first scan

aoife13/01/2008

just wondering how many weeks everyone was when they got theres

Oryx

I only got two scans on my first child and one on my second. The first one was around week 18 if memory serves.

embee

I was about 12 weeks-ish (where they just check you're pregnant and how many you have on board, and that the baby/babies are growing properly and normally), then had the anomaly scan at 20 weeks.

silja

I got my first scan at 7 weeks 2 days, but that is because this pregnancy was conceived via fertility treatment, and the fertility clinic do a scan to make sure there is a heartbeat before releasing you to "normal" care. It is unusual to get a scan that early unless there are complicaions (several previous miss carriages, heavy bleeding etc).

It'll generally depend on whether you are going public or private. Assuming there are no complications, with public you usually only get one scan, sometime between 16 and 22 weeks, or possibly a first scan around 12 weeks to make sure of the dates. Private you'll get more scans, most likely one every 4 weeks from 12 weeks onwards.

If you feel the urge to get a scan before you are scheduled, there are private clinics such as the Charlemont Clinic in Dublin city center who will do private u/s scans on production of a letter from your GP, it costs about 120 euro.

Love2love

You get a mini scan on your first visit to the hospital but you dont get a print out (I got this a 9 weeks) then you get your big scan at about 18 - 22 weeks

Ayla

I was really excited to have my scan and was all prepared for it at 12 weeks. Everything I read and was hearing made me think it was at 12 & 20 weeks, and I was really upset/disappointed to receive conflicting info as the time approached. Long story short I didn't have my one and only scan until 22 weeks. I wouldn't have minded the wait (I'm grateful I didn't *need* it earlier) but it would've been good to know up front when it actually happens.

What I'd recommend is talking straight w/ your GP and maternity clinic/OBGYN to find out when exactly they refer you for your scan. Seems like it's different for everyone. Good luck

Ayla

Love2love wrote:

You get a mini scan on your first visit to the hospital

This is my point...my first visit was at 17 weeks, but they didn't talk scans at all until 5 weeks later. Then they only mentioned it b/c I brought it up.

embee

The "mini-scan" that you get at around 12 weeks or so is merely to check for a heartbeat, and also to check how many babies you have on board. Whether or not they give you a print out is dependent on each hospital. I was given pictures at both the 12 and 20 week scans, but that was the particular policy in that hospital.

MrsA

We have so far had a scan at 8 weeks 4 days and 12 weeks 1 day. We will be having a scan this Friday at 16 weeks 6 days and then our "big" scan on the 24th of August.
We are attending a private Oby and here in Oz they give you a mini scan at each visit. They give you a pic each time as well.
I love the reassurance of seeing baby every 4 weeks, but, that said I have no reason to think that things are going other than to plan so if we were not having these scans I would be fine as well.

MrsA