How many early reassurance scans did you have ?

[Tblock]

Hey guys,

Me and partner had our early reassurance scan a few weeks back when she was roughly 8.2 weeks pregnant. Got the heartbeat and saw the movement which was fantastic. We are getting married abroad in a few weeks, so won’t be able to have the NHS free one until after, in which she will be roughly 13.5 weeks by then. We just booked in to get another early reassurance scan just before we go away, which she will be roughly 10.5 weeks by then. I hope we are not going to nuts with these early reassurance scans haha will be the last private one until the NHS ones. Did anyone else book a couple ?

None. Have had four scans so far, two at the EPU very early on due to unexplained bleeding, then the usual 12 and 20 week ones.

Multiple miscarriages here so not so much reassurance but rather confirmation of miscarriage.

With my live baby births, I had the 12 & 20 week scans that’s it, with my next I had weekly scans until 12 weeks.
I was desperate, frantic, unwell with the distress, stress and utter anxiety that it was the single thing that actually gave me reassurance.

Scans I’m afraid were a very sad experience for me over & over and over again.

I'm currently dealing with a MMC. I had a private scan at 9+4 and found out there. Despite this, next time I will wait for the NHS 12 week scan. I think it would have been worse to have seen a heartbeat earlier and then had the loss. I think its false reassurance given that miscarriages can happen at 9, 10, 11 weeks even. Personal choice of course.

One at 7 weeks due to previous loss at 8 weeks due to an empty sac (blighted ovum is it called?). I needed to know that this time I was actually carrying a baby.

12 weeks and 20 weeks, then paid for a private scan at 24 weeks so DH could see him.

That was the earliest that any private scan place opened within a 90 min drive of us due to COVID.

None, pregnancy is an anxious time end of and even weekly reassurance scans won't really reduce that/stop anything from happening so I think you have to just go with the flow in my opinion x

None. Never felt any need to have one - I've been lucky to have very few concerns though.

I've had reassurance scans with both pregnancies as they do reassure me so serve their purpose.

With my current pregnancy I had an early reassurance scan at 6weeks, NHS scan at 8weeks due to bleeding, private scan at 10wks for Harmony Test (Harmony Test was inconclusive) 12wk NHS scan, NHS 13+6 scan for Combined Testing due to failed Harmony, Private scan at 16wks for Gender and so DH could see baby, NHS scan at 16wks to check heart and spine due to Insulin use, NHS scan at 20wks for anomaly scan.

So...3 x private (not planned to have this many)
And 5 x NHS - all necessary for health reasons as high risk. Next NHS scan will be growth scan at 28wks.

@sarahc336, unless I’m wrong, nobody on here has said they have had weekly scans, but 1 or 2 early reassurance scans is hardly 0TT before the 12 week one. I think everyone knows if something is wrong, you can’t stop it, but getting that early reassurance and seeing everything is progressing well before you get to the 12 weeks helps a lot of people.

@Tblock when I said even having weekly scans I meant even if you were to have weekly scans (not that anyone was saying they'd had weekly scans) if something was to happen even this wouldn't stop it. I know plenty of people who have had reassurance scans and then something still happens several days later. I was trying to get at the point that yes they can help but it's still only ever a waiting game that we all have to go through and companies that offer early scans kinda pray on that anxiety in my opinion, often letting women book scans so early they know they wouldn't see a heart beat etc

@sarahc336 different people respond other ways mate. Some people are a lot more anxious than others. We found it comforting to see a heartbeat at 8.2 weeks on our 1st scan. Nobody knows if everything will be ok in the long run, but you deal with that if it comes to it. Didn’t particularly want to wait for the 12 weeks, as we personally think it’s to long , so having 1 or 2 early reassurance scans is the best option for us and so far, thankfully has been a positive experience for us.

As long as it's truly a case of 'we', OP, rather than you. It's your partner that matters here, as I gather she's the one that is pregnant? I think fine to go for it, provided she wants to and feels she'd be able to go ahead with the wedding and not have the experience ruined if it were bad news (which I'm sure it won't be). It'd be her facing the medical interventions when she got back after all.

It's unusual to see the non-pregnant parent asking questions like this on here, so I'm just hoping there's not an element of you trying to persuade your partner to go along with something you really want to do by getting back up on here.

@FourPlasticRings , I think you got it completely wrong with you’re assumptions there I’m afraid. Of course it’s “we”, why would I force my partner to go to early pregnancy scans ? She’s just as excited as I am and is the one pushing for it before we go abroad. It was her decision to go for the 2nd scan, not because she’s anxious, but because she just wants a comfort and I’m in agreement with her. I should really have to justify myself to you if I’m going to be honest. My question was literally to see if other couples were in the same boat, that was all.

