Anatomy Scans

PghMom412

Right there with you @RainyDays86. My next check up isn't until 12/15 so I won't even be able to schedule until after that. Looks like my anatomy scan will be around MLK day. 

MrsFreeman2010

Mines scheduled for the 22nd, I'll be 21w2d. With DD, we did ours around 18w. I'm nervous about it, I was last time too. DH doesnt understand why since in his mind after the 1st trimester you're in the clear. 

rebecca517-2

Mine is scheduled for 12/14. 20 weeks exactly.

@nda_roxybabe im nervous too, even though everything has been great so far. FTM

erinh2005

Mine is Dec 15th and according to previous USs baby should be measuring around 17w4d. My OB says they do them between 16-18w which I thought sounded early cuz DD's was right at 20w. I was worried this would be too early to tell sex but you guys are giving me hope! 

MrsCPALeslie

I guess I will find out when mine will be on Monday. I'm guessing the 1st week of January. I'm just ready to shop until I drop, for the baby of course. 

mdlorenz

@nda_roxybabe  I was the same way with my first - a bundle of nerves. You're not alone

livin541

@nda_roxybabe I'm nervous too even through we've been through this once before. Last time we had some abnormal results come back and needed to see a MFM specialist. Baby ended up being healthy with no issues, but it definitely makes me prone to worrying.

Icarriedawatermelon

JCWhitey said:

For those who are Team Finding Out, this is usually done at the end of scan, not the beginning.  Be patient.  It's better to know that your baby has a healthy brain and heart than a penis or a vagina.  Some places differ, I'm sure, but this was my experience.

This is very helpful advice to any first time moms out there. With my DD, I wasn't really mentally prepared
for what actually happens at an anatomy scan. I think it was because I was just so excited to find out the sex of the baby and it just clouded my whole focus
for the appointment. I remember thinking afterwards that it was so much more intense and serious than I thought it was going to be and thankfully we got nothing but good news about a healthy baby.  And yes, we found out she was a girl at the very end of the appointment. 

This time around, I know more of what to expect and I will be much more focused on the health of the baby.  Ours is scheduled for when I am 20 weeks. Can't wait! 

nda_roxybabe

Thanks everyone! I'm glad I'm not just being crazy paranoid. I feel great and I'm confident baby is good, but you know. 

blissfulberry

I had my anatomy scan today at 18+3 weeks and she was able to measure and capture everything she needed to. It was initially difficult to get thorough head scans though, only because he was lying with his tucked toward my pelvis at first. 

Is it standard for the OB to be present for the anatomy scan? She did my 9-week scan but I was scheduled to go to a separate but associated office for this one (as is normal for my particular practice). My OB said she'd get a detailed report which we would discuss at my 20-week appt. My sonographer mentioned that the heartbeat and weight were great and never indicated that she suspected any issues. But I wish I didn't have to wait another week and a half to know for sure that he's developing appropriately.

hp_momma

@blissfulberry I've never had my OB present at either of my anatomy scans! They get a detailed report and discuss any findings with you at your next appointment or sooner if something was wrong. 

sarah0985

@blissfulberry my first doctor for this pregnancy was at every scan and would have been at my anatomy scan as well. She resigned though and we've switched doctors/hospitals. My new doctor won't be present. A different doctor will do my anatomy scan and I'll meet with my OB te week after. 
Based on that I think it's preference of doctor as well as protocol of the office/hospital

MollyandD

nda_roxybabe said:

Anyone nervous about their scan? This is my first pregnancy and I've been so surprised by how worried I am about things going wrong. I am not a huge worrier and have no known reason to worry, so its just worried. There's just a small part of me that's afraid something wont be perfect at the scan. I'm sure it will be, but you know.

I feel the same way sometimes, but it's not a strong worry. I somethings think of a friend who had a baby born with a heart problem (the baby is fine now, but she went through a lot and had heart surgery, and she just turned 2 this week). I don't let myself dwell on those worries. I spend my time thinking about everything going perfectly, because 1.) I believe positive thoughts matter, and 2.) even if I turn out to be wrong, at least I'm happy now. 

diann21

@nda_roxybabe I'm also a FTM and big bundle of nerves, which I've never been before! 

My scan is 12/15 (19w4d) but it's also coupled with a high risk consult. At my 2nd US the doctor noticed the "possibility" of a septate uterus, but couldn't confirm. And although everything thus far indicates that baby is healthy, I can't help but worry that there are more possible complications to anticipate. So these nerves are definitely overshadowing the excitement of the AS. 

