Dating scan - just coz i want one
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Category: Pregnant
Forum Name: Pregnancy
Forum Description: Pregnant! Wanting to chat to other mums-to-be (or dads-to-be)? Share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas... This is that place!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=35475
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Topic: Dating scan - just coz i want one
Posted By: mummymonster
Subject: Dating scan - just coz i want one
Date Posted: 27 August 2010 at 8:54pm
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I've got a BFP - you have no idea how good it feels to "say" that (well, actually you all probably do)
I'm busting at the seams to tell someone, but we've decided not to tell people this time as last time I was so over pregnancy conversations by about 4mths. Do you think I could just pretend I don't know the date of my last AF so I can have a dating scan and see the wee guy/girl early? ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Replies:
Posted By: fadeless
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 4:14pm
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I guess it depends on your midwife. I have always had early dating scan because i have such long cycles. ------------- DD 9 ~ DD 8 ~ DS 7 ~ DS 5 ~ DS 2 ~ DS 14mths ~ DD 3mths |
Posted By: HuntersMama
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 4:50pm
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Congrats!!
My GP referred me for a dating scan even though I knew my dates, so I guess it depends? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: maya22
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 5:18pm
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It also depends on how busy the scanners are in your area. It would be awful to take a slot that another mum needs due to bleeding, or possible miscarriage.
Also depends on your conscionce. It is lying after all. ------------- DS1 July 2007 DS2 Nov 2010 http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Red
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 5:49pm
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You could just ask her for one - my MW offered me one, could have been cos was first baby. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: TheKelly
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 6:20pm
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My mw referred me for one even though I knew my dates , turns out I must have implanted a week later than I thought ,because my dates were moved a week forward .
(and this is my third ) ------------- 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 6:26pm
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My mw said "so are you going to have a dating scan?" so it was my choice... I do have very irregular cycles though so would've asked anyway... I have had a dating scan with all my pregnancies...
Oh and CONGRATULATIONS!!!!  ------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 8:06pm
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I had a dating scan with my first due to irregular cycles and it discovered my missed mc.
I chose not to have a dating scan with my second pg as I found it too stressful ( I actually have a wee fear of scans because of the above experience) but did end up have an early scan due to mc scare. I chose to have a dating scan with this pg because I got my bfp at the end of January and had not had AF since mid november so my GP and I thought it best to confirm dates. At the end of the day, its up to you, what we think or feel about it is really a mute point. Its up to you... -------------   
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 8:06pm
I was never offered one because I knew the exact dates of my AFs how long etc and the exact date that we 'done the deed' lol so wasn't offered but I think your best chance will be to say you don't know when AF was and you were at it like rabbits...  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: themummy
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 9:16pm
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i knew my exact dates. it is my first and i was nervous. i told my GP i had no idea when my last period was so got to have a dating scan, and i must admit, i didnt feel guilty in the slightest!
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Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 9:21pm
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I personally wouldnt lie just to get a scan, as Id feel awful if someone else needed that time for an urgent scan. Ive had to have urgent ones for all three of my pregnancies(m/c one) and it was hard to get a place that could take me, meanwhile I was fretting with worry.
Im more the type to wait for 12 weeks(if I didnt have bleeding). You really dont see much early on anyways. Just my opinion though  ------------- |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 9:25pm
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It's hard to be patient but a dating scan doesn't show a lot; no gender, and some twin pregnancies have not even showed up that early. I recommend waiting, it'll be even longer after 20 wks otherwise! And like the others said, it would be awful to take that time away from someone else who needs it. -------------  |
Posted By: TheKelly
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 9:50pm
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..well, the place I go to , it has a sign saying "emergencys will be given priority " , so no offence but I wouldn't be worried about people missing out , if they needed the scan , they would get in before me ...and when I needed an emergency scan the other day , I got in right away because the MW referred me,so as far as the place I go to goes, I wouldn't be worried .
And I thought I was due on the 4th of Feb , turns out im due on the 8th , not a lot of difference , but still nice to know ...and that was with knowing my LMP , date of ovulation and the days I would have concieved . -------------
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: fairy1
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 10:09pm
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Dont want to upset anyone but what is one persons experience with scans isnt everyones. Emergencies arent given priority in a lot of places, including womens clinics in public hospitals. This includes mc as far as Im concerned. With my threatened mc and then missed mc we struggled to get a scan. So the others are right when they say you could take someone places who needs the scan.
