Ultrasound Question

[lambkin]

Hi Ladies!
Congratulations on all your pregnancies! My name is Amy. I'm 22 and pregnant with my first bub who is due on the 22nd of June. I've been lurking around here for a while, but haven't had the guts to post yet!

I hope you are all feeling better now that we're well out of the first trimester!!

I have a question about the morphology (18 week) ultrasound, if that is alright!! I signed up for a pregnancy newsletter on a preggo website, which calculated my due date as 15th of June based on my LMP. However, my periods are irregular (I have polycystic ovarian syndrome), and I know that I conceived about 3 weeks after that, so am running with the 22/06/07 due date. Unfortunately, I still get the newsletters which make me think that I am one week further along than I am! I forgot that they worked out my due date differently, and have booked my morphology ultrasound for 18wks1d, thinking I had booked for 19wks1d. The ultrasound place says they prefer women to come in at 19 weeks.. but I don't want to rebook as I've organised the appointment so that my partner and sister can come.

Does anybody know if one week would make much of a difference? Everything else I've read says the morphology ultrasound should be done at 18 weeks ... so will it be okay if I have it done at 18-20 weeks?

I know it is a silly question, but I'm crazy emotional these days and am really anxious about having messed up the date thing!! This pregnancy thing has made me totally nutso!

Any help/confirmation of my craziness/opinions/sympathy would be appreciated!

Sorry for the ramble ;) Thanks for reading :)

[mumofsamuel]

Congratulations and welcome lambkin,

Don't apologise for asking questions - that's what we're here for! OK I am going to try to help but bear with me as I am looking up dates while I go along...

I am unsure about the 18 week scan but I can tell you that my Dr booked me in for my 12 week scan based on my LMP dates. The ultrasound tech put me only 1 day different. So I would assume that since they specify you have to be between 18 and 20 weeks PG, then that would be "18-20 weeks according to your LMP"...... am I right? And if you are 1 week behind, you're still within the right time franme. That is the logic that I would use.

Who has given you the referral? Can you not call them and just ask the question? They may be able to put your mind at ease.

Otherwise I think you'll be fine. Have you had any other scans? If so, what did they put you at?

Hope I've helped....

[bree27]

Hi Lambkin,

Welcome and Congratulations.

As far as I am aware the scan is meant to be done between 18 and 20 weeks. So having it done at 18 weeks and 1 day is fine. I am having mine done at 19 weeks and 6 days, which is almost 20 weeks.

Perhaps call up the ultrasound place and explain to them your situation and see what they say.

Hope that helps, and dont feel silly asking questions. You should see some of the wierd ones I have asked! :laughing:

Love Bree

[lambkin]

Hi there.. thank you so much for your quick replies!! My sister visits the Bub Hub forums quite often and she says it is the best place to ask questions. :)

I do still fall within the 18-20 week category, so I think it will be O.K. I have a bizarre fear of being yelled at by sonographers and midwives and doctors for doing pregnancy 'wrong'!

I've had two other scans so far, Noosa - the dating scan and the nuchal translucency. The dating scan (at 10 wks) gave me the same due date I had calculated. The nuchal translucency says I am due 2 days earlier, so I think I've figured it out right! I'm just so confused because I know I conceived around 3 weeks after my LMP, but all the ultrasound rooms, doctors and hospital keep basing everything on my LMP rather than my conception date or what the scans say. Argh! Does that even make sense? Probably not ;)

I think I'll just go along to my scan, and say that based on my LMP I am 19 weeks, 1 day -but based on my own calculations, I am 18 weeks, 1 day. Fingers crossed they don't make me reschedule! My partner will cry like a baby if he misses out on another one! ;)

[Butterflies&Hurricanes]

Dont worry! you should be fine. They like it at 19 weeks but I'm sure it will be fine at 18!

In the long run a week here or there wont matter either!

[lambkin]

I know you're right, fluffball! I'm just such a worrier! What is wrong with me?! Haha!
*looks at belly*

oh... riiiight..

hehe

[lambkin]

I feel so silly having been so stressed about this now :( I might have to go and hide in cupboard for a while now!!!

[Jade's Mum]

Hey Amy,
I'm not due in June, im due in April but thought i'd just tell you that it doesn't matter if your 18 weeks and 1 day. I was 20 weeks and 4 days when i had my ultrasound, and that didn't seem to matter at all. Besides when you think about it, the due date is an estimate, a baby can be born 2 weeks before or after this date anyways! Did you have a dating scan early on in your pregnancy? They always change my due date everytime i had a scan except for my 20 week one...
Don't stress darl! Just go to the appointment, i doubt they'd say anything and if they do just say that you have friends who've had ultrasounds at that point in their pregnancy and it was never a problem, if worst comes to worst just rebook.
But like i said, it really should not matter, for all we know you could be 20 weeks pregnant at this ultrasound so how can they be so certain?

Chin up darl, either way, you get to see your baby:)

[mumofsamuel]

I always thought it was wierd that they count your PG from the LMP when we all know we didn't conceive at that point. This makes us PG for 42 weeks when we all know it's only 40. I think we all went through these same questions right at the beginning.
Anyway if it is too small and you need to re-book, it's not the end of the world (and highly unlikely too as you would be 18+1) but look at the bright side - DP would get to see the little bundle!

