any advice re a nuchal scan?

[spongecake]

i have one booked and i will get the results after it. has anyone had one and is there any advice you can give me? i will be alone as dh will be baby sitting.

you can take your baby with you, you know...

no advice really - the sonographers will explain everything......

are you just having the scan? or the integrated test etc?

if it's just the scan then it's standard across the country (i believe) I am due mine on monday.

i have had blood taken, so its just the scan to go. i would take ds but its being done early evening, so i don;t want to mess with his bedtime.

Yes, take the baby and go together

x-post there.

I'd try to find someone to go with, even if its not DH.

the scan is straightforward. as dinny says, the sonographer will explain it all to you, what tehy're looking for etc, and will usually show you on the screen as well.

they'll will take measurements of the fluid at hte back of baby's neck. I think they take 3 and then average it. I honestly can't remember what the "normal" range is but think my 2 were something like 1.3 or 1.4

that measurement (in conjunction with your age etc) can then be used to give you "odds" on having a baby with Down syndrome

however, if you're having the integrated test then they will use the results of those as well as that of the nuchal measurement to give you an overall likelihood, but remember it isn't 100%

hatrick/lockets has had this done, don't know if she is online tonight though

I would always try and go with someone - all is probably fine but it's important to remember too that it is a medical examination and not always positive

I really agree with the others to try and take someone with you (preferably dh). In all my friend's nuchal scans all went really well and it was very reassuring to them when they got the results.

In mine, they had difficulty finding the nasal bone (absence of nasal bone during this scan is a possible indicator of ds)and the fluid behind the neck was in the higher range (2.2 I think). I had to have quite a few jump around breaks and rescans on the night and eventually my dd presented the required nasal bone for viewing! It would not have been pleasant to have been alone.

Hope it all goes well. On an entirely lighter note, it is so nice to have such an early picture of your baby.

I'm always so nervous before them

had one yesterday actually

Hope it went ok dinny!