Scan frequency in the first 12 weeks

[PrincessGurn1984]

Did anyone end up having frequent scans in the first 12 weeks privately? I really feel like I want one weekly? until I’m 12 weeks but not sure if that’s a bit extreme/I’m being dramatic?

[Hidden]

I think we all feel a bit like this as we want to know what’s going on and get the reassurance that everything is ok. In my experience a scan provided reassurance for maybe a day afterwards but the worry soon returned, and equally they caused a lot of worry before the scan itself.

The one thing I would say is that we all feel like if we get to 12 weeks we will feel confident and stop worrying but in my experience the reassurance is short lived and the anxiety remains, and having a scan every week of your pregnancy is really not viable. Add to that there are some schools of thought that suggest you should minimise the number of private scans you have as they are medical procedures and some babies can find them a little stressful. It sounds a bit harsh but my advice would be you really need to try and find tools to manage the anxiety or at the minimum find a way to get through each day and week but it’s not easy and totally normal to worry I am an absolute wreck most days x

[Kittykat198 in reply to Hidden]

Following with interest and sorry to hijack but this is exactly how I feel! I have been googling private scans this morning but know I felt shocked and then reassured for like 12 hours but then straight back to anxiety googling crl measurements at ten past 4.

Like you say op, I want the reassurance too but I also don’t know if that will help my anxiety anyways!

[Hidden in reply to Kittykat198]

I honestly have found that scans haven't helped for longer than that day.. but I guess everyone is different. I have had six miscarriages/chemicals so I am always fearing the worst and am just waiting for something to go wrong. I am also queen of google, I have always measured about right but the heartbeat has always been really high and when I googled that said heart problems... so whilst I am seeing a baby on a scan I then get home google the heart rate and find its high, panic and then convince myself I will lose the baby due to its heart problem (that I don't even know it has yet!!). I am now 14+2 and still spend days at a time absolutely convinced its all gone wrong, panic if I cramp, panic if I don't cramp, panic about lack of symptoms.. I have just weaned off all my drugs and now am panicking as I am cramping this morning. I just keep telling myself if I can get to around 18 weeks and feel baby kick then I will know there is something going on in there, but the reality is I will probably just panic if I don't feel a kick! Its such a stressful worrying time for all of us... I am so sorry I don't have a solution. Hugs to all of us xx

[Corchi in reply to Hidden]

I’m the same as you. 7 miscarriage and do all the exact same things

[ZiggyandBC]

hey, my clinic gave me a scan at 6 weeks and then another at 9 weeks and then I was discharged to the NHS for my 12 week scan x

[Shaze12]

what kept me going as long as I'm not bleeding or have pain I reassured my self that baby is fine. Because the last time I had a miscarriage bleeding and pain was present. And I had scans before hand so really it's just short lived...

[PrincessGurn1984 in reply to Shaze12]

Thanks I think because I’ve had a missed miscarriage before at my 12 week scan after having seen a heartbeat at 8 weeks, but the baby stopped growing at about 9 weeks so I’m worried about that happening again and my body not recognising it so not convinced I would bleed and know about it so feel like by scanning it eliminates that xx

[Shaze12 in reply to PrincessGurn1984]

i understand you want to have weekly scans... But they really are not that great for when it comes to reassurance because anything can happen after the scan... I have had 2 miscarriages and learnt that having scans so many is not going to reassure me any more because of past history it's out of your hands... I can tell you one thing is that it does get easier the further you get. Just try and relax recurrent miscarriages are so rare...

[Missl73]

I get the temptation to do it that way, but after my missed miscarriage, in my future pregnancies (one is my son, I’m 32 weeks pregnant with the other) I found more scans actually made me more anxious. The more information I had the more I had to obsess over, Google and worry about. And really I knew no matter what I did it was out of my control so instead I try and focus on the fact that today I’m pregnant and allow myself to enjoy it xx

[HollyT7]

we had an extra 2 after our viability scan. One the day before we went on holiday and also the day we got back so about 7 and 9 Weeks. We had a loss with our fresh transfer so I just wanted to 'check' babe was still there. The aniexty can be horrible. I don't think that your being dramatic at all. Congratulations ❤️🙂

[Albs171]

yeah….

I do this…

I’m 21 weeks… I’ve had 4 private scans, 1 early in epu and then my hospital ones…

I’m a tester and a scanner. Ha.

I mean it doesn’t change anything I guess… but I think whatever gets you through it! X

[Kazbzzz]

I had private scans every 2 weeks until 20 weeks, but will go less regularly now. I guess it’s a personal choice, it has helped me, and I love getting that window just to have a little look and see his wee face. I don’t care if people think I’m ridiculous, the girls at the private scan clinic say there are loads of people go in just as much as me. You do what you need to do and don’t feel guilty!!!xx

[Positivechangeplease]

know exactly how you feel but when I was in this position, I had to tell myself that there was nothing that could be done and just had to distract myself as best as I could. I was terribly sick from week 6 and just took that as a good sign

[User20]

Hi! I know the feeling abd I tjink we all feel the anxiety. It's a very personal decision.

I've had private scans at 10 abd 16 weeks. After the 20week scan I stopped. It is a bit easier as I can feel the baby kicking which gives reassurance.... However, it can also add to anxiety again as you can get obsessive over how often do you feel the kicks or if it feels like an eternity between kicks and you convince yourself there's a problem 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

I think we might truly only 'relax' once we hold our baby in arms....

In the end you need to do what's best for you to keep your anxiety to the lowest level

X

[LSV23]

I know how you feel! I had a missed miscarriage earlier this year where all my symptoms stopped when the baby stopped growing, but I didn’t find out until a scan a week and bit later. This pregnancy I did have weekly, sometimes 2 scans a week, during the first trimester. That was mostly what I called panic scans, because my symptoms kept disappearing making me think I’d had mmc. I was fine on days where my symptoms were there. Not everyone will agree with this approach but it’s the only way I could get myself through it, after everything we’d been through. I calmed a little after 12 weeks but then had a bleed around 16 weeks so the weekly scans started again whilst I’ve waited for the bleed to calm. You can only do what feels right for you. My baby was also measuring behind a few days through first trimester, so that added a whole layer of anxiety I probably didn’t need. So it wasn’t the easiest thing for me to do, but like I said, got me through it xx

[PrincessGurn1984]

Thanks everyone for your comments and advice, I really appreciate all of them, I think I’ll take each day as it comes and see how I feel about booking more scans, anxiety after a loss is really scary and I have the MMC fear still that it could happen again. These first 12 weeks are so worrying I feel so happy to be finally pregnant and the fear of it all ending is horrible to think about 😢 xx