booking appointment quick question-please respond

[saltnvinigarcrips]

Just wondering whether at the booking appointment the midwife has some kind of instrument whereby they can listen for a heartbeat. Know there is no scan at my booking appointment but would like to know everything is okay in there.

MW has an instrument to listen to baby's hb but i dont think they use it in booking/ first appointments. With me they only used it from 25 weeks, maybe with other people is different.

it depends on how far long you are

they can pick up a heartbeat with a doppler from about 16 weeks or so from my experience so if you are earlier than that i would suspect they would not try to find the HB to avoid mking you worry

Midwife didn't listen in for baby's heartbeat til 16 week check up. I'm afraid you might have to wait for your scan to know what's going on in there...

In my 1st pregnancy I was offered to listen to the heartbeat at booking in but she explained that it was quite difficult to find and I prob would find myself more worried if she couldn't find it so I declned the offer. This preg no one asked until 16 week check (at 15 weeks) and it took several mins to find it which would have made me panic but for the fact that I could already feel baby moving

I don't think they do it routinely until 16weeks. I certainly have never had it as early as the booking in appointment.

Booking in appointment for me has always been, form filling, meeting the MW, going through future appointments, medical history and taking blood pressure.

I didn't think they could hear the heartbeat this early.

I have always had early scans, due to medical history, but understand it must be very frustrating to have to wait.

I heard the heartbeat at the 16 week apt but not the booking in - it's probably too early.

My booking appt was actually at 23 weeks - so she could hear the hearbeat with her instrument thingy for me. (Found out I was pregnant very late!)

I think before around about this far gone they are reluctant to try and find heartbeat as baby is so tiny they may not be able to locate it and cause unecessary panic.

I remember asking my mw NOT to try and find hb at a 15 week appt as I was terrified in case she couldn't and then there would be no immediate follow up, iyswim. I knew I would get very stressed and upset if they couldn't and didn't want to wait in limbo until they could. it's worth thinking about. As to booking appt, depends how far along you are.

my booking appointment was at nearly 12 weeks and it was just form fillingnand general info about health in pregnancy.

I have a second appointment at about 18 weeks and not even sure that she will listen to the heartbeat then. As far as I am aware you can hear a heartbeat yourself with a doppler from around 13 weeks?

I heard the beartbeat at home with my own doppler from about 13/14 weeks - but this is my second and I knind of knew what i was doing

the MW will not listen till after 16 weeks

I would say no, its too early. My booking appointment was 10 weeks - they can't hear it then.

They first used the doppler at my 16 week appointment. Even at 16 weeks, the mw said that it was sometimes really hard to find and not to worry if it took her a long time.

If your booking appointment is at the usual time, you won't hear the heartbeat.

My midwife said can;t use the heartbeat listener until 17 and half weeks

Unfortunately, one of the scary/lovely things about the 12 week scan is that its the very first time (unless you've had an earlier scan becasue of bleeding etc) that you get to see whether or not everything is ok and whether there is a baby alive and kicking in there.

I burst into tears as soon as they said "and there's the heartbeat" at the 12 week scan as I and DH had been so scared that something might be wrong or I might have had a missed miscarriage etc... The run up to the first scan is, I am afarid, pretty frightening, but you will be grinning like a goon when you see all is fine!

At my booking in appointment, I was weighed, height checked, BMI, chat, form filling.

At 16 weeks I had an appointment with consultant so MW listened and found heartbeat.

My community mw, says she doesn't even attempt until 18 weeks check.

I asked the MW to do it at booking but she said she wouldn't be able to - too early.

Thanks everyone. I feel like you legallyblond. Just can't wait til 12 week scan but anxious at the same time. MN is great but also upsetting when you hear so many people having MMC etc. Very scary indeed.