12 week scan - couldn't get measurements for screening tests. Second scan booked but worried

[PlumpHobbit]

Had 12 week dating scan today

They were running about an hour late (nothing said when signing in) arrived with a full bladder as instructed, however after an hour of waiting I had to go for a wee, as it was hurting after trying to hold on so long

Was seen, but baby wasn't in the right position for him to get the neck measurements despite my bouncing around etc/him tipping the bed. We did see a little heartbeat, hands, feet etc, got a couple of scan photos but it doesn't really look like "a baby"

He advised to go for 20 minutes to try and shift baby. Went to the hospital shop and got a lucozade, forced myself to drink that, walked a couple of laps, went in the loo and leapt up and down a couple of times

Went back in and still nothing despite more hip shaking, wiggling etc

Apparently you get 2 shots so I've got another one booked for Monday afternoon

Apparently if they can't get them then, it'll be the quad test, which only covers Downs, Edwards and Pateau (?) Will have to wait until 20 weeks

I'm a worrier and worrying we could go through all that again Monday for the same thing to happen. I'd have to tell everyone at work as presumably by then it'll be obvious I'm pregnant, but then what if we have to wait all that time to discover it's Edwards etc, which are so severe? It feels like we won't properly be able to celebrate being pregnant as it'll be hanging over us

Of course they may be able to measure baby Monday (then the worry about the results) but if not it's so long to wait - if it's severe I'd rather know ASAP

I'm great at worrying and catastrophising so will be worrying over the weekend and at work Monday

Any tips on making baby as prepared as possible for Monday?

Hi - no real advice I’m afraid, as babies just move about as they like. I will say the difference this time around (with my second pregnancy) is that the 12w scan is way more thorough than it used to be, which is why they have so many measurements to take. I had already taken a private NIPT at 10w, which had meant I was pretty calm and not expecting any bad news at the 12w one, although pregnancy anxiety is still always there (I’m currently 39w). NIPT results do take a couple of weeks though, so won’t help you before Monday, but will be done before 20w so maybe some help that way? Best of luck, I’m sure everything is fine

Sorry meant to add I have looked at private NIPT etc scan, but the cost is so high, would have happily paid about £100 but it seems to be £400-£500 which is a lot, much as I'd love the reassurance

I did a private nipT with a company called concepto which was £300 and results came back in a couple of days. I know that’s still pricey, but not as much as other places so maybe worth looking at if you’re really worried and need reassurance.

This happened with DD. My first scan I was already 13 weeks and she was in a sitting position, they couldn’t do her spinal measurements etc. I went back the next week and they got them okay (although she was upside down that time! Monkey!).
I found that drinking one pint a couple of hours before my scans was enough for a full bladder and not to be horribly uncomfortable. Think I have a small bladder!

Both mine were little monkeys at the 12 week scan. Fortunately my second held still for just long enough to get the measurements just as the sonographer was finishing up.

My first though... Moving around too waaaay too much. Went away to do some jumping jacks, empty my bladder, and just try to wriggle baby into a good place. Turns out no. She fell asleep at the wrong angle to get the NT measurement.

At my trust there's no second chances, and we couldn't justify the cost of the NIPT, so I had the Quad test. The only positive thing that got me through the weeks until the 20 week scan was that the sonographer was very kind and told us that while she couldn't get the measurement, from what she could see it looked normal.

The Quad test came back low risk for T21, and the 20 week scans (it took 3 to get all the measurements - she really hated being scanned) showed she had no signs of T16 or T18. She turned 5 yesterday and much prefers to be the one to take the photos than be photographed.

I hope your second scan goes well.

We both hate having our pictures taken so maybe that's why baby won't cooperate!

Reassuring to know people have had the same and all has ended up OK, I have just got a sudden wave of "I think it's a girl" because it's being so stubborn! Having previously had no hunch about gender

Maybe I'll ask the sonographer Monday if they can't get the measurements, that while I understand it's only based on what they see, if they think everything looks normal

Same thing happened to me..baby was asleep or comfy in an awkward position and wouldn’t budge, tried star jumps, wiggling my hips and walking - nothing. Sonographer seemed quite grumpy about it, was rebooked for the following week, only to then find out baby was measuring a week ahead and so now they couldn’t even get the measurements!

Did get the down’s syndrome blood test which came back low risk & at the time did ask the sonographer whether everything looked okay with baby which she said it did.

After that I had a couple of private scans which were a much more pleasant experience, I found cold sugary drinks helped get baby moving. I’ve seen people recommend orange juice but haven’t tried it myself. My NHS scans were in the early morning whereas my private scans were midday and evening, not sure if that contributed but if my baby’s anything like me it did!

Yes, even at this stage these babies have a mind of their own and don't always cooperate!
My 20 week scan took 3 separate appointments as they couldn't get the brain and heart measurements/ checks they needed!

