Planning scans throughout 1st/2nd tri after previous late miscarriage

[ALifeMoreCurious]

Due to my history of recurrent miscarriage and having experienced multiple losses between 6-16 weeks I’ve been offered scans at various points but can’t decide what to do for the best.

It’s not just about my past, I have to do what’s right for this baby too, and I’m trying to spread my scans out so they offer me reassurance but aren’t so far apart that I’m in a state by the time they come around.

So far I’ve had scans at 5, 6.5 and my next is on Monday at around 8 weeks. All going well I’m thinking of booking harmony so hopefully I’ll have a further scan at 10 weeks and 12 weeks is my dating one. After this is where it gets tricky because I’ve been offered weekly but I feel like the relief after each will be so short-lived. So I’m thinking one more for reassurance at 14 weeks as one of my babies died at that gestation. And then perhaps I’ll just stick to midwife appointments.

I’m partly concerned about the heat of the ultrasound as one of the EPAU midwives has mentioned it twice but so far all scans have been organised by her. So she’s obviously not concerned now but she did stress that I need to consider this baby, which goes without saying really.

Beyond next week it’s kind of down to me so I’m just interested to know what others have done.

The reason for suggesting 14 as last reassurance scan is because midwife might be able to pick up heartbeat at 16 weeks.

Ultrasounds are perfectly safe for baby don't worry about that.

I'd check with your midwife that she'll do the heartbeat at 16 weeks. My trust don't do it until 25 weeks anymore. You might want to consider how panicked you'd get if she couldn't find the heartbeat for whatever reason (happened to me at a 34 week check up! All was fine but shows even a trained midwife and a fairly decent sized baby doesn't guarantee they'll find it with ease)

14 weeks is a good point for another reassurance scan but you might want to consider a 16/17 week one? 6 weeks is a long time to go before the 20 week scan. And you'll only have one midwife appointment at 16 weeks in that time so will be a lot of in limbo time.

I understand how you feel I've suffered a few losses and last pregnancy was very stressful because I couldn't feel baby ever so I know how reassuring those scans can be.

Are you booked to have growth scans at all to monitor baby? I have them at 28,32 and 36 weeks this time. It's been really helpful in managing my anxiety.

@Mintypea5

Thanks for sharing your experiences. That’s a good point about asking when they check for a heartbeat. I just assumed it was still the same but I’m sure lots will have changed since my first successful pregnancy. And I would probably have a panic attack if she couldn’t find a heartbeat so that’s definitely something to consider.

I think I’d find a 16 week scan quite triggering as I delivered my son then, but 17 I could maybe do. It’s so hard to say...I’m trying to work out what will reassure me vs what might trigger me. 6 weeks really is a long time to go between scans isn’t it. But I think I get extra consultant/midwife care due to my medication and treatment plan so there will be more than one appointment between 12-20 weeks.

There’s been no discussion of growth scans yet but booking appointment isn’t for another few weeks. I refused to have it before 8 week scan because it’s just a waste of time and awful to go through to then find you lost your baby before it.

Right now I can’t cope with the idea of a natural birth after a stillbirth. So that’s something I need to chat to them about. And it’s strange as I always felt sure I’d want to even after our experiences. But this is the first pregnancy in two years where I feel like it might actually work out and my kind keeps wandering to ECS...

*mind keeps wandering

I had scans at 8 weeks, 12 weeks (as per regular schedule) then I think 20. Possibly 16 weeks too. I had a mc at 15 weeks (previous pregnancy) and the birth (vaginal) of this second baby was totally different. The first one didn't really cross my mind. As your pregnancy progresses you might find you feel differently.

@JuneSpoon

My first pregnancy went well. But something happened during the delivery that could have caused my daughter to be starved of oxygen. So that and the stillbirth of my son play on my mind. His delivery was actually far more complicated so it really depends on our own individual circumstances and experiences I suppose. But yes. I would love to feel differently and with some support perhaps give birth again naturally. As the years have gone on and I’ve experienced more loss it’s harder for me to imagine this pregnancy going well. It’s as though I have to negate every possible risk of loss.

Oh I am so sorry. I didn't fully understand your situation. That's so sad. I can completely understand why you would be wary of a "natural" birth. Why don't you talk to your Care Provider now and put forward the idea of a C-section. If it would help calm your mind a bit to start the ball rolling now it's definitely worth it.

Hi OP,

I had weekly scans to 13 weeks, done at for example six plus four, so never on an exact week.

I had fortnight scans from 13 to 37. Then planned section at 39.

On advice of epu I did not register with community midwife until 22 weeks. This disgruntled her but that's tough.

I never had heartbeat checks by community midwife until 38 weeks. Sure enough she couldn't find one and I was taken straight in and hooked up. Made the last week very difficult.

This was following multiple missed and recurrent miscarriages.

@moobar

It sounds like you got the care you wanted and needed. I’m quite happy to see midwife soon as, while I’m anxious, I also want it to be as “normal” a pregnancy as possible. If there’s such a think after loss. I think my feelings around what I need will become much clearer as the weeks progress so we might just have to take it day by day, week by week. I’m glad you got your rainbow baby

@ALifeMoreCurious absolutely do that.

If you had asked me at six weeks about scans I couldn't have answered. I went day at a time. Each Friday I would go, dreading it and then we would arrange the next. It was never planned forward.

The section was on consultant advice, I asked her to tell me what she would do, as I wanted to try and be normal but balance that with history. She said lets get baby here as safely and quickly as possible. She booked theatre for a non section day and she was here by 10 am.

Day by day or minute by minute.

I also took one aspirin every single day. 75 dose.

I have to say I became quite unwell when DD did arrive, PTSD and post natal anxiety but that's another story for another day. Thinking of you.