Waiting for your first ultrasound? Join Me

ESchreinerWrites

I'm waiting for my first ultrasound and literally -- okay, figuratively -- dying! This is my second pregnancy. My first resulted in 6yo DS. This time around, getting pregnant was difficult. We had to seek out fertility treatments. Finally, BFP. Probably because getting pregnant was such a task, I am like CERTAIN that it's not going to end well. I have my first ultrasound on Friday -- will be 7w 2d. I'm just so so so nervous that it won't turn out positively -- even though I have no reason to believe that this will be the case. CANNOT wait until Friday. The suspense is too much for this second-time mom-to-be.

Y0urm0m

Hopefully seeing your baby during the ultrasound will put your mind at ease. I'll only be getting two this time around. At around 10-13 weeks (NT scan) and then the 20 week scan. Being a STM is a blessing though as we know what to expect. The suspense is killing me, although I'm kinda enjoying in.

elldel

I'm a FTM and my first appointment is scheduled for 12/14. According to my LMP, I'll be 7w6d. I know this sounds stupid, but I honestly don't even know if this visit will include an ultrasound? I mean, I would think it would, and I'm hoping it will, but I'm not sure. Keeping my fingers crossed anyway!

ESchreinerWrites

@elldel - I think it varies. With my DS, I just saw a general OBGYN and, if I recall, they always scheduled special appointments for my ultrasounds -- becauss a tech did it, not the Dr. This time I know it's an ultrasound because its (hopefully) last appointment with fertility Dr before I'm handed back to OBGYN.

Y0urm0m

@elldel it really does depend on the OB. Mine doesn't offer in-visit ultrasounds. Maybe because I'm low risk or maybe because he doesn't have the equipment. It doesn't hurt to call your OB and ask if you should be expecting one, that way you can bring your DH along with you if you do have one.

MsBeachNJ

@elldel, not a stupid question I wasn't sure if my first appt at 8 weeks would include one, (It did!!) but I asked as soon as I got there because I was hopeful for one and they confirmed it would happen.

To the original poster - it doesn't get that much easier after the first U/S! I had mine at 8 weeks, and saw a little bean and heard a heart beat, but now we're just as anxious for our 12 week appt. next Friday... the waiting weeks in between are nerve wracking and analyzing every symptom or non symptom, but odds are things are just fine in there, and stressing isn't good for us or for baby - so just try to relax! Friday will come soon enough Be sure to post your picture when you get one! 

jessicarose0602

I have mine thursday! I'll be 9w 3d. I went to the OBGYN today and of course the ultrasound tech wasn't in. Scheduled an appointment for Thursday at 4:30. I'm excited but nervous at the same time. Good luck to you on Friday!

Croscrew

I think a lot of places do it separate because of the tech, billing and an ultrasound machine costs a lot of money, so sometimes the office doesn't necessarily own the transvaginal machine. With our first, we had our initial consult with the OB nurse, then we're scheduled for the ultrasound. This is also my second time around and they said my ultrasound will happen first, then I will meet with my OB, but I will be 8w6d. I just want to see the baby and make sure there is a heartbeat. There is not much hiding it at work because I am so nauseous.

noelietrex

Oh yes, feeling the time tick by: 1 week, 2 days, 1 hour, and 11 minutes until my ultrasound!

TattoosandLace

Girl, I hear you! I'm due at the end of June/beginning of July. I'm 9w5d pregnant. My first appointment isn't until Dec 16th. I'll be 12 weeks. I am trying so hard to patiently wait but it's frustrating. I'm a STM.

ESchreinerWrites

jessicarose0602, thanks. Trying to hard not to be nervous, as I know it won't help. It's true, chances are it will be fine. I'm always anxious for Friday, but this week more so.

ESchreinerWrites

TattoosandLace, if I had to wait until 12 weeks, I would literally lose my mind. I've had HCG readings at the beginning, and all looked good. Fingers crossed. Toes crossed. Everything crossed.

