I don't quite understand...

[shaunanicole]

Everyone on here complains that they have to wait a certain amount of time to get into the doctors to get a scan. At my OBGYN's office they allow you to make an appointment whenever you want or need. You don't have to wait until you are a certain amount of weeks or wait until a certain amount of weeks after your last scan. It makes no sense because I have never heard of someone having to wait until I got on this site. Even my sister and friends went into their scans whenever they pleased.

 

[Duffy]

For real? That would be awesome because my first appt not until week 9 and I really wanna see something, lol!

 

[shaunanicole]

Yes, I'm serious. I've wondered this since I joined the site. Maybe it's because the majority of people here are in a different country but still even people from the states have said their forced to wait.

 

[KJunkie]

I got 3 u/s at the beginning of my pregnancy to make sure everything was progressing well because I had just had a miscarrriage a couple months before that. But, I really don't know why it is different in different places. I guess if I pushed the issue I may be able to get an u/s sooner. But, maybe its your medical office, perhaps they have more funding then others or something. I am not sure. Perhaps they are not as busy or something?

 

[letia659]

yeah I get them without asking and it seems I could get one at anytime if I ask. I guess it is just a difference in what doctor you go to. they told me my next scan wouldnt be until 20 weeks but I know they would let me have one at anytime between now and then...but I do remember when I went to a doctor in Alabama they would not see me until I was 12 weeks so there are places like that but that was 5 years ago to and things have changed since then Im sure.

 

[mrso]

Yes things are very different from state to state. I think some of that depends on legalities the state puts on physicians. Wyoming has some of the toughest rules because malpractice is out the roof. The city that I live in has a huge shortage on doctors in every profession so it isnt easy to get in period.

I have to say that I know my doctor would give me an ultrasound if I requested one. They gave me one early on during my first pregnancy but this time I decided to wait until the recommended 12 weeks becasue I am pretty healthy with no history of problems.

 

[Frippledip]

Hey Shauna...yes Im pretty sure that girls outside of the US (mainly in the UK) are the ones who have to wait for letters telling them who their mw is and when and how often they can get scans. The healthcare system is very different over there, and from what I've gathered we Americans have much more choice over how our prenatal care is handled. Right now they're all sleeping while this is prime baby bumpin' time for us!

 

[Mommy2Kian]

yes its a bummer

 

[happymummy]

I don't know if it is the same for everybody i the UK but where I live in the south west, scans are limited. I think if there was a problem in the early stages i.e bleeding or if you have had a previous problem then you can go to an early pregnancy unit where they scan you.

But I think the routine scans are a dating scan around 12-14 weeks and then another scan at 20 weeks. I think if you have a fairly straight forward pregnancy then that is all the scans you get. I think if we didnt have an nhs system and paid for private medical care it may be very different. I know if you attend the private hospital in London, The Portland you get many more scans as I know somebody who went there.

 

[babystar]

yup/ Up here in Scotland u see you r GP when you get your BFP. They then forward a referral onto the midwife for you for a booking appointment... and they also refer you to the hospital for your dating scan. Now u don't get your dating scan until about 12 wks (mines was 9+1 as I have irregular periods and so we weren't sure when i OV.) They then tell you you EDD and then (unless they have reason to keep an eye on you medically) once you have seen your midwife for your booking appointment she calls the hospital to arrange your nxt scan (20 wk scan). And unless again they have to keep an eye on you medically that is all the scans you get here. Unless you do as I did and go privately and pay for a scan.

 

[JayDee]

Cos it's the NHS (which is publicly funded) in the UK they try and limit the number of scans people have cos of the cost.
Babystar is right, you get one at around 12 weeks, when they check how many babies you've got, give you an update EDD based on the size of the baby at that point and do a general "does it look ok" check.
You then get another one at 20 weeks when they can usually tell you the sex of the baby (if it's laying the right way around!) and check it's still progressing ok.

You only get more than that if you have problems - either current or prior.

