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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Am I silly to pay for a 8 week scan for "fun"?

32 replies

grumpypumpkin · 06/11/2009 20:28

Am about 5 weeks preggers with my first, and am having serious difficulty containing my excitement!!

There is a private place near us that will do an 8 week dating scan, don't think I will get one through NHS till 12 weeks, and just want to milk as much excitement as possible out of all this.

What are the pros/cons of doing this? Apart from the money?

OP posts:

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thisisyesterday · 06/11/2009 20:33

yes you;re crazy.
scans done that early are usually trans-vaginal (mine was) which means having a lubed-up stick shoved up your fanjo

you can';t see baby really, just the sac with a blob in and a flicker of heartbeat.

having had this done twice (once for dating/bleeding, and once for bleeding) i certainly wasn't in any hurry to have it done for number 3 when i experienced bleeding at the same stage!!!

oranges · 06/11/2009 20:33

nothing. be prepared though for the possibility. that there is teeny chance something may be wrong. Other than that, if you can have one, do.

oranges · 06/11/2009 20:34

I had an 8 week sound by normal scanner - was not trans vaginal. it depends on the place. make sure you ask.

Aubergines · 06/11/2009 20:37

I did it. It was not transvaginal ao none of that worry. However, see v v little at that stage. Just a tiny blob with a flicker of a heart beat.

Second pregnancy I saved my money and used it for a private 12 week scan as the private machine gives such better pics than our local NHS. They also told me sex at 12 weeks.

Congrats.

wilkos · 06/11/2009 20:40

don't bother there will be not much to see.

save your pennies and have one between 20-35 weeks if you must, because by god, pregnancy gets boring even if it is your first. there will be lots more to see and it will give you a boost for the home stretch

congratulations by the way!

EightiesChick · 06/11/2009 20:41

I wouldn't be put off by it being transvaginal - I had one at 6 weeks for mediacl reasons and it was not 'shoved up', just gently pushed in a tiny bit. Not nearly as intrusive as you'd think, wasn't bothered at all. But as Aubergines says, you can hardly see anything. You will probably get a heartbeat which might be exciting enough itself. I really think it depends on exactly how much it is, and how much you can afford to spend money. If you're financially doing OK then go for it, if you need to tighten your belts I's say be prudent and wait till 12 weeks. But congrats anyway!

Original poster

grumpypumpkin · 06/11/2009 20:44

ooh thanks everyone, I have a sneaky feeling I will have it done anyway!!
I would like to see some evidence that I have not imagined the lines on the tests, sore boobies etc etc.
I know it may say that there is something wrong/nothing there but I guess the sooner I find that out the better as can't see me lasting till 12 weeks to tell people...

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 06/11/2009 20:46

it's only another 4 weeks though

you really don't see much

mistletoekisses · 06/11/2009 20:49

I had dating scans with both of mine. Neither were transvaginal. And IMO, they were well worth the money. I always felt better having seen the HB.

But as others have said, bar a little flutter on the screen - there isnt much to see.

Original poster

grumpypumpkin · 06/11/2009 20:58

thisisyeserday - The last 2 weeks have been long enough, never mind hanging on till 12 weeks!!
Prob is a waste of money but think I will indulge myself, might agree with dh to have it as an early anniversary present to each other.
Thanks for all your thoughts

OP posts:

WowOoo · 06/11/2009 21:01

Yes, you are being silly. BUT...

if you do it, it won't just be fun it will be lovely to see a teeny thing and so exciting. Congratulations!

thisisyesterday · 06/11/2009 21:09

well fair enough!

hester · 06/11/2009 21:15

Hey, you know what you want to do, and none of us boring old been-there-done-thats are going to put you off!

I remember the HUGE excitement of early pregnancy as if it were yesterday (and the excitement NEVER wore off!). So yes, remember the chance that something may go wrong, know that there's not much to see, but if you want to do it just go ahead and enjoy yourself.

