Firstly, congratulations on your latest news! Pregnancy can be the most incredible journey, yet a daunting experience, especially if this is your first. At Haven, we are here for you every step of the way, and look forward to embarking on this experience with you.
Commonly, the first time you find out you are pregnant, will be with a home pregnancy test. This may have been a surprise, or a long awaited positive – either way, this moment will stick with you forever. So you have found out this news – now what? It is important to remember that your dates may not match up exactly, and this is very common – your dating scan is the most accurate way to date your pregnancy and get an Estimated Date of Delivery or EDD.
When you think you are an estimate of 6-8 weeks pregnant, this is a perfect time for a dating scan. At this scan we can assess if the pregnancy is in the right position in your uterus, as well as check there is only 1! If your dates are not quite correct, this can be common, and don’t be alarmed by this. In early pregnancy, the first ultrasound appearance we see is a gestational sac, which is where your baby will develop and grow. Inside the sac, we actually can visualise a yolk sac before we even see a baby and the heart beat. If you are very early or before 6 weeks, it can mean we see some of the progression of the pregnancy, but may need to scan again in another week or 2 to wait for everything else to develop.
You may now also be feeling a variety of pregnancy symptoms, including tiredness, nausea and/or vomiting, heightened sense of smell, changes in your body shape – or maybe none of these! Once we have confirmed the pregnancy and have an EDD, you can now start to discuss with your partner if you would like to investigate first trimester screening options for chromosomes such as Down’s Syndrome.
Screening options include Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) or the Nuchal Translucency Scan. The NIPT is a simple blood test that can be performed from 10 weeks and 99.9% accurate at screening for Down’s Syndrome. We can perform this all under the one roof here at Haven, with our onsite QML provider. Prior to your blood test, if you choose to perform NIPT, our Sonographers will perform a scan to confirm the gestation of your pregnancy (make sure you are 10 weeks), confirm the heart beat and check the number of your pregnancy (make sure there is only 1!). You can also find out the gender of your baby when the results come in, which should only be a 1-2 week wait.
The Nuchal Translucency Scan is performed a little later and whilst still a screening test whereby you receive a risk of your baby having Down’s Syndrome, is not as accurate as NIPT. It can be performed between 11 weeks 4 days and 13 weeks 5 days – but best to be performed around the 13 week mark if availability permits. At 13 weeks we can see the developing structure of your baby. Scanning closer to 13 weeks, as opposed to late 11 weeks makes a difference for us to easily assess more structures. Even if you have had NIPT, this scan is still recommended and called an Early Structural Scan. This again allows the structure of your baby to be assessed at this stage, however if NIPT has been performed, the risk for Down’s Syndrome will not be calculated. At these scans, our specialist Sonographers will perform first trimester screening for Pre-Eclampsia also.
If you experience pain or bleeding in your early pregnancy, Haven has an Early Pregnancy Drop In Clinic, whereby our midwife can assess you and an ultrasound can be performed. Severe pain or excessive bleeding, it is recommended you attend your nearest Emergency Department.
