scans in scotland...
my sis in law lives in scotland (west lothian) and from what shes been telling me her prfegnancy care seems outrageous!! she only has one scan (at 10weeks which she has now had) shes strictly not allowed to know the sex of her baby unless she is willing to go private and her general care whilst pregnant is shocking! she isnt allowed to come under her local hospital and has had to go somewhere else.
thing id be concerned about is all the tests to make sure baby is healthy - theres nothing! apart from a blood test to check for downs syndrome.she was never told about folic acid and didnt even know what it was for until i told her! is this the way it is up there or has she just got an ass of a gp and mw!!??
Wow, that's shocking. I'm in the South of England but I presumed it was standard everywhere in the UK to have a scan at 12 weeks and another at 20 weeks. What a surprise. If I were her, I think I'd find a nice private hospital to have a scan done at 12 weeks.
I have raised questions about 'what if all labour ward beds full' and was told that it does happen and I'd be sent somewhere else. As my nearest somewhere else is either 40 mins or about 50 mins, I'm a bit concerned as my daughter arrived in 3hrs 20mins start to finish and I hear 2nd babies are quicker! 😲
I think it's worth checking out other hospitals in the area or having a word with the midwife team she's got as maybe someone else would be a better MW for her? Sounds dreadful. Let us know how she gets on.
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kristag said:exactly what i said!! i thort that the 20wk scan was the one where they check for defects which they cant pick up any other time! i mentioned to her about spina bifida but shes adament its checked on her blood test - i said it cant be checked on a blood test as its a deformity in the spine rather than a genetic problem! i presume the reason she aint speakin out is as its her first and she thinks this is the way things work!! i suppose we all do as they say with our firsts dont we! 😕
Wow, that's shocking. I'm in the South of England but I presumed it was standard everywhere in the UK to have a scan at 12 weeks and another at 20 weeks. What a surprise. If I were her, I think I'd find a nice private hospital to have a scan done at 12 weeks.
Hayley_Kev said:I'm sure you're right that Spina Bifida is checked at the 20 week scan...in fact I just looked it up in my hospital information on scans are you are spot on, it is at 20 weeks. She really should push for more care - she's entitled to it and more so with a 1st baby as you need all the support and advice you can get! I hope she plucks up courage to push for better assistance.
exactly what i said!! i thort that the 20wk scan was the one where they check for defects which they cant pick up any other time! i mentioned to her about spina bifida but shes adament its checked on her blood test - i said it cant be checked on a blood test as its a deformity in the spine rather than a genetic problem! i presume the reason she aint speakin out is as its her first and she thinks this is the way things work!! i suppose we all do as they say with our firsts dont we! :?
Perhaps you can do a bit of checking for her if she's unsure and doesn't know what to do?
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kristag said:thing is i think its with me being on my second preg i know how they work - and second time round you dont stand for the hospitals crap anymore do you! you put your foot down more and you feel you want waht YOU want rather then allowing them to tell you what THEYwant you to do!Hayley_Kev said:I'm sure you're right that Spina Bifida is checked at the 20 week scan...in fact I just looked it up in my hospital information on scans are you are spot on, it is at 20 weeks. She really should push for more care - she's entitled to it and more so with a 1st baby as you need all the support and advice you can get! I hope she plucks up courage to push for better assistance.
exactly what i said!! i thort that the 20wk scan was the one where they check for defects which they cant pick up any other time! i mentioned to her about spina bifida but shes adament its checked on her blood test - i said it cant be checked on a blood test as its a deformity in the spine rather than a genetic problem! i presume the reason she aint speakin out is as its her first and she thinks this is the way things work!! i suppose we all do as they say with our firsts dont we! :?
Perhaps you can do a bit of checking for her if she's unsure and doesn't know what to do?
x
every health authority on Scotland works differently.
In Lothian you only get a dating scan, unless you are high risk or develop any complications (I know this because I was under them for a while) I can comment on the hospital thing I dont know about that, I know they have their main hospitals and different areas are allocated diffgerent hospitals even though there may be one closer.
In Grampian you get a dating scan btwn 9-12 weeks and a 20 week scan,
But in both you are still given all the same blood tests as anyone else, I had a blood test at 18 weeks to test whether I was high risk for Downs and spina bifida and if I had come back high I would have been offered the amniocentisis.But I was scanned at 24 weeks aswell as I moved from Edinburgh back home.
So many places wont tell you the sex of the baby now, and I know it is not just Scotland. they stop because too many people sued or complianed that they were told 1 thing and had another (you are told it is not 100% but people still werent happy)
And even though we do it differently Scotland has a very good health care system (most of the time), just because it is different from what you receive it doesnt mean it is bad or worse than England/Wales.
Kristag- my local consultant unit is either 54 miles or 60miles away along windy roads (take a good 90mins to reach Aberdeen). There is a unit 30mins away but it is only small and has no SCBU and no epidural facilities for those who want it. So for some they have to travel regardless.
hospitals have a form you sign that states you have no case if they get the sex of your baby wrong.
i am not saying scotland has a shite health system and that england wales or even the bahamas is better - what i am saying, and im sure others are thinkin the same, how on earth can they check for spina bifida on a blood test! my SIL has had miscarriages in the past, now surely she would be classed as a risk!???!
i think with EVERY pregnancy the health and the welfare of that unborn baby should be what is priority - regardless of the health of the mother!
Up here is there os no such form. Also by not telling you the sex they can cut the time you are being scanned and fit in more scans, the scans are not there to tell you the sex they are there (If health authority's have them) to check for any abnormalities. What medical reason is there ot know they sex, yes it may be nice to help you go out and buy but there is no medical reasons. People have also been known to abort a baby just because it is the wrong sex.
AFP test helps find out if you are at risk of spina bifida, also here
I agree I would have thought that your SIL is at risk because of her previous miscarriages.
While i was pregnant with Charlotte my cousins wife was also expecting. She didn't get offered a dating scan, where she lives they only get an abnormalitly scan at 20 weeks+ and are not allowed to be told the sex of the baby. She lives about 30 miles away from me so it can be different depending where you live in Engand too.
alex said:Wow Alex. It's strange but you kinda assume that everyone has a hospital within relatively easy reach! How wrong can you be. I feel my journeys along good A and B roads appear quite easy now 🙂
Kristag- my local consultant unit is either 54 miles or 60miles away along windy roads (take a good 90mins to reach Aberdeen). There is a unit 30mins away but it is only small and has no SCBU and no epidural facilities for those who want it. So for some they have to travel regardless.