Early Scan
So why would you have an early scan?
For most women they just want, or need to see their baby and confirm that the pregnancy is real! For others they may have sadly experienced a miscarriage and just need the peace of mind and reassurance that an early scan can bring. Time really seems to drag in the first trimester, seeing is certainly believing!
An early pregnancy scan will confirm the presence of a heartbeat, diagnose a single or multiple pregnancy and establish an estimated due date. It can be performed from 7 weeks of pregnancy, before this time it is not always possible to see the fetal heart beating but can confirm the pregnancy is in the right place and developing as it should for the number of weeks you are.
We also see women who have had bleeding and can’t be seen quickly in their local early pregnancy unit, or those that have had a loss of symptoms and are concerned – we can provide you with a service that fully assess how you are progressing and will give you all the information you need.
This early scan is not routinely available on the NHS and does not require a GP or Midwife referral.
What we do…
Usually performed over the tummy as transabdominal scan, for this reason having a moderately full bladder will help to see the pregnancy more clearly in the early weeks.
We will measure your little one crown to rump to get an estimated due date and assess that everything is developing normally for that number of weeks. We will also confirm that the pregnancy is in the right place within the uterus and check that the uterus and ovaries appear normal.
We also have the option of performing an internal scan if we don’t get great views over the tummy. This is entirely safe in early pregnancy and will be discussed with you as an option where needed.
After the scan..
We will create a detailed report for you with everything that we have seen and also give you pictures of your little bean.
Throughout the scan we will be talking about what your baby is doing, how it is developing and what it can do – such a lovely insight into your baby’s world.
If we sadly find that the things are not progressing as they should we discuss everything that we can see, giving you plenty of time to ask questions. We create a report and contact your local early pregnancy unit (EPU) for a follow up appointment.
An 8 week 6 day old little bean.
9 weeks old.
“I cannot recommend Lindsay enough!! I've seen Lindsay a few times after a really difficult time to make sure things were getting back to normal and she's always been so lovely and helpful. She's always on hand to answer any questions I have and I cannot thank her enough xx”