The First Scan

The 6 and a half weeks between finding out I was pregnant and the first scan (also known as the “dating scan”), were the longest 6 and a half weeks of my life!

Until the first scan, all you have to prove your pregnant is a stick you’ve pee’d on and nausea! So that first scan was one of the most significant and anxious moments ever! I felt quite calm about it all until the few days leading up to it, when I felt sick, had headaches and some serious butterflies in my tummy!

Luckily, my hubby is very laid-back and helps me not to worry in life…he’s a positive thinker. I, on the other hand, am a worrier! So although I knew chances were that everything would be okay at this point, I was still incredibly anxious and full of “what-ifs”.

We arrived to the hospital half an hour early and were greeted with smiles from the midwives. We handed in our file and sat in the waiting room, waiting to be called through. That was the longest, nerve-wracking 30 minutes of my life. Not to mention I had a full bladder and needed to pee. We saw the other couples be called through one-by-one and knew that we’d be next.

My name was called and in we went. It all seemed very surreal as we were led into a private room with just a chair, a bed and a screen thingy. Hubby took his seat, the lights were dimmed and I was asked to make myself comfortable on the bed and lower my leggings slightly. The midwife tucked some tissue paper into my leggings (to protect them from getting any gel on them). She then popped some gel onto the lower part of my tummy (which was surprisingly warmed-up…not cold as I had expected) and started rolling the probe across my abdomen.

At first it felt fine, but then she had to apply a bit more pressure to try and find the little bean…this made me tense a little bit against the pressure, mostly because it really made me want to pee! I couldn’t see the screen and everything was very quiet as the midwife studied what was in front of her. I kept my eyes on hubby (who could see the screen) to gauge his reaction, before asking “is it there?“. I was relieved when I was answered with a nod and the midwife finally turned the screen so I could see what was on there.

The Bean

At first I couldn’t really see anything. It was just a series of grey swirls moving in and out of focus. Then I realised she was trying to get a good view of the little bean and suddenly there it was and I could make out a definite head, body, legs and waving arms. The little blighter wouldn’t stay still, so it was hard for them to get the shot they needed for measurements and to date the pregnancy accurately. Another midwife was on hand and took over to see if she could do any better. She managed to get the profile of the bean on screen and was able to show us its beating heart. That was one of the single-most amazing moments of my life and I was seriously trying to swallow down the tears.

She then proceeded to take some measurements and look at the blood-flow through the umbilical cord to make sure everything was working as it should. We were dated at exactly 11 weeks pregnant, which was a bit of a surprise to us as we thought we were more like 11 weeks and 4 days.

Then, it was all over! We were told to wait outside, where the midwife would come see us shortly to return our file and a couple of photos, before going in to see another midwife to go through everything and the tests from the previous booking appointment.

We waited outside, smiles beaming across our faces and utter relief coursing through me (plus I was finally allowed to pee!). The midwife came out to give us the file and photos and also explain her thoughts. She told us that because the little mite wouldn’t stop moving, it was hard for her to get an accurate photo record of the umbilical cord. She said she wasn’t worried at all, but wanted to be thorough and therefore asked us to return for another scan in 2 weeks time.

Worry

My first reaction was to worry, but she instantly assured me that there was nothing she was worried about, so my worry turned into excitement that we’d get to meet our little one again in 2 weeks’ time (when hopefully it wouldn’t fidget as much and we could get more accurate measurements and photos).

The tests

On to the next midwife, who we spent about 10 minutes with and she talked me through my blood and urine tests taken at the booking appointment. It was also our chance to ask any questions and talk through any concerns we might have. It was really reassuring. We were then given the dates of our next appointments (the 16-week check and the 20-week scan and of course the 13-week “added” one).

Then off we went, on cloud nine, with our little photos of our little bean. We couldn’t wait to tell our family and close friends.

How was your first scan experience? Did anyone else have to go back around week 13?

To see more about my pregnancy and motherhood journey – keep an eye on my posts here.