16 week appt... What to expect??

[xjennax]

Hey guys, I have my routine 16 week appt on Thursday when I will be 16+3. Just wondering what happens at this appointment? Do they listen to baby's heartbeat? Also they said as I am high risk my appointment will be with OB and midwife instead of the midwife herself, is there any difference in what will happen at the appointment because of this?

 

[claireybell]

hi hun

at my 16wk apt my mw checked fundal height, took pee sample & did bubs heartbeat Not sure what else they make check with an OB though, maybe do additional blood test ....

 

[xjennax]

I really hope they do listen to baby's heartbeat its one of the things I'm really excited about as I've yet to hear it. They didn't listen to it at any of my scans I had before although we could see it flickering away.

 

[teresapk]

i just had my 16w appt yesterday. they took a urine sample, weighed me, then i sat in the exam room a bit, doctor came in and just talked and answered any questions, then she did a doppler to hear baby's heartbeat and checked fundal height. afterwards i had blood drawn for Neural Tube defects.

my OB said from now on they do a doppler at every appointment.

 

[xjennax]

Oh right, how do they check fundal height?

 

[SatansSprite]

My appointments are on weird weeks, just cause of when I was able to first get in, so my last appointment was when I was 13 weeks and they listened to the heartbeat at that appointment. It did take the midwife a few minutes to find it though, so maybe I was just lucky. I'm going in a week for my next appointment, at 17 weeks, and so eager to hear it again especially after starting a 5 day long miscarriage at 17 weeks in my last pregnancy.

Edit:: To check fundal height, they just push in gently on your tummy starting from your pubic pone until they find where the hardness of your uterus ends, in your case it should be just a couple inches or so below your belly button.

 

[M&S+Bump]

At my 16 week appt, they checked urine sample, blood pressure, she felt my belly, talked through the blood test results from the previous time and asked me about my plans for delivery. Then the doctor came in to talk to me about delivery too.

They don't listen to the baby's heartbeat here (lanarkshire) until after 24 weeks.

 

[xjennax]

My appointments are on weird weeks, just cause of when I was able to first get in, so my last appointment was when I was 13 weeks and they listened to the heartbeat at that appointment. It did take the midwife a few minutes to find it though, so maybe I was just lucky. I'm going in a week for my next appointment, at 17 weeks, and so eager to hear it again especially after starting a 5 day long miscarriage at 17 weeks in my last pregnancy.

Edit:: To check fundal height, they just push in gently on your tummy starting from your pubic pone until they find where the hardness of your uterus ends, in your case it should be just a couple inches or so below your belly button.

Aw hun sorry for your loss I've had a miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy before so I'm always really eager for every chance I get to see that baby's doing well too.

 

[xjennax]

At my 16 week appt, they checked urine sample, blood pressure, she felt my belly, talked through the blood test results from the previous time and asked me about my plans for delivery. Then the doctor came in to talk to me about delivery too.

They don't listen to the baby's heartbeat here (lanarkshire) until after 24 weeks.

Really? Is there a reason for that? I'm in Renfrewshire, I wonder if it will be the same here?

 

[M&S+Bump]

At my 16 week appt, they checked urine sample, blood pressure, she felt my belly, talked through the blood test results from the previous time and asked me about my plans for delivery. Then the doctor came in to talk to me about delivery too.

They don't listen to the baby's heartbeat here (lanarkshire) until after 24 weeks.

Really? Is there a reason for that? I'm in Renfrewshire, I wonder if it will be the same here?

Because it can be difficult to find the heartbeat earlier on, they were getting loads of cases where heartbeat couldn't be found, ladies would obviously get in a major panic and would go up to hospital to be monitored only for everything to be fine, so it was deemed too unreliable to do it earlier than 24 weeks and they stopped a few years back. I found last time if I begged hard enough, some midwives would try before that and some wouldn't, and they always said they shouldn't really but oh, go on then! Not so bothered this time because I'm not the slightest bit worried about the baby and have been feeling him move for a couple of weeks.

It varies area to area, don't know how they'll do it over your way!

 

[Lil_Moma]

Stalking looking forward to bubs heartbeat.

 

[SatansSprite]

Because it can be difficult to find the heartbeat earlier on, they were getting loads of cases where heartbeat couldn't be found, ladies would obviously get in a major panic and would go up to hospital to be monitored only for everything to be fine, so it was deemed too unreliable to do it earlier than 24 weeks and they stopped a few years back. I found last time if I begged hard enough, some midwives would try before that and some wouldn't, and they always said they shouldn't really but oh, go on then! Not so bothered this time because I'm not the slightest bit worried about the baby and have been feeling him move for a couple of weeks.

It varies area to area, don't know how they'll do it over your way!

I don't know what OB's over here in Canada do, cause I didn't get to doc until about 22 weeks with my son (not something I'm proud of, but OH and I were trying to hide it from parents and were each living at home)

In my last pregnancy and this one, the midwife tried early on but made sure to give a good warning that it was very possible to not find it and that even if they didn't, that at that stage it didn't mean anything.