Booking in/scan at 13 weeks - late?

[Runswithsquirrels]

Ive just got my letter for my first appointment and I will be thirteen weeks by then! This is my first Pregnancy so I know nothing - is this date still okay for all the checks they do at the first scan?
Also it would be after Christmas wouldn't it, so I have to stay silent to my family over Christmas! Grr!
What do you think?

[elmo1983]

I would be annoyed! i'm 10 weeks and really want first scan by Christmas. I phoned midwife as soon as i found out and they have booked me in dead on 10 weeks for booking but not sure how long i'll wait for the scan.

How far gone are you now? have you tried phoning and asking to move it back? i thought 8-10 weeks was the norm for booking appt?

x

[FranTan]

Frustrating but 13 weeks isn't too late. I was almost 14 weeks for my first pregnancy due to hospital waiting lists. Will it be a nuchal scan or just a dating scan? I know nuchal scans have to be within a specific time frame but not all Trusts offer these.

On the plus side you will get a better picture!

[FatimaLovesBread]

According to my notes the nuchal scan (if it is this and not just a dating scan) has to be between 11+2 and 14+1 so 13 weeks is fine

[elliejjtiny]

13 weeks is about average in my area. I'll be 13 weeks on christmas eve so expecting a scan date after christmas too

[lambinapram]

Have you asked if you can move it foward? If not could you afford a private scan? You can have a viability scan from 7 weeks. It would make Xmas so much more enjoyable if you could tell everyone the good news.

[Runswithsquirrels]

Thanks everyone!
I'll give them a call to see if I can get an earlier one but I expect they're fully booked!

[MerryChristMoose]

Be grateful you don't live in this part of Canada OP. I was about 17 weeks gone when I discovered I was pregnant. There are no midwives here and despite being an urgent case for a scan, the local hospital was so busy they couldn't get me in for four weeks. I ended up driving 500k to the next city for my scan.

My city has a population of about 130,000 and around 200 babies are born each month. There are only 3 OBs. I wasn't seen by mine until 36 weeks. It's not unusual to be waiting 4-5 hours to see him. There's a 1 in 13 chance of having a c-section here. I was one of them,

[ArkadyRose]

Here in East London you'll be lucky if you get offered a booking appointment before 13 weeks and a scan at 20 weeks; that's fairly normal round here. They don't do nuchal scans at all. They only time they bring it forward is if you're considered high risk - for instance, if you've had 3 or more mc and a family history of mc.

As lambinapram has suggested, you can go private for your first scan - The Fetal Medicine Centre on Harley Street does a viability scan for £100 between 7-10 weeks. With D3 I went to them when I started spotting and the hospital wouldn't offer me a scan unless I actually miscarried. We can't afford it this time around alas.

[Dandelion75]

I think 13 weeks is pretty standard - mine was at 13+5. Didn't stop me wishing it was sooner though! In my area they just have to do them all before 14+1 and won't shift you forward unless there's a good reason for it needing to be sooner.

As fran said, the later the scan the better the picture

[happy2bhomely]

I'm in East London and have had booking appointments at 8 -12 weeks and dating scans at 10-12 weeks. Then a scan at 20-22 weeks. Nuchal scans are offered if you are over 37. Also, there is an EPU that you can access through A and E or your GP if you have any earlier concerns. I was offered a scan at 7 weeks when I had bleeding. I also had a scan at 9 weeks with another pregnancy when I had cramping, but I had to wait over the weekend.

Where in East London are you ArkadyRose? My local hospital is Whipps.

[ArkadyRose]

happy2bhomely It must have changed in the past 5 years since I had D3 then, because my local is Whipps and they were useless when I was pregnant with her. My GP said she's pushing for an early referral and marking me as high risk so I won't have to wait until 20 weeks for a scan. I've been with the same GP since moving to Walthamstow 8 years ago, and it's always been 13 weeks for booking in and 20 weeks for scan. If it's changed recently then I'm glad to hear it, but my experiences with them to date have been pretty negative.

Just waiting for them to wig out when I tell them I'm having another HB again.

[TheCountessOlenska]

I had mine at 13 weeks this time - last pregnancy I wasn't sure of my dates so was measured at 11 weeks at the scan. The baby looked a lot bigger at the 13 week scan.

[Dillydollydaydream]

I had to rebook my scan as the time wasn't convenient but there wasn't another free appointment until over a week later. I will be approx. 13+5 by then, hopefully not much over that though as cut off for nuchal Scan is 13.6 I think?

[weeblueberry]

I guess the only issue that can be caused from having it so late is if they can't get the measurement for the nuchal scan because the baby isn't in the right position you may not be able to go back for another scan.

They scheduled me in for my 12 week scan when I was at 13+5. Unfortunately the baby wouldn't play ball and they couldn't take the measurement. Because they only did scans twice a week I couldn't go back the next day and by the next time they offered scans I was past my 14 weeks limit for the scan. So now I have to go and get it done via blood tests. That's fine for me and doesn't bother me but cutting it so fine can be frustrating...

[laurajane89]

13 weeks is about average

[happy2bhomely]

I had ds there 12 years ago. Then dd there 9 years ago. Then I had dd2 there 4 years ago. It has been different every time! The antenatal care has always been fine but the postnatal is shocking! Which led me to have ds2 at home 2 years ago.

I'm now 12 weeks with dc5 and am yet to hear a peep from them. I'm planning a water birth at home this time, but am bracing myself for their reaction. I was talked out of a pool last time.

[ArkadyRose]

They did their best to try and talk me out of a HB with D3, practically trying to railroad me into an induction the moment I was a day past the due date and saying they wouldn't "allow" me to go past 42w. I just laughed at them and wrote an advance directive stating that any attempt to induce me would be treated as assault unless I gave written consent to the contrary and they had to admit that the only person with any real say as to whether I got a HB or not was me. I bet the head of midwifery is going to be rolling her eyes and saying "Oh god, not her again!" when they get the referral from my GP!

At the end of the day, if you stick to your guns there's not actually much they can do about it. All they can do is advise you. It's surprising how co-operative they can be when you make it clear you'll have an unassisted homebirth if they don't....

[happy2bhomely]

They tried to induce me with ds. No real reason other than I went just for a quick trace as I was 5 days over, and they said I may as well stay because they would induce in the morning. The trace was fine.

I allowed them to do a sweep and went into labour that night. I delivered an 11 lb baby at home 6 hours later. I hate to think of what might have happened if I had been induced-intervention wise. I could never have delivered him naturally unless I stayed mobile, and I would never have been allowed to be mobile (constant monitoring) if I had been induced!

I like your style I just know they will say they don't have anyone confident enough to deliver a baby in the water. They just push the 'home from home' lilac suite at every opportunity.