Maternity Scan - Any ideas where?

Duras

Hi,
I am not sure that here is the right place to post this question.
My wife is 7 months pregnant and we are looking to do a scan. It should be like a routine check, just to make sure that everything is ok and to know what color to decorate the baby's room
At her last visit at the hospital the doctor refused to do a scan as "the scan queue is too long". She used an inovative method to check if the baby is alright: she measured the belly with a meter and decided everything is grand (that reminds me of Flintstones btw).
We tried a different approach: to look for a private clinic. We found the Blackrock clinic (here in Galway) where they can do scans for €220. Unfortunately their scan just works for pregnancies up to 12 weeks (??) so now we really don't know what to do.

Did anyone else had this problem. Did you manage to get a scan at your own request? If so how and where?

Thanks

hepcat

Do you mean your wife is 7 months pregnant? Anyway - you can get private "3D" scans done in Dublin by a lady called Paula Tunney - if you look on rollercoaster.ie you'll find her details and lots of useful info, including whether they will do it at 7 months. They are supposed to be amazing, and you get a CD to bring home and watch whenever you like. I know the Charlemont Clinic in Dublin also do private scans. Don't know nuffin about rest of country sorry. Check the rollercoaster website - its your best bet.

Duras

hepcat wrote:

Do you mean your wife is 7 months pregnant? Anyway - you can get private "3D" scans done in Dublin by a lady called Paula Tunney - if you look on rollercoaster.ie you'll find her details and lots of useful info, including whether they will do it at 7 months. They are supposed to be amazing, and you get a CD to bring home and watch whenever you like. I know the Charlemont Clinic in Dublin also do private scans. Don't know nuffin about rest of country sorry. Check the rollercoaster website - its your best bet.

Thanks for information, I will check the site... I hope there are similar options closer to Galway, but if not I guess we will go for that.
And excuse my bad English, will fix the mistake.

Ickle Magoo

Just bear in mind that the scan may not reveal anything or tell you the wrong sex!! I know two people that forked out a lot of money for private scans just for babs to ensure legs were firmly crossed or the scanner to mistake a loop of cord protruding between the legs as testicles or such like! I've heard the 4D scans are wonderful just to see babs face even if they refuse to show anything else tho! Best of luck

Duras

I just checked Paula Tunney's site and I found this: "Please note, at no time does this replace the complete diagnostic ultrasound done routinely in your own hospital."

I guess this isn't exactly what I am looking for... We need full check-up as well, as I said the doctor refused to do it at her last visit. Is there anyway to do a complete check-up at a private clinic?

Nevyn

Gps don't tend to do ultrasounds, the mother to be should be booked in with what ever hospital she is going to give birth with either in there or with thier midwife homebirth arrangements.

They will give her a full check up and an ultrascan and begin the process of monitoring her health during her pregancy.

CamGirl

Hi Duras,

the best thing will be to contact your hospital and insist on a scan, you will probably still have to pay for it. The truth is your wife will be ok even without a scan at all, it is more for the peace of mind. The measuring with the tape sounds a bit... But I know few women who refused to get any scans during the pregnancy.

I don't know about Galway, but I had a scan myself in the Blackrock clinic in Dublin, it is a private hospital and you only need a letter from your GP, surely there should be one near you. If you don;t have any luck in the hospital (your doctor sounds very strange, let me say!! ) my be ask your GP for advice, the GP can check her blood pressure and listen to the baby's heart beat. They do not do scans as they usually don't have the equipment.

The 3D scans menitoned earlier are not 'medical' scans, they are more for perents to 'see' what their baby looks like. I had one done at 6 months, and while I would recommend it to anybody (if you have 150 euros to spare) it is not to check if baby is OK, etc.

If your wife is at any point worried that she is not feeling the baby move as much as she should, etc. do go straight to the hospital and they will scan her and monitor her for at least 30 minutes, they will never refuse her, especially when she is in so advanced pregnancy. And defenitely try and change your doctor (or hospital), it sounds a bit unusual...

sorry my post is so long, PM me if I can be of more help with any info. CG

Slutmonkey57b

Do you mean your wife has NEVER had a scan? You should be scanned at least twice during the pregnancy - queue or no queue. Talk to the local health centre or your gp

Lorcul

I have had two babies in two different hospitals and they both differed with reguard to no. of scans. If you persist they should give you a scan.
If you are really anxious for a scan you could go to see consultant in hospital privately and they will gladly obligue as you will be paying them. The system is so wrong that just because some people have the means to go private that they get scanned every time.
On a seperate note I did not find out the sex of either baby through choice as I wanted a suprise. I too also know a girl who went in to hospital with a suitcase of pink as she was told she was having a girl and she then had her second boy. They can occasionally get it wrong.....
Sorry for going a little off topic.