TattoosandLace

@ESchreinerWrites it's killing me. It is literally my first appointment. I haven't had bloodwork or anything yet.
With DD, they had me come in at 9 weeks and meet with the nurse for the dos and donts and then have blood drawn. No ultrasound, no OB, no Doppler, nothing. First appointment with the OB was around 12/13 weeks.
I just want to know my little Pipsqueak is perfectly fine and healthy.

elldel

Thanks for the info, everyone! I guess it couldn't hurt to call and ask what I should expect at the appointment. I'm in the same boat as @TattoosandLace: it'll be the first since I found out I was pregnant, and all I want is to make sure everything is normal and lil' one is healthy and growing!

rakel88

My first is this Thursday and I am quite literally dying in anticipation! So nervous and anxious and excited and feeling all the feels!!

samantha1206

I feel like mine will never get here!!! My first ob visit is blood work and talking to the nurse. That'll be dec 16. Then I have to wait until Jan 13 for an ultrasound. I don't know if I can wait so long!! With DS over five years ago, they did a transvaginal at 7 weeks to get the heartbeat. I was devastated to hear that policy changed

babycompton15

My first is still 2 weeks away I'll be close to 11 weeks by then.

babycompton15

@TattoosandLace me too. Mines the 15th. First appointment ever. I'll be 11-12 weeks!

RachelT1234

Mine's still two weeks away!! I'll be just over 8 weeks for it, and the wait is killing me.

cupcakebugx3

Mine is tomorrow!! I'm so nervous! This is our second pregnancy but the last one ended at 7 weeks in April so I'm ready to see what's going on!!!

Lasscher

Mine is in one week I'll be 8 weeks and 2 days by then. I hear the slow tick as well... Tick Tock Tick Tock 

Nikko Blue

I go next Friday at 9w3d. Had my first appointment today, but they just asked basic questions and did bloodwork.

sunshineandwhiskey

Mine is in two weeks! They wouldn't even schedule me until I confirmed it with blood work. I see the nurse 12/14 and the OB 12/16. (8+1 and 8+3) I'm not sure if I will get an US then. FX I do though!! As a FTM it still doesn't seem real. I need some evidence

Ashers423

Yep my first ob appt isn't until 12/15
My second pregnancy (dd will be 2 in December) I don't remember being this impatient with me first but it seems like an eternity until I get to go in for my dating ultrasound

KASG

Yall's appointments are way closer than mine...I'm also like 4 weeks behind almost all of you.

pourmeanothermocktail

My first appointment is in 2 weeks, I'll be right at 11 weeks, they'll do a doppler to hear heartbeat, but they don't have an ultrasound in the building. Should be only 1 ultrasound the whole time, for anatomy scan around....22 weeks I think they said? So I'm super edgy. At least we'll hear the heartbeat though, I think that will be enough to help it all feel real & OK!

Ashers423

Yep my first ob appt isn't until 12/15
My second pregnancy (dd will be 2 in December) I don't remember being this impatient with me first but it seems like an eternity until I get to go in for my dating ultrasound

born2run911

My first apt isn't until Dec 7 at over 10 weeks. Ultrasound will have to be booked after that. The only reason I know I am pregnant is because I POAS and have puked a few times. I also would love some reassurance sooner than later that all is good, but I have to wait my turn!

AGaskins13

I am feeling the same way! Our first appointment is a week away and I will be 9 weeks, I feel like it is taking forever!! They said we would schedule the first ultrasound after the appointment but hubby travels out of town for work and I want him to be here for the first one. So I am going to try to schedule the ultrasound for the same day or hopefully the next while he is still in town.

SparkySunshine

Thursday for me! Yay, I can't wait. I will be 9w 2d (ish)

Arinii

This is my second child, i have a 2 year old boy. I found out on Nov. 1st at about 4 weeks so I have already had my first appointment (which did not include an u/s). I go for my first scan on Saturday and it has been such a wait! I'll be about 8 weeks and 2 days, unless my irrational fear of a mmc is real. Glad to have some people to wait with!

mandyjulie

Or you could have one earlier and not see crap. Argh. Had my first appt today at 7w6d and as I suspected we could barely see anything and definitely couldn't see the heartbeat. I think I ovulated late though so I am likely closer to 7 weeks.

I got my hopes up after hearing so many stories about seeing a heartbeat this early but I should have just scheduled this for next week. Follow-up ultrasound is 12/11 and I will be at least 9 weeks then. Having another wait on my hands is killer. Oh and I'm a STM, doesn't making waiting any easier!

DobbysSock

With DD if my pregnancy had been typical I would have had only 1 ultrasound at 20-ish weeks for the anatomy scan (as it happened I got one at 11 weeks due to heavy bleeding and another towards the end as they were worried she was getting too big). Awful circumstances but it was nice to see her so much!

I'm in a different city this time around with a different doctor, so I get a dating ultrasound next week, and then the anatomy scan at 20-ish weeks.

For those of you who get unexpected ultrasounds at doctor's appointments - how does that work? Don't you have to do the "prep"? Or are you all getting transvaginal ultrasounds (I've never gotten one of those so don't know if the same prep is required)? For a pelvic ultrasound here they make you drink 1L of water starting an hour before the test, and you're not allowed to pee until after. It's actually pretty miserable and as excited as I am to see the baby I'm kind of dreading it - I have a tiny bladder!