Shouldn’t *

I didnt know reassurance scans were a thing in my early pregnancy. Had I known I probably would have got one but I'm not sure it would have been in my best interest in early pregnancy. The only time I was anxious was the week before my 12 week scan and I think I would have been the same before each of the reassurance scans.
I had a car accident at 16 weeks and probably would have benefitted from a scan then but I was in too much pain for the first week (seat belt/air bag injuries) and then covid hit and I was minimising interactions. My midwife found the heartbeat on my check up so for me it wasnt worth the extra risk whilst covid was such an unknown

Fucking hell, he's only asking a bloody question! If a woman was on here asking the same thing, there wouldn't be have as many shirty responses or questions of integrity.

OP, with both my babies I had a scan every 3-4 weeks from 5 weeks, all the way through pregnancy until 30 weeks when it was every 2 weeks and then 36 weeks when I'd see my OBGYN every week until babies arrived around 38 week mark. Not in the uk so this is how our medical insurance works.
Had more scans with DS2 because I was bleeding.

Have as many as give you comfort/can afford. Of course you're not guaranteed anything at any stage but I certainly found the scans made it feel real especially for the first 24 weeks when I didn't even have a bump and baby didn't move until 22 weeks!
Having it to look forward to made a long and relatively boring/uncomfortable process of pregnancy much more bearable for me!

[quote Tblock]@FourPlasticRings , I think you got it completely wrong with you’re assumptions there I’m afraid. Of course it’s “we”, why would I force my partner to go to early pregnancy scans ? She’s just as excited as I am and is the one pushing for it before we go abroad. It was her decision to go for the 2nd scan, not because she’s anxious, but because she just wants a comfort and I’m in agreement with her. I should really have to justify myself to you if I’m going to be honest. My question was literally to see if other couples were in the same boat, that was all.[/quote]
Fair enough. You'd be amazed what we see on here- some partners are very controlling.

@Strokethefurrywall OP could well be a woman. Not all couples that have babies are heterosexual.

Yeah no shit. But it was the use of the term "guys" and "mate" vernacular that made me think male rather than female.

Not because of an automatic assumption that OP must be male.

@Tblock I'm currently 15 weeks and ended up booking a private scan before my 12week scan. Partly I was worried in case there was bad news (a lot if people in a group I joined had early losses) but also NHS weren't allowing partners and I really wanted to share that experience with my partner.
He wasn't as bothered when he knew he couldn't go to NHS scan, but it was a big deal for me.
Now I've actually booked another one before my 20wk- again part reassurance but worried he'll not be allowed at the next scan as things are getting strict again.

You do what's right for you both.
I think it's been amazing sharing such a wonderful thing with my partner, and I loved seeing baby.

Have a wonderful wedding, and hope the pregnancy continues well.

@Strokethefurrywall

Yeah no shit. But it was the use of the term "guys" and "mate" vernacular that made me think male rather than female.

Not because of an automatic assumption that OP must be male.

I use both of those as standard. 🤷

Didn't exist. One scan at 18 weeks like most people 20 years ago. Not sure when the nhs started offering 2 free scans

@Tblock I had quite a few early scans (NHS & private) before my 12 week scan, and since have been scanned weekly/fortnightly since 16 or so weeks. We lost our DS last year and it was on the advice of our NHS consultant that we took having the regular scans, which she carries out for us. If you feel it will bring you reassurance then go for it 100%, I wouldn't listen to anyone telling you it is excessive. Everyone is different and what may bring you reassurance might only worry another, but you have expressed that you and your partner are keen for it, so go for it. It's only for both of you at the end of the day! Wishing you and your partner a happy/healthy pregnancy!

It's not just a person-to-person thing, it's a pregnancy-to-pregnancy thing. My last pregnancy was (as it turned out) my first successful ones after three miscarriages and I had three scans before my 12 week ones - two offered by the NHS because I was under the care of the recurrent miscarriage clinic (so they did think there was some value to reassurance!), one we paid for. It made my horrible anxiety a little more liveable. In my current pregnancy I've had no scans other than the standard 12/20 weeks because I haven't felt any need. Having done it both ways - pregnancy when all you know is loss and pregnancy when you know your body can carry to term and make healthy babies - is like light and day in a way that I don't think anyone who had a successful first pregnancy will ever know. But in any case pregnancy can be an anxious time - if scans help with that then I say have all the scans you want, if they don't then don't. Some of these comments are verging on sneery ('I never felt the need') in a way I think is quite sad.

Congratulations. Personally non (and that was after having a missed miscarriage with my first, so turned up at 12 weeks to no heartbeat). It's each to there own and I guess finances come into it. They can really add up in cost getting scans if your going every month, and I personally would rather put that money towards baby once he or she is here.

I would be a bit worried that upon returning home from abroad I'd have to isolate though (countries changing everyday that are or are not safe) and then you'd miss scan. I don't think I'd risk going really, but that is just my opinion.

I can assure you I’m a male lol. It might be rare on here, but don’t see an issue with guys coming on and asking questions. My misses doesn’t frequent message boards much, so I’m the one who just wanted to get some opinions. Cheers ladies, much appreciated