1st pregnancy

About 5 months ago I had a miscarriage but after talking with some friends from the US they told me that they knew several people who had miscarriages at 5/6 weeks after newly coming off of birth control, so I was not too worried.


Now, I am 6/7 weeks pregnant. I have been reading everything possible on the internet about pregnancy what I should be doing and such. I want to tell my family but I am scared of telling them and then having another mc. With my husband and I in China and them so far away, I think it will be harder on our moms than on us. I want to hear the baby's heart before I tell them. I asked a Chinese friend, here in Guangzhou, to help me see a doctor in about two weeks. She said that this is not "the way" in China. She said that if I have taken a store examine then I don't have to go to the doctor for 4 months and I should just assume everything is okay, that they don't like to do examine to see or hear the baby because the machine is bad for it. However, all of the threads online from the west show that women are going 8-12 weeks and all of them are talking about the heart beat.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I just go to Hong Kong to have this first check-up? If so where? If not, what should I tell my friend? She seemed to be willing to tell her doctor what I want if I insist, but I don't even know what to call the procedure (doppler or something?)


BTW: I plan on returning to the states in January, so as long as everything is normal I won't be delivering in China.

Hi Jaimie,


You should try to setup an appointment at the Guangzhou Womans Hospital. My wife just had her 8 week check there.


If you want, I can talk with my wife and I can see if I can get exact phone numbers for you to call in order to setup an appointment.


Or, if you would prefer a western-ized look, you can try to setup an appointment at the Clifford hospital. Big, western, and clean. Most of the doctors/staff speak some English to boot.

I don't really mind what hospital I would go to. Actually, my friend has a friend doctor (you know how China works). This doctor did everything for her when she had her baby last year. I just need to know what to tell my friend what I would like if it is possible to do here. Right now she thinks I want an ultra sound... to be honest, I don't really know what it is that I need. I just want to know everything is normal.

Hi, jaimie, ...congragrulation! You definitely need to see an OB earlier than 4 months. You cannot assume everything is OK. Your OB will do the scan to check for the heart beat, no. of babies, ? ectopic, the due date......More than that, the OB may do a no. of testings to screen for any problem of your baby, such as Down's syndrome. My OB did all these during my last pregnancy. The experience was so wonderful when my hubby and I saw the heart beart and the fetal movement on the TV. This certainly ease lots of stress, uncertainly and anxiety when we first knew the pregnancy.

Also, depending on where you are going to deliver your baby, China? or HK? If you want to have your baby in HK, you need to book early as you may aware this in some of the threads here.

Jaimie... what you need around your 8th week is a trans-vaginal ultrasound scan to check for ectopic pregnancy and to listen to the heart beat. The purpose of that scan is to declare a "normal pregnancy". In the meantime, you need to watch out for any spotting (bleeding). Once you pass your 10th week, the risk of miscarriage drops significantly and your baby will be officially called a fetus. If you are over 30, you might want to consider a OSCAR test for Down sydrome, which must be done before 13th or 14th week. This is the standard process in HK. In the US, you normally have your first prenatal check up at 10th week. Hope this helps.

Dear Jaimie,


First of all...Congratulations!

I'd suggest you to get your 1st prenatal check up asap with Gynaelogist or Obstetrician. I've done in finland when i had 6th weeks. doctor used a transvaginal ultrasound to get a clearer view of the uterus (if sth is suspected, the presence of the fetus (whether you have more than one) and due date or gestational age. It was amazing experience to see and hear baby heart beats for the first time and to know everything is going on well inside. after we moved to GZ in the beginning of august, I submit myself to the VIP Maternity & GYN Center to carry on the check up. they expertize in the obstetrics, diagnosis and treatment for pregnancy. the facilities are modern & clean. doctors & midwives understand english well and very helpful(there is an interpreter available!) so far I feel i am in good hands here. maybe i could recommend this place to you....

Thank you Fluery and Zestyvivica for your help and guidance. I have also gotten some messages that suggest I probably could go to HK for the transvaginal ultrasound. So, now I just have to read all of those HK threads to find out where exactly I should to go! We don't suspect any problems with they baby, all my symptoms and everything has been textbook- just being safe! Thank you everyone.

Okay, I have had a few days to calm down, I went with my friend to visit her doctor today. Basically she just told me everything I have already read online and gave me folic acid for the next month. Otherwise she told me to come back in two months when they will do all of the testing. I felt really comfortable with her. We decided to tell our family without the heart beat confirmation, because everything else is normal. The thing that discouraged me from pursuing the test farther was the 500USD price tag in HK. But if someone has a strong argument that I should get a more detailed exam in the meantime (ie. that I would be an irresponsible mother if I did things the way this doctor is telling me too), I am willing to take advice.

Hi Jaimie - congratulations on your pregnancy!


In two months, you will be around 15-16 weeks right? I guess the main reason to have a scan a bit earlier is the measurement of the nuchal translucency, which can be done from 11-14 weeks. This measurement is usually done around 12 weeks to estimate the risk of Down's syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities. This was one of my most extensive scans - and I know my friends in Europe (where ultrasounds are only done 1-2x during a pregnancy) got this one too. so perhaps you can schedule your appointment around this time.


I'm not sure how you got the USD500 price tag of a scan in HK? My dr charges USD100-150 for a regular scan and I am sure it can be done cheaper as well.


Good luck, enjoy your pregnancy!

ha ha, Thank you Lena, You know I read things quickly and I was looking at $ and thought USD, being in China I assume everything that is not yuan is USD. :) Well that is a relief. We have decided to go to HK at 12 weeks. Then afterward, follow-up in China as long as they seem to follow all the other standards from 16 weeks on. But everything seems to be going along fine. Told all the family! Everyone is happy, now it is just a matter of being healthy and waiting.