Friday 21 June 2019

First Trimester. Reassurance Scan at Peek-a-Baby Birmingham

Reassurance Scan at Peek-a-Baby Birmingham

Friday 21st June 2019

It feels like I’ve been pregnant for ages already, finding out so early is both a blessing and a curse. Having peed on so many sticks, taken out a mortgage on digital tests... and now booking a early scan on June 21st!

I never was a patient person...

Having a little Google I found a place called Peek-A-Baby in Birmingham, they scan you from 6 weeks of pregnancy. This is when you can see the first glimpses of the little person growing inside of you. 

If my dates were correct I would be 6 weeks + 3 days pregnant at this point. (As I have mentioned in my previous posts though, I had added the 2 weeks to my dates which actually made them in-correct).

We arrived at the practice and found that there was a few parking spaces at the front of the building, and more down the side road. 

We parked up and ventured inside, at this stage of pregnancy you need a rather full (and uncomfortable bladder) for them to be able to spot baby on the scan.

I had been drinking water for the hours car journey, so by the time we arrived I had a sufficiently full bladder. 

It’s not a massive practice, reception is to your left as you walk in. There are some chairs dotted around acting as a waiting area, and they have been keeping a tally on the wall of how many boys, and how many girls have been shown on the gender scans, a milestone that is still many weeks ahead for me!

The appointment was at 5pm, and I was called straight in, Luke, Leo and I. We were all really impressed with the set up in the room. There were a number of chairs for the visitors to sit upon, a bed for me to lie on, and a rather large screen on the wall in front of us so that we would all get a brilliant view!

I lay down and they put the scanning gel on my stomach, while I held down the paper tucked into my dress so that it wouldn’t get on it. 

The sonographer placed the scanner on my abdomen, and pushed down firmly. My insides flickered onto the big screen and I didn’t have a clue what I was looking at. 

At this point it would have been very welcome for the sonographer to explain what we were seeing on the screen, but unfortunately this is where I felt slightly disheartened.

She found Pop’s pregnancy sac, she confirmed that Pop was growing exactly where he should be, not in one of my fallopian tubes. She said at this point it was too early to scan, and although we could see the pregnancy sack, we could not see Pop as it was just too early in the pregnancy. 

We were in there less than 5 minutes, I was told they would re-scan me complimentary in 2 weeks time on the 5th July. 

I have to admit that I did feel that there was a real lack of communication, it was fair enough that I was too early to be scanned, but it would have been nice to know what had been observed on the screen. What did the sac measure in at? Was there a yolk? 

I wasn't worried that they couldn’t see Pop at this stage, I knew my dates could be slightly out, I know when I ovulated but I don’t know exactly when I would have conceived, and I think I could be a few days/weeks out. Based on this information I have currently amended my due date from the 10th February to the 14th February! (Turns out I didn't amend it far enough *insert giggle here*). 

I left happy with the knowledge that there is an actual baby growing inside of me, in my uterus and not a tube. 

I left knowing I was really pregnant!

Reassurance Scan at Peek-a-Baby Birmingham

July 5th 2019 - The Re-scan

We went back on July 5th for another 5pm appointment. The lady on reception warmly greeted us again and we took a seat in the waiting area. 

Within a few minutes we were invited into the room where the scan would be performed. It was the same sonographer and assistant form a fortnight ago.

They prepared my tummy for the ultrasound with the same cold gel and pressed down firmly onto my stomach. My tummy flashed up on the screen and she started looking for Pop.

Once again no real communication was given, and I lay there feeling evermore awkward. She found the pregnancy sack, but not once did she offer explanations on what she was seeing. 

She did confirm that there was a sack and that I was pregnant, it turns out she didn't remember us from 2 weeks ago, she didn't know that we were here for a re-scan. Realisation soon hit her that this was a re-scan and attempted to find my last images.

It took a while and she started going off about using the same name on the form... I was unsure what she meant as I had used the same name each time I had booked in, and by this point I was getting annoyed. I was more worried about the outcome of my pregnancy than some name on a form.

She had a look at the previous images and measured the sac again, and advised that it had grown since the last scan, but she should see a baby now...

Of course my heart was already beating so fast, I could feel myself starting to shut down. I didn’t feel like I was being given a great deal of information and I definitely wasn’t feeling Reassured.

This feeling intensified when she said that it could be Early Pregnancy failure.

Not once during that appointment did she say that my dates could be wrong and I may just not be as far along as I first thought. Not once did she say, your pregnancy sac is measuring *insert appropriate measurements here* and this actually means you are *insert number of weeks pregnant*.

They said they would see me again in 2 weeks, but by then I was not talking much and I was doing my best to get out of the building without crying.

I was convinced the worst was happening.

My NHS scan is on the 18th July and they have booked me back into Peek-A-Baby on 1st August.

Luke thinks that my dates are a few weeks out, which would put me between 5-6 weeks pregnant right now.

After spending the weekend feeling very emotional, I’m hoping that when I go to the NHS appointment I will see a little 7 week embryo with a heartbeat, it could be that because I caught the pregnancy super early (thanks random monthly cycles), that I went for the initial scan, and the second scan way to early.

If that is the case it still doesn’t explain the sonographers rushed scanning approach and lack of bedside manner.  

What has really frustrated me on top of everything else, is that I was sent away with out any of the details surrounding my scan. None of the measurements taken were given to me, and I left empty handed. 

Empty handed, scared and so far from re-assured. 

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