Anyway, wishing everyone the best at their appointments with nothing but good happy, healthy babies! 

Hansolosparka

@Jen_Shoes I had one at 18 weeks with my last baby and I'll be having one again at exactly 18 weeks this time.  Dr didn't have a problem with it and I also was excited to see before Christmas.

Jens_Hoes

@Hansolosparka Perfect! Thank you

mrsrep123

It's totally easier said than done, but in all aspects of life, I try to not stress over the things that have yet to happen. It's a waste of time and energy that can definitely be used elsewhere. We are creatures of habit, and I have always been one to worry and anticipate or expect the worse to occur, but keeping that thought in mind and trying to put it into practice has helped me a ton! 

A coworker of mine told me that once when I was kind of spinning. She's a decade older than me and a friend a decade older than her, shared that with her. 

So, after all of that, try to be in the moment and enjoy the knowledge the ultrasound tech or physician is sharing with you regarding your little baby's(ies') health and cross that unknown bridge only if you have to. 

I wish us all happy pregnancies and healthy babies. My scan won't be until December 28 and like a previous poster wrote, the first time I was too caught up in knowing our baby's gender that it was difficult to concentrate on anything else. This time, I want to concentrate on everything else!

mamatowildones

@mrsrep123 great words to remember. I went through a period of intense worry following an unexpected health issue for my husband. I wasted a year worrying about every little thing that could happen. I struggle almost daily still to push those thoughts away and live in our happy healthy life as it is right now. 

inomniaparatus2

My OB doesn't do them until 20 weeks which will be in January for me. As a FTM I wasn't aware of everything they do at this appointment besides gender and make sure all fingers and toes are there. It also didn't occur to me that my next regular appointment is a week before then so do they tell you results there while they are measuring you and checking everything or would I have to schedule another appointment? Maybe I can get him to order the scan before my appointment? Not sure how it all works. 

livin541

@SWE2 we didn't have another appointment scheduled for several weeks, but the office called and gave us results over the phone a few days after the scan. I don't think we ever went over them in detail, honestly.

inomniaparatus2

Thank you @livin541. We have a portal with all of our results after the doc looks over them, wondering if I will get those instead of a phone call then. 

Yiggle09

My ob office requires a full bladder and no children allowed. They ask 2 hrs prior to us yo drink 16 oz the us tech said it's so they can see the cervix better. the ultrasound tech told me w my first to eat apples and peanut butter 30 mins prior to get the baby active but not too active. Just a light snack. 

This pregnancy I'm being sent to maternal fetal medicine group at our local hospital to have a more precise ultrasound as we had something come back from the nt scan blood work. I have low free b hcg levels and this can cause baby to not grow big enough or gain enough weight so they wanted a really good ultrasound then after the 20 w which will be December 22nd I'll be getting us every 4 weeks after to monitor growth. They do not require a full bladder at this office or any other prep

roper2617

Mine is 12/12 and I'll be 19+3. They told me to drink up yet again for this one. The good news is that between all my ultrasounds in the last 2 years with struggles conceiving and then the mc and the early scans I've had with this pregnancy I've become pretty pro at the hydration piece. They tell us to drink 5 cups in a half hour, one hour before our appointment (or something like that). When I've actually followed directions they always tell me to release my bladder because it's way too full- I literally hobble in. I usually drink like 3 cups one hour before the appointment and have never had an issue. The techs always still comment on how full my bladder is lol. 

KMD1106

They ended up changing mine to 12/23! I'll be exactly 19 weeks, so it should be ok timewise. As long as everything looks good, I'm hoping to do something fun to announce the sex at Christmas! 

thistlenweeds

i don't have mine till Jan 5th. Will be 22w5d. Had to schedule around vacation. Luckily i had a monthly appointment today where i got reassured that things are going fine in there.

clebl24

Mine is 1/12. I'll be a day shy of 22 weeks. I go back next week for a checkup. I may see if they'll bump it up a week or two.

It's always a relief to get a good baby report. I was nervous before all my appointments with DS1. This time around I'm more laid back. 

WombThereItIs

My doctor told me today I can schedule anytime that works for me between 18-22 weeks. I'm probably traveling 3 of those weeks so this should be fun. 

MrsCPALeslie

Just scheduled my anatomy scan for 1/4/17! I'll be 20 weeks by then. Also heard baby's heart beat at 150. 