There are lots of places that you can pay for extra scans if you want one. Near us there is also one where you can pay for a 4D scan (don't ask me what the 4th D is, it's over my head!) that basically is a DVD of your baby moving around in your womb. It's about £400 but you can get a normal scan for about £80 I think.

 

[lou1979]

Everywhere is different, in the uk you have to wait, just the way it goes!

 

[miss charlie]

Everyone on here complains that they have to wait a certain amount of time to get into the doctors to get a scan. At my OBGYN's office they allow you to make an appointment whenever you want or need. You don't have to wait until you are a certain amount of weeks or wait until a certain amount of weeks after your last scan. It makes no sense because I have never heard of someone having to wait until I got on this site. Even my sister and friends went into their scans whenever they pleased.

It depends which country you are in, in the UK you have very few appointments and the first in usually between 7-10 weeks then you have your first scan 12-14 weeks and another at 20 wks then no appointments until you get close to your due date - mind you this can vary depending what part of the country you are in!

UNLESS you go private in which case so long as you can pay for it you can have as many appointments as you like.

But it is rare for a woman to see someone like a OBGYN our antenatal care is carrried out by GP's and Midwives unless it is a high risk pregnancy.

 

[ninab]

That's the marvelous NHS for you! My friend was in labor and one of the nurses/midwives thought the baby might be breech and recomended a scan but she was told it was 'too expensive and unneccessary'. She ended up having a natural birth, breech. Luckily thet are both fine.

 

[moomoo]

Dont even get me started on the NHS - i could rant for days!! lmao!!

x

 

[MummyToAmberx]

probably because were more over crowded.
when i asked change my 20wk scan with #1 said had no appt for a month due to high volume of women.

 

[kyesmummy]

Hey Shauna, yep things are very different over here in the UK, in my experience, i went to the doctors to say i had a postive pregnancy test, she made an appointment with me to see the midwife when i was 6 weeks, i saw the midwife and was there for about an hour, she booked in my 12 week scan for 13th may and had my bloods done on 6th April and then my next midwife appointment isn't until 2nd June! then you get a 20 week scan and i think you see your midwife once a month until you get close to your due date then you see them every 2 weeks. im gonna have a 4D colour scan done privately at about 30 weeks, its gonna cost about £200/ $400 but it will be worth it to see everything in colour and in such detail plus my dad is paying!! even more of a reason to have it done! lol!

 

[leesha81]

We are very lucky in Australia, with the public system we have a scan at 12 weeks and a scan at 18 weeks. With the private system we can have scans when ever we want ... i have had a scan at 6 weeks and my next one is at 10 weeks, i can have one every appointment if i want.

Either way the care in australia is briliant. I went public with my first and was thrilled and i am going private with my second and the care is great.

 

[Peanut78]

My sister and I have both lived in the US, UK and Scandinavia for a large parts of our lives. My sis (who is also pg) just moved back to to the US after the last 15 years in the UK. She feels the US system is much more medicallized than in the UK i.e. care by a doctor/ obstetrician, frequent scans, procedures for birth (i.e. immediate IV), high numbers of elective c-sections etc. (of course this is different if one elects to have different care or birth, but generally speaking). She has actually opted NOT to have a scan everytime she has a follow-up appointment as she felt it was over-done.

I am currently in South Africa where I receive private care - also under an obstetrician with more scan options than under the NHS.

I think it is difficult to compare state services with private or semi-private care.... Besides individual doctors/ obstertricians practices are different to that provided in a routine set-up such as the NHS (there is a difference between my obstetrician and the one that practices down the hall at my hospital here in SA)

xx

 

[elainegee]

it really depends on where you are in the world and what your particular area's protocal is. In renfrewshire Scotlant the Midwife is the one who refers you to the hospital so you can really bypass the GP altogether. Again depending on the hospital you dont see anyone until 8/9 weeks and even then nothing exam wise is done they are scanned twice routinly at the hospital i am with. Not sure if America is different because maybe its insurance that pays for the care? and we are the NHS which is the goverment that pays for it?? x