booking appointment/12 week scan - one and the same?

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Ok, everyone will think I'm being really daft here ... I have my 12 week scan tomorrow but I keep hearing about booking appointments.

Are these the same thing?

I saw my doctor at 5 weeks to tell her I was pregnant and then I got the appointment for my scan....I haven't been offered anything else.

Should I have been?

no not usually

booking appt will be with your midwife
often after a week or more after the scan

Thank you EldonAve! I was getting a bit worried there!!!

Not the same thing usually. Booking is normally done before the scan, so you can pick your hospital but with timings etc. I have always had a scan 1st then booked with MW to another hospital. Ring surgery and ask for a MW booking appointment, they do tend to just assume you know - I didn't 1st time!

My booking appointment was at 9 weeks and then scan at 13 weeks, but it wouldn't have mattered if the booking appointment was later than the scan. Scan generally done by sonographer/dr and booking appointment by midwifes.

NICE recommends booking appt at about 8-9 weeks (certainly before the dating scan) and that's the practice where I work. You really don't need to see the GP at all, but you should have had an appt with the mw to discuss diet, exersise, dentist, smoking, alcohol etc, things to avoid and to discuss the blood tests they will offer at the next appointment. You will also be given your handheld notes and go through your medical history with the midwife, so you can make plans for pregnancy and birth (e.g. do you need to see a consultant for any reason).It also gives you a chance to ask any questions you need to and meet 'your' midwife who will be different from the one you see at the hospital. You will obviously have all of these things done at your scan appt (including blood tests). Congratulations and good luck.

Well I went with my friend for her scan and she then had her booking appointment immediately afterwards with a hospital midwife. So it might vary from place to place (that was in Scotland).

I had my booking appointment first with a MW at my local GP surgery (she took a history and 'booking bloods') then my dating scan about a week later. Right after the scan I had another MW appointment in the hospital where she went over the options for screening (AFP blood test and 20 week anomaly scan) and gave me my handheld notes to take home.

I have my booking appointment and 12 week scan at the same time.

I had mine at the same time too. It wasn't at all clear from the letter I got from the hospital, which just gave one appointment time and said it was with the sonographer - no details about what would happen. What in fact happened was that they put me in the waiting room and then called me in for each activity - bloods first, then a short wait, then scan, then booking appointment immediately after that.

GP referred me to my chosen hospital at 4 weeks. The hospital then sent me appointment times for the booking appt and bloods at 9 weeks then nuchal and combined test at 12weeks. I'm in Surrey, sounds like it varies from one place to the next which really doesnt make sense to me!