There isnt any need to lie to your GP, that is a really bad practice to get into with any health professional and it can affect your care. Just ask them for a scan and see what they see, I can imagine most GP's saying yes and giving you the form. You also need to remember that it might change your EDD as they will go by the scan and not your AF date so you could go back in dates ( I know quite a few people who this has happened to). ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: TheKelly
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 10:22pm
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yeah , I know its not always the case :-) , I meant the place I go to ...if it was a place where the woman that needs it urgently might not get in when she should because of me , then I wouldn't want to take their place .
But as I said , where I go ....priority is given to women with emergencies, I know, I was that woman last week . (oh , and i've never lied about needing a scan ....I've never had to , just talk to your MW /GP and see what they say ) -------------
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Bobchannz
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 10:31pm
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I don't think that it is a good idea to have a scan until well after the time you would expect a heartbeat - at least 8wks to be on the safe side - and then you might as well wait for 12 weeks at that point.
Would you not freak out if there was no heartbeat (especially if your 'true' dates indicated that there should be one)? Very early scans don't show much and it is quite freaky when you go before there is a heartbeat and nothing is really happening.... ------------- www.makedomum.blogspot.co.nz |
Posted By: WestiesGirl
Date Posted: 28 August 2010 at 11:59pm
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I personally wouldnt lie about it but if you want one you should just ask for a referral. I think you'll find most GPs or MWs will give you one.
I do think though, if you do have an early scan done I'd be waiting till 7 or 8 weeks so you can detect and see a heartbeat easier. Do what makes you feel comfortable, there is no point in worrying yourself sick until 12/13 weeks when its as simple as asking. ------------- Our Angel July 08  Gone but not forgotten
And to complete our family, our princess has arrived 
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Posted By: T_Rex
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 7:22am
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I had to wait 6 days for a scan to find out if I had a viable pg after my MC scare. It was horrible horrible waiting. In the end we had a good outcome, so that made it easier, but I still wouldn't demand a scan unnecessarily, because I'd hate to put another woman in the position I was in last time. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 7:28am
I would imagine most places prioritize emergency scans, esp later on in pregnancy when something can be done to prevent the MC?? Maybe as horrible as it is early MCs may not be considered emergency scans as there is unfortunately very little that can be done to stop them. And of course ya EDD can change that is the very point of the getting the scan - to get a more accurate date cos even those that have regular cycles don't necessarily ov at the CD14... and even charting can be out by days as Kelly pointed out. Also with the new first trimester combined screening test it is very important to have an accurate due date as if it's out it can significantly change your risk and cause a lot of unnecessary stress!! Issacsmum - what you choose to tell ya GP is up toyou! I don't see how saying you aren't 100% on ya dates will affect your care, not that I'm advocating lying but really you wouldn't be the first to say it I'm sure... but I would def try and wait until 7 weeks so ya see a heartbeat ------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
melissag wrote:Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 7:29am
that's an awful long wait TREx!! must depend alot where you live I guess... cos for my dating scan I got in the next day ------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
Posted By: mummymonster
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 8:07am
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Yeah I see your points, and I'm not sure I could actually go through with a lie anyway.
With DS I ended up having a few scans from 37wks and never had problems getting in at short notice. Anyhow, I think I'll just ask and fingers x'd. Planing on seeing GP on wed to organise bloods etc, think it'll start feeling real then  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 8:36am
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Freckle I think T-Rex is in the Palmy area from memory and they are really lacking in sonographers there... They acutally open bookings for each month on set days and you cant book before hand... its a bit nuts!
