First scan

[rhixo]

Hello, I'm very very confused with my scan, everyone is saying my first scan should be at 13 weeks but my midwife has said 16 weeks.

Have they pushed it back to 16 weeks because of the epidemic?

I've also been for my bloods taken and have been booked into the hospital, but I've heard nothing?

I'm just looking for some advice until I can call my midwife on Monday.

This is my first pregnancy so I'm quite worried.

Dating scan is usually around 12/13 weeks, with option for screening for 3 chromosome abnormalities if you opt in. The timing is important if you opt for this as nuchal translucency can only be measured then - 16 weeks is too late.

There is normally a routine 16 week midwife appointment - hopefully she meant this? Have you had your booking appointment?

I heard one trust was delaying 12 week scan but it is important and most trusts are booking as normal

How many weeks are you now?

I would definitely call, you need it by a certain point if you want the screening done, mine is booked in for 12+5 and my trust I believe isn't doing some of the appointments or doing them over the phone but the scans are important to have in a particular time frame.

Things are a little off due to Covid so some appointments are now joined together or by telephone only but this is what you should normally get in a low risk pregnancy:

8-10 weeks - booking in appointment with midwife to go through all medical history and see if there are any risk factors. They would normally check blood pressure, bmi, urine etc and take blood to test for a number of things like sickle cell, hepatitis etc.

12-14 weeks - dating scan to check baby and confirm due date. You also tend to get your bloods taken again here if you want screening done for downs syndrome, Edwards or patau. This screening has to be done before 14 weeks and this is a different blood test to the first one.

16 weeks - first midwife appt. Mainly just a chat but some trusts also use Doppler to check for heartbeat.

20 weeks - anomaly scan to check development of baby and look for any issues.

25 weeks - midwife appointment.

28 weeks - midwife appointment.

Are you sure the 16 week appointment is for a scan and not just the midwife appointment? (Or a consultant appointment if increased or high risk?). I only got a date for my scan the week before the appointment.

Where do you live? In Ireland some hospitals outside of big cities only offer the 20 week scan, but they don't tend to measure nuchal translucency here, even in the hospitals that do a first trimester dating scan. As I understand it, in England you should have a scan around 12 weeks or so

I'm living in the north east of England, I had my booking in appointment (over the phone) I'm currently 12 weeks. When I spoke to my midwife over the phone she said the scan would be 16 weeks and when I went to get my bloods done the midwife there said 16 weeks also. My midwife mentioned I'd get a letter in the post saying when my scan date is but I've had nothing at all.

@rhixo I'm North East too (RVI).
I didn't have my scan (pre-Covid) till 13+6 and only got the letter a week before but was told it had to be before 14 weeks if I wanted the combined screening test done so was only just in time.
Could you chase it up with the hospital where you'll get your scan? And ask about the screening tests.
16 weeks is very late.

Have a look on the website for your hospital. My local hospital has stopped the combined test at 12 weeks but will offer the quadruple test at 16 weeks. This may be why.

Yes they will do the quadruple test instead

That’s really strange OP- id call again and ask as to why