Ultrasound schedule!

roseandbean22 · September 2021

Hi all! So to preface this, I was really hoping for a midwife for my care but they were at capacity. I went to my family doctor so I'm going in on Oct 5, I'll be 9 weeks then, for my first check up. I asked about a scan and they said no scan until 20 weeks! Which seems really off from everything I've read. I am not really sure what is normal and I don't have a lot of faith in my family doctor as she always is in a rush etc... can anyone share their experiences?

happynapper · September 2021

It’s pretty typical in an uncomplicated pregnancy to not have any ultrasound other than the 20 week! Many ladies that you will see having early scans are likely viability scans due to previous losses or infertility treatment, or dating scans if a person doesn’t know when their LMP was or labs are reading high or low for various reasons.

b_1029 · September 2021

I think it’s normal. I basically begged to do an US at my first appointment because I’m a basket case and I think my OB knows that by now haha. This is a totally different experience from my previous pregnancy when I was constantly monitored at the RE.

rikiteacup · September 2021

I guess every practice is different.
The standard care at my practice for everyone is the first u/s at 8 weeks to date the pregnancy with certainty and make sure it is viable. This is also when you are officially established as an OB patient and get a welcome bag. They go above and beyond to make your experience great and tell you what to expect along the weeks as far as exams, gifts...

Second u/s at 12 weeks is to also make sure the pregnancy is still viable and they do the nuchal translucency exam to look for DS markers. I was happy to get the 12-week u/s as my DD looked like a real tiny baby and not a gummy bear anymore and I saw her kick vigorously with both her legs. It was really cool.

kham130 · September 2021

I had an early US yesterday to check viability due to spotting and a previous loss, but my midwife said typically they do them at 19/20 weeks and then another one in the third trimester. I thought they did them all the time (probably because of TV/Movies lol), so I was shocked to hear how few you get! I think I'm going to ask for a 12 week one for piece of mind before we publicly announce.

And846 · September 2021

Welcome @ress22! Make sure to intro yourself in the above thread

that is common but each OB is different. Last pregnancy, no issues i had a dating US, 20 wk and 3rd tri. However, he had a bedside handheld machine so every appt i got to see DD.

This time around was with a RE so there are many more

itsagalsworls1024 · September 2021

My new office is the same way. First appt at 9wks but the ultrasound at that appointment is “for fun” so we have to pay for it. I was high risk with my daughter due to my BMI so I believe I will be again which resulted in more scans with my son I was not high risk so we only had 2 or 3 scans

roseandbean22 · September 2021

I think I will ask for one just for my peace of mind- especially before we tell anyone. After I wrote this I also found out my cousins wife is expecting and only 2 months ahead of us and they already know it is a boy! Lol! So everyone must just do things differently.... I just feel like especially for my first I'd like to know everything is okay:)

Thank you all for your responses!

hkom · September 2021

I think it's highly unusual to not have an ultrasound until 20 weeks. At my practice everyone gets one at 8-10 weeks for viability and dating (LMP isn't always accurate - they bumped me up a week with my second based on the dating scan), then the anatomy scan at 20, and I think they do one more quick one some time in the late 30s just to check on positioning.

cleon711 · September 2021

Ok these posts make me feel much better! My DD is 2.5 and with her the doctor did an ultrasound at my first visit (about 7.5 weeks), but I am expecting again and when I called to schedule they told me there isn’t typically one at this first appointment. I guess we just got lucky the first time. 🙂

jandawg · September 2021

I'm in Canada and we typically have ultrasounds at 12 weeks and then 20 weeks. I'm kind of hoping I can get my dating ultrasound at 8 weeks this time though.

Bababatty · September 2021

I forgot that most people only have an occasional u/s. I'm in NYC and it's common here to have one at virtually every appointment. I saw DD so many times when I was pregnant with her.

Plus if you're older (as I am), you have two anatomy scans, one at 16 weeks and one at 20.

Want a personalized experience?

Ultrasound schedule!

Re: Ultrasound schedule!

Choose Another Board

Search Boards