Duras

Thanks for all the answers... My wife has been very insistent about the scan when she has been to the hospital but still the doctor didn't do it. She also asked the GP, the GP sent a letter to the hospital and still nothing happened... About going private for a scan, we are willing to do that but I wouldn't know where to do it... The GP said he doesn’t know what to recommend. We only found this Galway Clinic where they said they do scans only till 12th week of pregnancy.

My wife had one scan but that was when she was in the 3rd month of pregnancy. We would want to have another one, not only to know the sex of the baby, but, more important, just to know that everything is alright.

Kbolt

Ultrasound Dimensions (www.ultrasound.ie) is where my wife and I had ours. We had an early scan and a detailed anomaly scan there...

Was brill! Hope this helps!

Kindly,

Moonbeam

I understand your anxiety.
It is normal for the consultant and gp just to listen to the heart and measure the bump at every visit and 1 hospital scan is the norm unless there are problems.
Discuss the anxiety with your gp and if no joy ask the hospital can you book a private scan or book one in another hospital.

Baby75

Duras wrote: »

I just checked Paula Tunney's site and I found this: "Please note, at no time does this replace the complete diagnostic ultrasound done routinely in your own hospital."

I guess this isn't exactly what I am looking for... We need full check-up as well, as I said the doctor refused to do it at her last visit. Is there anyway to do a complete check-up at a private clinic?

Would Another hospital do one for you you might have to pay for it though.

change doctors may be !!! suggest you'll pay for the scan check at the office in the hospital worth a try I think

metrovelvet

Did you have a 21 week anomoly scan? the later in the pregnancy the harder it is to read thigs - awful crowded in there!

galwaygirleen

Im stunned at this... crazy to only have one scan in 7 months. I hope that there is no family history of anything to worry about if there is inform them of everything say that it has been playing on your mind and that you would like to be booked in for a scan and that ye will wait no matter how long it is.

You dont need a gp referal for the Galway Clinic you can ring up their ultrasound department and ask them would they do a scan. I dont think they will do a full check up however.

There is a place in Castlebar called Innervision. Its a medical practice too. I have seen an ad in the Galway Advertiser, where they do a 3d scan and give you a dvd of the scan also, if they find anything wrong they will send a letter to your doctors for their findings of the scan if any.

Good luck.

cnocbui

galwaygirleen wrote: »

Im stunned at this... crazy to only have one scan in 7 months. .

My wife didn't have a 'scan for either of our two children.

beth-lou

I only had one scan on my last pregnancy and that was the 20 week anomoly scan. They do a thorough check at that scan to make sure everything is ok. If there were any problems with the baby they would have shown up in this scan as it is so detailed.

Scanning at 7 months is harder as the baby is bigger and they can't get a full picture.

Is there a history of genetic disease or something similiar that has your wife so worried? Perhaps ring the scan department yourself and ask for a scan and say you will pay privately for it. But on a reassuring note, if there were problems they would have shown up in the earlier scan and once baby is growing properly and the heartbeat is good and mother is healthy, generally they don't do other scans. It's unfortunate, but that seems to be the way the system works. Sometimes they do seem a bit lax and it does feel like they are just paying you lip service. On my last pregnancy they told me that the baby was average, she turned out to be 11 lbs 2oz's. This time they are sending me for a growth scan at 36 weeks, which is next Friday to check the size, as there were complications with last birth due to size. But I see a different consultant each time, and each time I have to tell them the story and then they actually start measuring etc, but if I said nothing, I would just be in and out of there. I don't think they actually even read the notes.

If your wife is really anxious, insist on the scan and tell them that it is causing her stress. I hope it works out. Best of luck.

LegacyUser

Hi all,
There is a lovely lady, Annette, in Dr Gaffneys/Prof Morrison private rooms in Galway city who does private pregnancy scans. She did both an early pregnancy scan (160Euro) and a 20 anomaly/ structure scan for us(180E I think). The scan was fantastic, she showed us everything, told us the sex and gave us lovely pictures. She does not do 3D, but not really sure how safe that for tiny babies,is so did not bother me.It is great reasurance to see that baby is developing fine and much more important than just getting a 3D picture in my mind.
Good luck!

miss_anca

I personally recommend babyscan.ie

They've been great with me and the results of the scan were amazing you can check their scan gallery and see it for yourself.