Private Anomaly Scan ?

[Hotfudgebrownie]

Hey All,
I had 3 private scans prior to my 12 week NHS dating scan, two early reassurance and then 10 weeks for my NIPT. All 3 scans the baby was found easily and and measurements taken.
My 12 week NHS scan was just awful the sonographer told me he was training, he couldn’t take measurements from the baby as apparently he wasn’t in the right place but throughout the 45 minutes I was in there the baby moved several times and I could see them very clearly. Sonographer couldn’t see which ovary I ovulated from ( it was the left as I’d been told at my 3 scans prior). In the end he just asked how many weeks and days I was gone and then just typed that on the paperwork. At one point he stuck the tool in my tummy and told me to cough which was very painful. Basically, after this I would prefer to go back to the place where I got my NIPT, it was a sonographer midwife who is qualified to do the anomaly scan. If I choose to do this would I then cancel my nhs scan and give them the paper work from her? Or would it be best to have both scans or possibly ask for someone who is fully qualified to do it at the hospital?

First of all, everybody has to train, so don’t be too hard on him!
Babies do move, constantly. Sometimes it makes it hard to take accurate measurements.
Why do you need to know which ovary you ovulated from? I’ve never heard of this being a thing you could see in a scan. Feel free to continue to go private - it’ll free up a place on the NHS for someone else. You really need to speak to your midwife though to see how it works in practice.
(btw, my friend had 3 private scans and was told she was having a boy every time. The NHS sonographer wouldn’t tell her the sex. She had a very surprising girl!)

I don’t need to know what ovary I ovulated from.. I was pointing out he was trying to find it and couldn’t which made me very unsure of his ability to carry out the scan. Even though it had been found so easily at prior scans.
I understand everybody needs to train. Important information needs to be taken at a 12 week scan and he was incapable of doing that.

I agree with your comment on speaking to my midwife I think I’ll get more sense from her instead of comments about ‘ your friends’ gender mix up. You do understand the purpose of NHS scans are to pick up information/problems in the baby don’t you? That’s why I’d prefer someone fully qualified. Yes I’ll go private and let him practise on someone else.

If he was in training, he should have been accompanied by a senior. I've had scans performed by trainees before which went perfectly well. They were always overseen by someone experienced who would step in if needed (never needed to though). However, it seems this particular trainee might not be receiving proper oversight, which isn't good for you or him. And that is a question you need to raise with your trust via PALS.

By 12 weeks, the corpus luteum should have disappeared anyway (would have been visible at your 3 prior scans) so why he was looking for one I don't know. At 12 weeks, I thought the ovaries just needed to be checked in case of cysts rather than to work out which was ovulated from.

Sorry you've had a bad experience, and you'd be in your rights to complain to the trust for the reasons I've already stated. However, I would still have the NHS anomaly scan. There's no guarantee you'll have the same sonographer a second time. I also don't think the NHS would accept results from a private scan, so you'd be treated as not having had one.

I’m so sorry you had a bad experience at your scan. I would be so unhappy too.
In my experience the sonogapher who does the 20 anomaly scan does need to be fully qualified/trained and I don’t think the nhs would accept an external scan if they are continuing with your care but you could always check.
Sonographers at my hospital who are training are always observed by someone more senior so I don’t understand how he could still be in training. Perhaps he was just newly trained?
Anyway, definitely complain about the sonographer, even if it is via your midwife. You can also find out who did the previous scan and request that the same person does not do the next one.

Hey, thank you for responding. He had no one over-seeing him. He said someone else would check the paper work at the end who was qualified but it was only him who was in the room with me. He was a lovely but I had no faith in his skills. Yes I’ll speak to my midwife about it.

My 20 week scan was done by someone training, with someone more senior present, checking that their information and recordings were accurate.