DD1 is now a very healthy 4 year old and can still be pretty uncooperative when she wants to be

Mine is a stubborn, contrary one in all scans and is a little boy so don't be so sure it's a girl! Good luck on Monday! X

We had the same, 2 goes at the 12 week scan without managing to get all the measurements they needed including nuchal translucency. Had the quad test for Downs (came back 1 in 5000) and went back at 15 weeks for dating. At that stage the sonographer said they would expect visible soft markers for Edwards/Patau and everything looked normal so I was reassured enough.

We also had to do the 20 week scan twice because of baby's total intractability so at this point I'm just resigned to this being the kind of person she is 🙄🙄🙄 had several growth scans since and she always looks healthy and normal so I'm not worrying.

They will be looking for many other indicators of issues with the baby so NT isn't the be-all and end-all, it's just one tool. Good luck but I'm sure everything with your baby will be fine.

Neither of mine would cooperate at the 12 week scan, both times had to have the quad test instead - this is just a blood test and was done at around 14-15 weeks, may be different in your trust but definitely didn’t need to wait for the 20 week scan.

DS was low risk from the quad results but DD came back high at 1/40. The NHS offers NIPT for high risk (1/150 was the cut off here) which we took over an amnio, results came back at about 16 weeks (she was low risk from that but it was a horrible wait).

I clearly remember all the anxiety, but don’t read anything into the fact that your baby was just in the wrong position on the day. The sonographer won’t record it if they can’t measure accurately or it would skew the results, and they’re literally looking at millimetres!

If your BMI is a bit higher then it can be tricky. An empty bladder also doesn't help.

There's no guarantees that they will get what they need next week - you say you're worried about 'having to go through all that again', but it is optional remember. We didn't have any of that kind of testing with any of my pregnancies as it isn't routinely offered on the NHS where I live.

As for running an hour late, I'm afraid that is very normal so be prepared for it again 🙈 as I'm sure you know, the NHS is chronically understaffed and the staff that are there will be taking their time to manage situations when people are receiving bad news 😞 I'm sorry you had a long wait, but it's also not great for the staff who will have ended up working an hour or two past their finish time, by the time the clinic finished.

All the best of luck with everything. And congratulations!

This is really common and happened with me, on the 3rd attempt they managed to measure baby after lots of trying tho!
Try not to worry.

I am a very anxious person at the best of times but pregnancy has sent my anxiety levels sky high, so I completely understand what you are going through.
I'm currently 20 weeks pregnant with our first much longed for IVF baby and, due to my anxiety levels, I've had a couple of reassurance scans between my regular NHS scans which I found helpful. During our private 10 week scan baby was very cooperative and obligingly moved in just the right way for the sonographer to get a good look at her. When we went for the 12 week scan the moment the sonographer put the probe on my belly he immediately commented on what a good position baby was in for getting measurements, no sooner had he said this than she turned over into a much more inconvenient posture and he spent the next twenty minutes pressing on my stomach and getting me to cough to see if we could coax her to move again, luckily, eventually she did shift and he was able to get the required measurements and everything was fine, thank god.
I had another private reassurance scan at 16 weeks where baby was very cooperative and kept moving to allow the sonographer to get some really detailed measurements, get a good look at the spine and internal organs and tell us we're probably having a girl. Each scan can be so different and, while I know it's easier said than done, please try not to worry too much, hopefully your baby will be more cooperative at your next scan!
We've got our 20 week scan on Tuesday which I'm worried about, naturally, but I'm feeling well and hope this is a sign that our baby is doing well also. We have decided not to tell anyone about our pregnancy until after the 20 week scan. I only have a small bump so it's not super obvious that I'm pregnant. It will be a relief when I can finally feel her moving, but I've been told that may not be for a few weeks as I have an anterior placenta. Heard her heartbeat and hiccups on a doppler scan last week so I know she's definitely wriggling around in there!
All the best for your next scan and the rest of your pregnancy. Later scans get easier as you no longer need a full bladder which is a relief as getting the timing right is hard, especially if your scan is delayed!

Managed to get the measurements for the screening tests done at today's appointment fortunately - baby had gone the opposite end of the scale today and was almost too lively 😂 saw a little hand 😍 it's crazy how it's the size of a ripe peach according to Badger notes, but the tiny features are already forming

Now a whole new round of worrying while we wait for the results - they said no news is good news and they'd be quick to call if anything is concerning, how quick is quick?!

I think I'm starting to slightly show and I only have so many baggy but smart work tops...

Ahh, so pleased baby was being more helpful today @PlumpHobbit! Mine were stubborn before and after birth! 😂
it’s normal to have high risk results back within a couple of days. (This makes it feel a lot worse than the reality - a vast majority of ‘high risk’ are found to be low/no risk after further testing). Having the tests on a Monday is a good thing, you would almost certainly have heard before the weekend if anything was of concern.

Congratulations and hope the rest of your pregnancy is a smooth ride 😊 x