If I was a radiologist I would opening a practise down there asap, there is definately a client base there! -------------
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Posted By: maya22
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 8:49am
I am in a town in the south island and it took me 8 days to get a scan to find my missed miscarriage. Scans are important to establish ectopic pregnancies, cause of bleeding, whether a surgical d&c is needed. Waiting such a long time when you are bleeding is just terrible for your mental health, I would hate to think that I would cause such distress on another human being. A dating scan at 6 weeks is not necessarily going to show you a heartbeat, so you can still end up stressing until the 12 week scan anyway. Pregnancy is all about waiting, it is a good exercise in patience and the loss of control over your body and events. Some people handle it better than others, but it doesn't alter the fact that you just have to wait it out. ------------- DS1 July 2007 DS2 Nov 2010 http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 9:00am
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Man that is crazy Mel!! can you not even pay to go privately? not that everyone can afford that extra expense... I feel lucky we don't have those kinda delays here in chch...
Maya - I can't believe any hospital would make a person with a suspected ectopic pregnancy wait that long tho! That's a real medical emergency ... ------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
Posted By: Peanut
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 9:44am
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Freckle, there can be delays in ChCh! I needed and emergency scan with my second preg and ended up waiting 2 days for a free appt. I think it also depends on time of year etc.
I personally don't see the point in scanning for the sake of scanning. Fully agree with valid reasons eg unsure when last period was but apart from that I don't see the need for it. -------------  
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 10:12am
Good point. Pregnancy is just one huge waiting game... Good practice to wait even though it can be hard at times. Also agree with the point about hearing the HB. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 10:17am
oh no Peanut! I must have been lucky with my scans I guess... I think the prob is the medical profession have a different idea of what an emergency is and I guess they don't consider the stress that mums go through during a threatened MC as an emergency eh... which really sucks IMO... For my dating scans I knew exactly when my last period was, and all my scans were at least 2 weeks out from my LMP, so I considered them necessary to get something close to an accurate due date ------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 10:49am
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IssacsMum why do you need to lie? Can't you simply ask for one?
In the end a BFP is a confirmed pregnancy, congratulations. Palmy scans are impossible to get and you pay anyways $50 a time, unless you go to the hospital which you have to wait for. The booking system means you can only book for the following month and everything gets booked out fast. I only scraped in by 5 days to get my 12 weeks NT scan and I only had 1 appointment time available. I made sure I got my forms early from my MW for my next scan so I could have more choice around appointments. Palmy Radiology has to service a large population sometimes you just have to take whats on offer. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: mummymonster
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 10:55am
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Yeah, I just hope I get a MW soon to ask! From getting extra scans last time I'm hoping they say yes.
I can't (& don't want to) use the same MW as I've changed areas. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: maya22
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 11:15am
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You can see your gp for all pg care until you find a midwife. it is free, and no drama. Your gp can request all bloods, scans, tests etc. ------------- DS1 July 2007 DS2 Nov 2010 http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: fire_engine
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 1:15pm
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And GPs are often happy to dish out scans without any indication or asking about dates
I'd be completely hypocritical to say "don't lie and you don't nec need a dating scan" cos I knew what my dates were - both OV and BD - and my MW ignored my revised scan dates because they were within the margin of error. I'd love to be a strong person who had patience and could wait but I do know how tempting it is to be able to see that there's soemthing there. This time I left my dating scan till I knew there would be a heartbeat (or should be) b/c I would be now that I know what I know (and have a kid with heart disease), I needed to see that wee heart going. So it's your choice and your conscience and it seems everyone's pointed out the pros and cons ------------- Mum to two wee boys |
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 1:58pm
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We are tough down here in the Manawatu, have to be blimmin DHB and maternity services are hopeless. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: TheKelly
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 2:03pm
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man , my place does it good ! when I rang up saying my MW wanted me to have a dating scan , I got in that very day . -------------
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: fire_engine
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 2:09pm
LOL Kelly - was that a private clinic where the radiologists who own it get to make lots of money out of your scan.
 How could I be so cynical ------------- Mum to two wee boys |
Posted By: Rachel1982
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 3:42pm
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I got one even though I knew the date of my last AF as my cycle had been incredibly irregular after coming off the pill.
I agree with just being honest, and definitely wait till around 8 weeks so you have a great chance of seeing the heartbeat as it is stressful otherwise (I actually ended up with 4 early scans in total for various reasons). ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: SarahG
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 3:58pm
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I went in to my GP and said I wasn't sure of dates as my last period had been erratic and short so I thought it could have been implantation bleeding. the GP referred me for a dating scan and when i went there I was told instead of being the 10 weeks I thought I was, I was just over 5 weeks pg.
