Scans? When, where, who?

Hey Ladies!!

I'm newly pregnant (6 weeks) and have told a few special people who have all asked if I've got my midwife sorted & my 8/9 week scan booked!
Yikes....so while I'm busy getting to grips with being UTD (hehe) I now feel like I've got a bit of planning to get done asap too!

Who does your scans?
When are we meant to get them done? Can youask for an early scan....jsut to know it's all going well?
Does it cost heaps?
Do you need to have picked your midwife before you get your first scan done?
I have a referal for a scan from my GP, but they told me to book it direct with the radiology group at 12 weeks.

One more question - is it okay to shop around for your midwife (i.e make appts with a few options, meet with them, and then make a choice?).
Anyone have experiences / thoughts to share?

Cheers in advance!

Early scans are generally only done for a couple of reasons A) unsure of dates, B) bleeding in early pregnancy or C) If you have gone through fertility specialists, and they do their own scans. Its not possible (to my knowledge anyway) to have a scan done without referral, unless the scanning facility clearly states self-referrals are accepted (usually at a hefty cost!)

My midwife with DD was part of a local collective of independant midwives... depending on your area, the best place to start would be to ask on here for local midwife recommendations, or think about where you would like to give birth (if you have the option other than hospital) and they should have an up to date list of independant midwives and phone numbers available... Unfortunately my midwife wouldnt take me on this time, and none of her colleagues would either (apparently 2 prior c-sections makes it damn near impossible to find a midwife!), so only had the hospital team, or GP/hospital shared care scheme as my choices.

You could ring around a few and arrange a meeting with each one early on to see how you feel about them, with NO obligation to sign over your care to them until you find one you are comfortable with... although, again depending on your area, time IS of the essence, good midwives book out FAST!

As for where to get scans done, most midwives will refer to a particular facility, up here its often Horizon Radiology, and all referred scans are free... that may not be the case with all scanning places though. That is a question best asked of your potential midwife when you meet them.

Best of luck finding a midwife you like, and congrats!!

i had early scans as ive had miscarriages, but if you dont want to get an early scan you dont have to untill around 12 weeks, its up to you. If you ahve any concerns your midwife (when you find a lovely one :) ) can refer you at that stage if you dont feel a need to have an early scan.

I had mine at mercy previously and they all cost me $55 each time, i didnt realise that at some providers they are free, this pregnancy I have them as above poster, radiology group in henderson.

some midwifes dont meet with you untill closer to 10 weeks so it might be an idea to go on word of mouth recommendation if you possibly can, you can always change later, but most good ones fill up very quickly so you might want to grab one while you can :)

if you would liek a recoomendation west auckland midwives are lovely, highly recommended by the ladies on here who have been with them, though it does depend on your area :)

best of luck and congrats!!