[Tam-I-Am]

I feel so silly having been so stressed about this now :( I might have to go and hide in cupboard for a while now!!!

Don't feel silly - pregnancy makes you feel unsure of yourself at the best of times :hugs:

The morphology scan is actually TECHNICALLY the 18 - 21 week scan - so if you have it when you fall between those weeks, you're fine. Don't stress, and enjoy the experience of seeing your bubba up on the screen.

Oh, and if a sonographer or middie yells at you for something like that - you would be well within your rights to make a formal complaint about their appalling and unprofessional behaviour!

[BeautifulBoys]

Hello & Welcome
CONGRATS!!

I had a date scan @ 8weeks like you my AF's were all over the place, that gave me a EDD of 4TH June, so then I had the Nuchal Scan @ 12weeks, dates still the same.
Im booked in this thurs for the "18wk-21wk" scan & I will be 20wks 1 day, as far as I know anytime between 18wks & 21wks is fine to have the scan, I know someone who went @ 18weeks,all was great.
If you unsure ask your local GP/or ultrasound people.

[BeautifulBoys]

Hi there.. thank you so much for your quick replies!! My sister visits the Bub Hub forums quite often and she says it is the best place to ask questions. :)

I do still fall within the 18-20 week category, so I think it will be O.K. I have a bizarre fear of being yelled at by sonographers and midwives and doctors for doing pregnancy 'wrong'!

I've had two other scans so far, Noosa - the dating scan and the nuchal translucency. The dating scan (at 10 wks) gave me the same due date I had calculated. The nuchal translucency says I am due 2 days earlier, so I think I've figured it out right! I'm just so confused because I know I conceived around 3 weeks after my LMP, but all the ultrasound rooms, doctors and hospital keep basing everything on my LMP rather than my conception date or what the scans say. Argh! Does that even make sense? Probably not ;)

I think I'll just go along to my scan, and say that based on my LMP I am 19 weeks, 1 day -but based on my own calculations, I am 18 weeks, 1 day. Fingers crossed they don't make me reschedule! My partner will cry like a baby if he misses out on another one! ;)


Yes I was confused about LMP dates, as mine would make me around 23weeks preg.. but they told me to go by scan as thats most accurate... so I am..:yes:

[supermumof3]

congratulations and welcome to due in june,
my lmp would make me around 20 weeks my first us/ would make me 18w4 and my second u/s would make me 19w5 im so confused i cant even keep up. when people ask me how far along i am i just say oh nearly half way.

[lambkin]

Ahh you gorgeous women! Thank you for putting my crazy mind at ease! I decided I would risk it, as I don't want my DP to miss out on another scan - especially when we shall be finding out if it's a he or a she! I don't want to have to tell him over a text message!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't keep up with this 'how many weeks are you?' business! I never know what to say! I usually say "53 weeks" and see if they pick up on anything (which is fun!), or else say "I am due in June" (which is easier).

Thank you again lovely ladies!!
Take care! x

[lambkin]

Ahh! Bad news on the ultrasound front. I went in at 18wk1d, and they said to come back in a fortnight as they wanted to do the morphology ultrasound when the baby was bigger. How irritating!! I was so pumped to find out whether or not it was a boy or a girl, but oh well. :mad:

Lesson learned.. double check with sonographers <i>prior</i> to your appointments to see when exactly they would prefer to do the ultrasound! :shame:

Take care lovelies! :D

[mumofsamuel]

Oh you poot thing Lambkin. But I would have thought THEY would have asked YOU when you were making the appointment to save this hassle. You'd think they've been through it before, wouldn't you?

[k8y]

oh to be put off another 2 weeks :crying: hang in there lambkin.

Too true NoosaMumToBe, how are we suppose to know things like this, they SHOULD have asked.

[lambkin]

Ah I know!! I almost cried! Silly ultrasound people. They were a bit rude about it all really. :(

All good! 1 week, 2 days to go! hehehe

[Luvmytum]

Hi lambkin - don't worry it's normal to be anxious & want everything done yesterday with your first pregnancy including giving birth!

I'm not sure if you're going private & have your own obstetrician but my advice is to stick to one GP/obstetrician/midwife & follow their advice on when/how to do things. As you need to be referred anyway, they will tell you when you need to go and also give you advice all the way through.

Hope the scan goes well in a couple of weeks!

[lambkin]

Thanks, luvmytum.
I'm going public, and doing shared care with my GP and the hospital midwives. I made the appointment for when I was told to make the appointment, but I think sonographers/rooms just have preferences for when they want to do things - and these guys prefer to do the 18 week ultrasound at 20/21 weeks, apparently! Or maybe that was just the sonographer I had. Always pays to double check, I have learned. I've found, so far, that a lot of places (including the hospital) are constantly changing the protocol for when things should be done, which keeps us on our toes.

Plus, I think a lot of us will have gone through the same issue with not being able to get in appointments (dating scans and nuchals) over the Christmas and New Years break, so I seem to be 'running late' for almost everything! (Except the 18 wk ultrasound, that is. ;))

I must say, the baby can stay in for as long as he/she wants as far as I am concerned! I am not prepared! hehe. Although, I am betting I'll feel differently further down the track when I've rented out organ space to the bub. :laughing: