How to cope with appointment and scan anxiety after experiencing pregnancy loss

Pregnancy after loss can be an anxious experience, and this anxiety can be triggered by health appointments, which can include ultrasound scans.

It’s common to feel nervous or frightened at this time. You may find yourself remembering what happened the last time you had a scan, especially if this scan brought sad news. If you feel anxious between scans, you might feel the need for frequent reassurance scans.

Whilst there might not be anything that will completely calm your anxiety, we have compiled some tips and advice to help you feel a little more in control and be able to communicate what you’re going through with your health care professional at your appointment.

We hope you may find some of these helpful.

Attend your appointment with notes of what you’d like to say, ask, or clarify.

Sometimes anxiety can be overwhelming, and so some of the worries or concerns you may have can get lost in the emotion of the experience. Writing these points and questions down beforehand and taking them to your appointment can give you something to refer to, and help you get the information and support you need.

Ask if you can take someone into the scan or appointment with you.

We know that scans and appointments can be difficult after loss, so you may find it helpful to have a loved one in the room with you. This gives you someone else to take in the information that you’ll be given, and some extra comfort to help you stay a little more relaxed.

Communicate how you’re feeling, and what you find helpful.

It may be helpful to tell your health care professional that you’re anxious because of a previous loss. You may then like to explain what helps you in these situations. For example, having someone else there, having your questions answered first before the appointment begins, asking to be notified of a heartbeat as soon as is practically possible, or having the screen facing away from you. This can then be taken into consideration as much as possible throughout your appointment.

Stay connected

In the lead up to the appointment, you might find it helpful to let close friends or family know that you have an appointment, and how you’re feeling. This way, people can keep in touch, check in, or keep you distracted – whichever form of support suits you and how you’re feeling.

We understand that you may not feel ready to tell your family or friends about your pregnancy just yet. If this is the case, you may also want to get in contact with us in the lead up to the appointment, or perhaps even in the waiting room.

We know calling may not be appealing to you in this situation, so you may want to start a live chat with us, or post in our private pregnancy after loss Facebook groups for some peer support.

We offer support, information and resources for pregnancy after loss. If you would like to get in touch for some support please click here.