1st Prenatal Appointment Question!

mleepow · August 2015

Hello! I don't have my first appointment until Aug.26th (I feel like it's forever away!!!) During my appointment I will be 9 weeks. Do they normally do an ultrasound or should I request one? This is my first pregnancy and I'm so nervous/excited I just want to see a picture of my little one!

KMKaiser07 · August 2015

Each practice does things differently. Mine does an early dating scan and they made sure I knew I was having one when my first appointment was made. I have to schedule the scans because it has to fit in with the techs schedule as well. If you are unsure, call and ask.

adbrading · August 2015

Around here no, your first appointment they do a pap smear, (if you don't have an up to date one), take a urine sample, take cultures and send you to get blood work done. I scheduled my u/s when I left the doctors office that day it was less than one week later. You can always call and ask the receptionist/nurse. I did lol

mommygrams0730 · August 2015

It really depends on your dr. Mine does a dating scan and prefers the first appt be around 8ish weeks. It also involves a blood draw and peeing in a cup. My first pregnancy with him was a little more formal getting all the background info as well.

FutureMrsCaesar · August 2015

I've been to 3 different practices for my first appointment and none of them have done an ultrasound. I know from reading on here it sounds very common but I think it's actually less common in practice. My first Dr just did a pelvic exam, pap smear, Rx for blood work at my first appointment and listened to the baby with the doppler at 12 weeks. No u/s until 20 weeks. My 2nd Dr did the same at the first appointment but had me come back a week later because my uterus felt large and she wanted to make sure I wasn't having twins. Nope. Doppler at 12 weeks again. My last midwife did the normal pelvic exam, etc and then listened for the hearbeat at 9 weeks, but again no u/s until 13 weeks NT scan.

Also, I'm not sure you can 'request' an ultrasound just because you want one, unless your Dr is really, really nice. They cost $ and I think most insurances want there to be a reason.

mshukh · August 2015

My practice does not typically do an ultrasound until the NS one 11-14 weeks. I had one at 5.5 weeks with the first one to rule out an ectopic pragnancy. This time I had a dating one at 8 weeks as I have had no period since conceiving my first three years ago and thus no way to know how far along I was.

mdrayton2015 · August 2015

I would say to give the office a call. I went in last week at 9 weeks and had an ultrasound. I go back at 12 weeks and they will do another and then I will have a 3rd at 20 weeks. This is standard and the practice I go to. Stay busy so that the time between now and then is less painful. Wishing you the best!

mb0112 · August 2015

I just had my first appt today! It's with a midwife and they wanted to wait til 9 weeks. I thought I was 9w4d.

They did blood work, answered questions, discussed genetic testing, family history, peed in a cup. No pelvic exam or pap because I had one at a recent physical. Then she tried to hear a heartbeat with the Doppler on my stomach... No heartbeat. I was so worried but she said its normal. Tried to hear it with the vaginal probe and no luck. Then I really got worried. They were going to send me to the hospital for an ultrasound this week to confirm dating anyways, so they called over and got me in today. Tough wait with lots of worries, but the ultrasound saw the baby and heartbeat flicker and I'm just a couple days earlier than o thought!! Big relief and a bonus to see the picture.

If you tell them your periods were somewhat irregular like mine, you may get an early dating ultrasound. Also they were going to schedule me for another at 12 weeks for the early genetic blood testing.

SarahFoley725 · August 2015

I would call and ask! I don't think they had initially planned one for me until I called to double check. You may also want to ask if they plan on doing transvaginal or abdominal! I had my first one at 8 weeks 4 days and it was abdominal but my cousins was transvaginal at 10 weeks and 1 day.

Emma2601 · August 2015

My doctor's office has US machines in each of the exam rooms and, each time I come in, they do a quick US to check out the baby. My first appointment was literally just a quick US and the doctor "estimating" my due date, and that was it. It felt like a drive-by shooting it happened so quickly. The blood work and peeing in a cup was at a different appointment with just an intake nurse. Sounds like everyone's doctor does it differently. It's nice to get to see the baby ASAP so you know everything is going okay, so I understand why you're so anxious.

Parker16772 · August 2015

I would call and ask since every doctor does it differently. I had one at my initial appointment for dating and I have another on the 26th (only because we didn't see anything at the first one since I was about 5 days behind my EDD based on my LMP). After that I will only go once a month.

lyndsay0519 · August 2015

I went in at 6 weeks and had an ultra sound on my first apt. As well as a pap smear blood work urine sample. A lot of Drs I called wouldn't do U/S before 10 weeks

Chriseak · August 2015

I had my first appt yesterday (9w4d) had blood work, pee test, pelvic exam, culture and an ultrasound. They were unsure as to my exact w&d may only be 9w but it was not clear.. I was told I was on the cusp..not exactly sure what that means maybe based on the measurement? But I did tell them my cycles were irregular, I have always had issues with this, maybe that is why I had the ultrasound same day..

roo1oo · August 2015

It likely depends on your insurance and what your insurance will cover. If they cover 2 ultrasounds, your doc will probably do one at either 8 weeks for dating, or 12 weeks which is considered the first trimester screening, where they look at all the body systems, ensure there are 4 limbs, spine, heart, and check the nuchal translucency and the nasal cavity size. This is to check for a few genetic disorders such as downs syndrome.

Then you will get the anatomy scan at 20 weeks which is the one where you may find out the sex. At this one they also check all the body systems, skeletal development, heart, count fingers and toes, etc.

My insurance will cover 2 unless the doctor writes a referral for additional scans. So I was able to get the 8 week dating scan, the 12 week screening, and will get the 20 week anatomy scan.

On top of that, I have gone into appointments where the doctor can't find the heartbeat with fetal doppler, so they quickly check via ultrasound. My doctor said this is really common at around 12 weeks. They do not charge for an ultrasound when they do this as they are not checking anything beyond the heartbeat.

And plus also, you may need additional scans if they see something concerning in any one of the earlier scans. At my 20 weeks scan with DS, they were concerned about placenta previa, so I had another scan around 28 weeks, and another at 34 weeks to make sure it resolved by the time I delivered.

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