Congratulations on your pregnancy

hoops997 · 06/11/2009 21:18

grumpy If I didn't have the bleeding then I probably would have gone private cause I'm the impatient type too!! Had to have a scan for bleeding at 5,6,7 and 8 weeks and have a little photo from my 8 week scan....looks just like a little kidney bean!

There is nothing like seeing your little bean onscreen, even better with a little flickering heartbeat....go for it I say!!

beaufies · 06/11/2009 21:25

Congratulations !

I had a private 8 week scan with PFB and it wasn't transvaginal and you get to see what looks like a bean but a very definite heart beat. I can clearly recall the trace going across the screen and it being 160 beats a minute. The bean is also measured so you know exactly how big it is.

It is also important for peace of mind as if there is a heart beat present at 8weeks the chances of miscarrying go down substantially.

If you can afford it I would definitely recommend it. I'm expecting DC2, and have already booked the 8 week scan and can't wait

beaufies · 06/11/2009 21:26

BTW, come on over and join us on the July 2010 antenatal group

babyboom1979 · 06/11/2009 22:02

It is actually only in the UK (and perhaps Canada) that women have to wait till 12 weeks for their first scan.

As a woman who has had two miscarriages, I personally think 12 weeks is far too long to wait to see if a pregnancy is viable. If one sees a heartbeat at 8 weeks the risk of miscarriage drops to 3% -- a huge relief.

Grumpy I wouldn't hesitate for a second to have a scan done. You may only see a flicker of a heartbeat, but for me, it was one of the most moving experiences of my life.

A huge congratulations and absolutely go for it!!

EccentricaGallumBANG · 06/11/2009 22:05

sorry to shit on your excitement (congratulations by the way) but scanning has never been proven to be safe and really is used for diagnostic and screening. not fun.

Original poster

grumpypumpkin · 06/11/2009 22:09

Thanks everyone!
Mind now made up, will book and start looking forward to it.

Beaufies- have just joined so see you there!!

And thanks for all the congratulations, it is really odd when no one knows and hearing all your comments has started to make it feel real already. Really appreciate it.

OP posts:

babyboom1979 · 06/11/2009 22:09

Btw, I have had several transvaginal scans done and there was never anything "shoved up". If done correctly it's just a gentle probing. However, at 8 weeks I had a tummy scan......

Boys2mam · 06/11/2009 22:15

If you can afford it then go for it - any opportunity to 'see' baby and hear the heartbeat is hugely exciting. It was for me for DS1 and no less so for DS2.

Beanigan · 06/11/2009 22:24

Hi,
I had an 8 week scan with my first pregnancy (medical reasons) and 6 week scan with my 2nd (friends in high places!) - both were normal scans, i.e not transvaginal.

I know what you mean by being impatient - for me it was all about seeing the heartbeat so I could actually relax and stop worrying about the worst happening. You don't see much but the heartbeat is, by far, the most important, reassuring thing to see.

I guess it depends on the cost and if you can afford it but I say, if given the opportunity I'd go for it!

bigpreggybelly · 07/11/2009 14:44

You're wasting your money. The reason why the NHS makes you wait until 12 weeks is because you can't see an awful lot any earlier.

Sarahlou8 · 07/11/2009 14:56

I had a scan at 9 weeks because I had been bleeding a little.
That first glimpse of your baby and a flickering heartbeat is indescribable and incredibly moving and I would do it again without question if I had the choice.
I wasn't expecting to see much but my scan was really clear and the baby was moving, we also heard the heartbeat.
Mine was external and I had a friend who had a scan at 7 weeks which was external too.
Go for it Grumpypumpkin - definitely worth it!

Morloth · 07/11/2009 16:04

I paid for one at 9 weeks (ish) because I hadn't quite got my head around being pregnant. Was great, saw the little bean and heard their heartbeat.

Was just a normal tummy scan. Really helped me to sort it out in my own mind.

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