Arinii

DobbysSock said:

With DD if my pregnancy had been typical I would have had only 1 ultrasound at 20-ish weeks for the anatomy scan (as it happened I got one at 11 weeks due to heavy bleeding and another towards the end as they were worried she was getting too big). Awful circumstances but it was nice to see her so much!

I'm in a different city this time around with a different doctor, so I get a dating ultrasound next week, and then the anatomy scan at 20-ish weeks.

For those of you who get unexpected ultrasounds at doctor's appointments - how does that work? Don't you have to do the "prep"? Or are you all getting transvaginal ultrasounds (I've never gotten one of those so don't know if the same prep is required)? For a pelvic ultrasound here they make you drink 1L of water starting an hour before the test, and you're not allowed to pee until after. It's actually pretty miserable and as excited as I am to see the baby I'm kind of dreading it - I have a tiny bladder!

I'm so glad you mentioned that! I'd totally forgotten about that and would have shown up not having drank enough as its at 10:50 am!! Thanks, you're a life saver!

mandyjulie

DobbysSock said:

With DD if my pregnancy had been typical I would have had only 1 ultrasound at 20-ish weeks for the anatomy scan (as it happened I got one at 11 weeks due to heavy bleeding and another towards the end as they were worried she was getting too big). Awful circumstances but it was nice to see her so much!

I'm in a different city this time around with a different doctor, so I get a dating ultrasound next week, and then the anatomy scan at 20-ish weeks.

For those of you who get unexpected ultrasounds at doctor's appointments - how does that work? Don't you have to do the "prep"? Or are you all getting transvaginal ultrasounds (I've never gotten one of those so don't know if the same prep is required)? For a pelvic ultrasound here they make you drink 1L of water starting an hour before the test, and you're not allowed to pee until after. It's actually pretty miserable and as excited as I am to see the baby I'm kind of dreading it - I have a tiny bladder!

Good point @DobbysSock. I didn't have to do fluid prep today. I wonder if it affected the ultrasound and not being able to see as well. This was at my ob office and not a full perinatal office.

For my next one I am referred out and they specifically told me about fluids. Not looking forward to holding it but oh well.

I don't really remember doing this for all the ultrasounds last time around... Maybe only for early ones?

MsBeachNJ

@DobbysSock I had a transvaginal ultrasound for 8 weeks, for my 12 week they haven't given me any instructions so I assume it's the same?

Edit to add: no prep!

mandyjulie

Oooh and a whole liter, @DobbysSock?!? Ouch! They told me half that for my next appt. I have a small bladder too so I feel your pain!

DobbysSock

@mandyjulie it definitely could have! My understanding is that the prep is so that your full bladder pushes your uterus up a bit over the pelvic bone so that it can be visualized on the ultrasound. Maybe that's why you didn't have to do it for later ones? Although I had to do it for all of mine. At my anatomy scan I remember then telling me I could let a little urine out. WHAT?? How do you let A LITTLE out when you are literally bursting to pee?? I didn't follow the instructions fully for my last one because I knew at 30 odd weeks there was no way I wasn't going to pee my pants if I tried to hold a litre of water in. They never mentioned anything so it obviously worked just fine!

@MissBeachNJ I would definitely assume no prep if they didn't give you specific instructions They must have a different way of doing them.

ach298

It won't be my first u/s this pregnancy, but we couldn't see anything other than a thickened lining on my uterus at the last one. I think it was just too early, but I'm waiting anxiously for Dec. 7 and my next ultrasound which hopefully will show a healthy lil gummy bear.

ETA: Oh, and no fluid prep for mine. My office actually has you empty your bladder before the test.

ESchreinerWrites

@tattoosandlace, I would be super losing my mind. Because I was seeing an infertility specialist, I was heavily monitored after my BFP, with three betas (15 dpo - 129, 17 dpo - 386 and 20 dpo - 1918). So I have reason to believe everything is fine -- but it doesn't help. The last two nights have I have been REALLY nauseous, so it looks like MS is arriving right on schedule as I prepare to start week 7. Another good sign. I HATE waiting. lol

ESchreinerWrites

mandyjulie, that surprises me. Was it transvaginal? I don't remember when I had my first with my son, but I was assuming seeing a heartbeat would be for sure if all is well. 

Also, all of this talk of prep is so weird to me. I never remember having any of that prep stuff to do with DS. Something new-ish?