week scan is incredibly slim. I had two MMC’s but they were both discovered at that first scan. You could always get a private scan if that will help, I had one at 16 weeks with my last pregnancy and it did help alleviate a lot of anxiety. I also had a home Doppler though which I know are greatly frowned upon, it certainly helped me right throughout the pregnancy!

Oh crikey that's a long wait! I felt the same but I took a 'no news is good news's sort of view in that I felt ok and had no pain or bleeding etc so had to assume things were ticking along. It does suck though. Movement is a great reassured but now it's a case of 'oh when did we last move?' so I guess this is the beginning of a lifetime of worrying about DC!

I just paid for a scan at 16 weeks. Found a deal for £29.

To be honest you don’t, you just assume that in the absence of bleeding or any other worrying symptoms then all is progressing as it should.
They don’t check the heartbeat at 16 weeks in my area (and the 2 areas I had my previous DC in) but I know some will do it.
The other option is to pay for a private scan.

You can buy dopplers for home use although they can cause more anxiety if you can't find the heartbeat. I got a lot of comfort from mine though. It is important to put it away out of temptations reach after 24 weeks though as it can be very dangerous if you try to use the doppler for reassurance in the late weeks of pregnancy when you really should be checked out by a midwife ASAP.

Or yes as others have said there are several private scan clinics around now. That can be worth doing to bridge the gap until you can feel the baby move, though some people prefer to stick only to medically indicated scans just in case it's found on the future they cause harm or something.

private scan :)

Also can find out the gender then if you wanted,, i wanted more reassurance but was also lovely finding out what i was having!

I had an anterior placenta and felt nothing till after my 20 week scan. It was a bit weird. I don’t think I really believed it was happening. But I’m pretty sure I had a swollen tummy by 16 weeks.

You read my mind OP @LittleNia!! Feel exactly the same glad I'm not the only one xxx

I haven’t got any advice as such but just wanted to say I’m nearly 16 weeks and I know exactly how you feel. Bloated belly and bigger boobs, but the sickness has gone and there’s no movement yet. I know it’s totally normal not to feel movement yet - in fact it would be quite unusual with a first baby - but my best friend made a huge deal about how she first felt her daughter move at 14 weeks, which made me feel anxious!

I’m kind of working on the basis that ‘no news is good news’ or rather ‘no bleeding is good news’. I don’t know if that’s right but it’s stopping me from going out of my mind!

@LittleNia no advice to offer but just to say that I feel exactly the same.

I'm 14 weeks, last scan was only 2 weeks ago but already wishing for the next to hurry up so I can see baby again and know everything is ok.

I'm trying to use mini milestones to break the time up. 2 weeks until my midwife appointment, then 4 weeks after that until my 20 week scan.

I was exactly the same and didn’t want to fork out for a private scan (did so at 7 weeks due to previous MMC) so just went with no news (pain/bleeding) being good news, plus my uterus was clearly getting gradually bigger under my belly button. All will be fine OP!

@LittleNia I know they are frowned upon by some but I have been using a Doppler and listening to baby's heart beat which has reassured me so far