I remember one of my patients telling me that they couldn’t relax at their regular antenatal check-ups until they had seen their baby’s heartbeat in their scan.
When I asked if she had any concerns to make her think things weren’t going as planned, she explained there were no issues.
So I asked her why? She explained it was just the reassurance she needed to help calm her nerves that everything was OK.
It is those moments that remind me of just how important my role as an obstetrician is to listen to my patients and help provide that emotional support just as much as the physical support.
Women have a number of scans or ultrasounds early in their pregnancy to check that the baby is developing as expected.
This also gives us the information we need to do interventions early or prepare for additional care during birth or in the early days, weeks or months after birth.
Private obstetricians also generally offer scans at each appointment. These scans are done in the obstetrician’s rooms and check for ongoing growth and heartbeat.
And as my patients tell me, they can help calm nerves and worries for first, second, third or fourth time mums.
