16 week midwife appointment, did you get to hear the heartbeat?

[howmanyroads]

Got my 16wk appointment tomorrow and I just wondered how many of you got to hear the heartbeat at yours?

(I realise a lot of these aren't being done face to face at the moment depending where you live)

I got to hear the heartbeat at my 16 week appt in my first pregnancy (pre covid) my 16 week appt this time round is a phone call so I would be quite impressed if she managed it

I had my 16 week app face to face as well as my 28 week on.. I heard HBs at 16 weeks, I didn't at 28 but that was simply because I had been up the hospital for a scan the day before where I saw and heard it and then was due to go for another appointment at the hospital the day after also when I'd see/hear the same there too so she saw no point in trying to find them both which proved a little hard at 16 weeks due to finding the two separate heart beats and know it was separate beats!

First pregnancy, yes, but with a heavy caveat not to panic if she couldn’t find it was baby was so small (we did find it).

Second pregnancy, no, telephone appointment thanks to Covid.

My 16 week appointment was over the phone due to Covid

Mine was over the phone too, it was pretty useless, just a 10 min how-are-you chat

I'm abroad with private medical so it's a little different in that they will scan you every 2 weeks.

First scan at 6 weeks and again at 8 weeks. Both vaginal scans. And both times could hear a very loud heart beat.

I had a consultant appointment yesterday at 17.2, the midwife took me in first for blood pressure checks etc and told me baby was too small to hear the heartbeat just now so she just measured my bump.

Just to update she did check and I got to hear it

Sorry to those who aren't having all the usual appointments face to face, I'm amazed how much maternity care differs by area at the moment, I know it's not fair

I did on my second pregnancy (currently 37 weeks). However, the midwife said she wouldnt usually try at 16 weeks for first pregnancies, as if the heartbeat cannot be found as baby is in an awkward position FTMs freak out, understandably. Second time around, Mums are generally calmer and know babies sometimes hide. She did find my baby's heartbeat after a bit of fiddling.

@Changethetoner

Why would the guidelines say not to attempt to get the heartbeat? As an anxious mother-to-be I was relieved to hear it each time. Is the mental health of the mother not important?

It is precisely to protect the mental health of the mother. It is often not possible to hear at 16 weeks but that doesn't mean it isn't there.

Not trying to find it means no risk of a false negative and therefore not causing unnecessary stress.

Hi, my 16 week appointment is going to be over the phone - however on nhs website it says that they measure your blood pressure and test your urine at the 16 week appointment which obviously they can’t do over the phone! Will I be having this at a separate appointment instead? I’m a bit concerned that I might have a separate appointment which I don’t know about as they hadn’t told me about the 16 week one (I called to chase and she said it was already booked 🙄) I’d call back but I was on for half an hour and really don’t want to be on hold again!

I did have these tests at 9 weeks but it was a separate appointment at the hospital.

Hi @Harptunes to be honest they might just skip them! Midwife asked me today if I had brought a urine sample but nobody had told me to! She said just take one to my 25 week appointment.

Alternatively maybe they'll get these done after your 20 week scan?

@howmanyroads thank you - I ended up calling back and she said it’s just the telephone appointment, no other appointment, so I assume they’ll be skipping it. I’ll ask the midwife when I speak to her though just to make sure!