Megbot3300

Excited for my anatomy scan this Friday Dec 9th. I'll be 19+1, can't wait to find out if it's a boy or girl! I feel like I can't start planning or buying anything until I know the sex and I'm ready to get some stuff done.

Kipperoo

My anatomy scan is next week and I've been through this before, so I know what to expect. HOWEVER, I am inexplicably nervous that they are going to tell me that the Panorama results were wrong and this baby is not a girl. I know that seems silly, but before getting the Panorama results, I had convinced myself that I was destined to be the mom of 2 boys and it was actually a weird thing for me to adjust to the thought of having a girl. Now, I'm fully on that bandwagon...I'm sure it will be totally fine and the concern is so silly. Dang hormones clouding my normally clear-headed self. 

champhe

@MrsCPALeslie that's the same day as my anatomy scan! 

mrsrep123

Kipperoo said:

My anatomy scan is next week and I've been through this before, so I know what to expect. HOWEVER, I am inexplicably nervous that they are going to tell me that the Panorama results were wrong and this baby is not a girl. I know that seems silly, but before getting the Panorama results, I had convinced myself that I was destined to be the mom of 2 boys and it was actually a weird thing for me to adjust to the thought of having a girl. Now, I'm fully on that bandwagon...I'm sure it will be totally fine and the concern is so silly. Dang hormones clouding my normally clear-headed self. 

@Kipperoo My intuition was that we were having a healthy girl but the Harmony Test revealed a low risk boy. It's funny because even though the results said "most likely" I took it as absolute. H likes to remind me that the baby could still be a girl. So, even though I can't wait for the scan to make sure this baby is as healthy as can be, it's still exciting to really found out the baby's sex. (Side note: our first is a boy and I'd be pretty terrified if our Harmony Test was incorrect on the sex.)

RedInLove

I was 18w and change with my first, and I'll be 19w to the day with this one. Scheduled for 12/29. I was not told to drink all the water before my last, and it wasn't a big deal that I didn't. I did bring some, and some OJ, but it wasn't needed. I'll probably do the same this time. ETA: I'll also have a cervical measurement due to a LEEP from ages ago, and I'm AMA so technically considered high risk. But not sure these factor in to having the a/s at a specific or 'earlier' gestation?

RedInLove

schnitz9 said:

Same here.  In NC you are not allowed to do anything after 19wks 2 days.  I can schedule mine anywhere from 18-20 weeks. That will be well past holidays since I'm not due til 5/26. 

You don't technically have to drink anything before you go, they just won't ask for your normal urine sample. I did however drink OJ before I went since it make the little guy move around a bit better and they will want the baby to move so they can see everything.

@schnitz9 With a 5/26 EDD, you'd be 18 weeks on Friday, December 23rd! Maybe you can get it that day?
(I have not read ahead to see if you've updated anything.)

RedInLove

Also, we already know what we're having because I had an NT scan and blood draw a few weeks ago to check for things such as chromosome trisomy conditions. We had our a/s with our first 2 weeks before Christmas (we weren't offered an NT scan with blood draw screening with my first, different OB office at that gestation than this time), and we told our families as we visited them for Christmas. I have to say, that knowing this early on makes the pregnancy seem like it's going to last forever.

kns1988

I read through the thread and I can't really tell: do you find out if everything is normal at the scan or do you have to wait to hear from a doctor? Mine is done at the MFM clinic just because the OB is next door and MFM has the good machines & specialists. 

mdlorenz

@kns1988 It really depends. Some have an OB/MFM come in to interpret the images right afterwards (what I had even with my low-risk first baby) and others will just send the result to your regular provider to share the news.

kns1988

@mdlorenz, thanks! I'm glad I read through this because if I went to a place that didn't tell you right away and I didn't know beforehand, I would have been pretty disappointed. 

mcvgal

I have usually had the anatomy scan and then they send the results to my OB. In the past I have timed it to have the appointments a week a part to give them enough time to receive the images/report. However, this time my appointments are back to back. And my OB told that since they will not get the report that quickly to just let him know what they say at the A/S. I am assuming that at my next appoint they will go over any additional information from the report.

pshaortao

With my first I just went to a technician within the same building as my OB then she sent us home afterward. The OB apparently reviewed them and updated the "test result" on my medical page online as everything came back normal. I have no idea how it would have turned out otherwise. I'm at a new place that is sooo different for this pregnancy so even as a stm, I still don't know what to expect other than a technician again.