I accepted this and went home but then got to thinking about dates and what we were doing over Christmas and New Year and guess what? the dates didn't match the dates we did the deed. Everyone kept telling me that the earlier the scan the more accurate it was on dates but they got it wrong, so I'd say be careful what you wish for. I personally don't think there's any problem with saying you're not sure of your dates, because unless you've done ovulation tests, know exactly what your cycle is and it's the same EVERY month and you do the deed on a particular day and log it in a diary, then how can you be 100% sure? I ended up having a lot of heartache over arguing the toss with sonographers and midwives and insisting I was right and not the sonographer (cos there's always human error isn't there?) I kinda wish I'd just left it till the 12 week scan. But at 5 weeks I did see a heartbeat so it is possible. In the end it's entirely up to you and what the service will provide you. Good luck with it and congrats on your pregnancy. -------------   
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Posted By: TheKelly
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 4:24pm
ha, no , it was a Horizon one where my scan was free . -------------
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 7:18pm
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I go to a private one and they dont charge for early/dating scans... so not all private ones are money hungry LOL
I guess we are lucky here in Auckland Kelly... I can appreciate where people are coming from, with my urgent scan with Jake I was squeezed in (as in I had to leave work right then and DH didnt even make it!) as the following day was sonographer conference. I rang every single radiologist in auckland and no-one was working and the hospitals were only taking emergencies (ie suspected ectopics or later gestation urgent scans). I was lucky that they fit me in (and remembered me from my previous mc which is why I think they fit me in) as it would have been a 5 day wait otherwise.. I wouldnt personally lie to get a scan but I can totally appreciate wanting to see bubs early! Those couple of months between BFP and NT scan feel like years! -------------
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Posted By: fire_engine
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 7:22pm
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Ah, but just because you don't pay doesn't mean they do it for free, girls. The government is a wonderful source of funding.
Ah, I must get off my cynical high horse. ------------- Mum to two wee boys |
Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 7:40pm
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Oh I know its govt funded I just like that they split their funding that way, they dont have to after all... -------------
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 7:57pm
37+ wk scans get reserved urgent places because going on a month's waiting list is no help at that stage. A 20 week scan is far more routine and can afford to go on a waiting list if the clinic is busy. ------------- |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 9:37pm
Palmy sucks doesn't it. My MW tried to get me a scan to check fluid levels, & had to pull in a favour from the delivery suite. The earliest I could get anywhere was after my due date( at least 2 weeks). If the fluid levels had been too low that would have been too bad. I was busy tell her I will be fine, I carry small but she was concerned. As she said damned if we do & damned if we don't so she erred on the side of caution. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 9:53pm
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Interesting discussion.
In my first very accidental pregnancy where I didn't know dates, didn't have a clue if I missed AF, couldn't be 100% certain on when that whoopsie happened, do remember the "she'll be right" I got one scan <gasp> at 20 weeks!!! GP didn't order a dating scan, just gave me an internal LOL he used to be an obstetrician. Was out on his dates by 1 week. Which my 20 weeks scan picked up on. Amazing how much it's moved forwards to getting scans at the drop of a hat. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 30 August 2010 at 7:20am
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A&C - that must have been a shock to find you were 20 weeks! I thinkat that stage it is much easier to work out how far along you are than early on as the uterus is well out from behind the pelvic bone... I was offered a dating scan with my 14 year old so they defo did them back then ------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
Posted By: TheKelly
Date Posted: 30 August 2010 at 10:57am
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with Caitlyn ,I had my first scan at 18 weeks , I was never even told about dating scans or 12 week scans ..maybe cos I was young ? I dunno ...
My friend had her first scan at 30weeks (the same day she found out she was pregnant ) I think she got in straight away cos the dr that called the scan place said he thought she was at least 6 months -------------
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 30 August 2010 at 1:01pm
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LOL no I knew at 7 weeks. But I only got one scan at 20 weeks. Thought that you also had one later on but nope, just the one. I guess my Dr was confident being an ex-ob? ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |