Question for mamas who *are* getting a 20 week u/s

[haren.13]

I'm having a HB in July. I'm doing co-care, and for various reasons I've had 2 u/s already, one at almost 7 weeks and one at almost 17 weeks. The 17 week one showed me what I would have wanted to find out during the 20 week one (placenta location looks good, and baby looks good). I do have a 20 week u/s scheduled, but I'm leaning toward canceling it.

For those of you getting the 20 week u/s, can you share your reasons? Is there anything beyond placenta location, normal heart and brain? I plan on discussing this with my non-HB MW and my HB MW (I'm doing co-care ~ insurance covers the non-HB one which makes it easier if I have to get any bloodwork or anything), but I'd like to go in prepared for the conversation We're not finding out the sex, so I'm not even really that anxious to see the baby, seeing as how I just saw him/her last week!

[HappyMommy2]

I had an HBAC, and had the u/s at 11 and 20 weeks. We didn't find out the sex. But it was a nice comfort to know that we had a very healthy baby. It helped reduce the fears of "what if" for the planned home birth.

Now... if I had to do it again, I might skip one or both u/s

[layla983]

We did the 20 week scan at 19 weeks this pregnancy. I did it because it makes me feel better personally to have it done & know things appear to be developing well. We're planning a homebirth & while others may be fine with it, I'm not comfortable having a homebirth without knowing things look good personally. I know they don't pick up everything, but it still makes me feel better. I think a 17 week scan can give you the same answers. With my previous pregnancy, I moved my 20 week scan up to 17 weeks because of insurance reasons. They were able to get everything they needed at that time & gave the baby a clean bill of health. The midwife set up another for around 28 weeks since "you weren't 20 weeks at the ultrasound" but when I went in for that one turns out all it was really was a way for the office to bill for another $300 scan. They did nothing besides let me look at the baby & get some 3D shots, so it wasn't medically needed at all even though it had been implied previously that it was. So for me, I don't see the need for anymore.

[jenneology]

We got the 20 week ultrasound with this pregnancy. Our main reasons were 1) for husband to get a picture because he really wants one and 2) to find out the gender. Secondary reasons were to see a healthy heart, brain, placenta position, etc and we did see those. But those weren't concerns of ours. Was it comforting to see? Yes. But did we need to see it? No.

[luv]

Ask yourself, will you learn anything from this that you didnt already know from the 17 week US. If yes then consider doing it. If no then consider not doing it

[Mainstream Hippie]

I had my 20 week scan with my son at 17 weeks.

With this baby, I had it around 18 weeks, and a follow-up around 19 weeks for a couple of things they didn't see well at the first.

They check for: cleft lip/palate, four-chamber heart, kidneys present and size, bladder full, three-vessel cord, sex determination if the parent is interested, ummm... trying to think what else. Measure head, femur, and maybe one other? to average to get approximate gestational age, and make sure nothing is far further along than anything else. I think they may have checked liver and a few other internal organs. Placenta position and baby's currrent presentation (which is very subject to change).

If they got detailed pictures of your baby's various anatomy at your last scan, you have already covered this. If it was just a quick check for placental location, I would go ahead with the 20 week ultrasound.

[haren.13]

Thanks for all the replies

This last u/s was actually supposed to be a "quick check" to make sure my ovaries were ok (I'd been having pain in that area), but they did check the heart, kidneys, stomach, bladder, ruled out cleft lip/palate, measured head, belly, and femur ~ baby is measuring perfect ~ and checked placenta location ~ anterior, just like with DD. Oh, and baby position right now is transverse, but it's way too early for me to be concerned about that DD was transverse and then breech until like 35 weeks when she decided it was time to turn The only thing I'm not sure about is the 3-vessel cord, and I'll talk with my MW about that (they might have checked without me noticing). Besides Down's Syndrome, is there anything a 2-vessel cord would indicate? I'm not very inclined to get another u/s *just* to rule out Down's Syndrome because it's not a life-threatening complication at birth, so if we found out the baby had it, we would likely still choose the homebirth anyway.

So it seems that they did check everything! Thanks again, ladies I'm feeling much more confident about declining the 20 week u/s now!

[Jilian]

I did the 20 week scan with DS2 because I knew I'd have him at home and wanted to make sure everything was fine and he was healthy enough to be born outside of the hospital. My MW actually suggests the 20 week scan for this reason. Well the scan missed his heart defect and he was born at home and luckily did well for the first 2 weeks before we found out about the CHD.

Because of my history I'll be having another 20 week scan with a perinatologist this time and then a 24 week fetal echo. If all is well this baby will also be born at home I'm personally all for the 20 week scan if you're giving birth outside of a hospital. Even though they missed DS2's CHD there were warning signs that the u/s tech overlooked like his PFO (hole in the heart in an uncommon place) and she also had serious troubles finding all 4 chambers of his heart, it took like 20 mins. Had she investigated further or called in the peri they likely would have figured something out. I've heard a few stories from other mamas on here in the SN forum having 20 week scans and finding out their baby had a medical condition that needed immediate medical attention after birth so they switched gears and went with a hospital birth.

[Mama Khi]

It seems to me that there is nothing that the 20 week scan would check for that wasn't just checked at the 17 week scan, so I would personally feel comfortable not getting it. If you felt that you had some reservations, of course, go ahead and get it, but unless there is something new to check for that you are interested in that couldn't be checked for 3 weeks ago, I don't think you should feel pressured to do it.

[soso-lynn]

Where I work, the "20 week ultrasound", which we call 2nd trimester u/s, is done anytime between 17 and 22 weeks. 20 weeks is just an arbitrary date.

[cristeen]

I never recommend routine ultrasounds.

That being said, for me, the most important thing to be checked during the 20 week u/s is internal organs. Specifically the heart. Because our first child had a major heart defect incompatible with life, I will be getting a level 2 u/s at 20 weeks, most likely with a pediatric cardiologist. We have to travel to get it, but it's worth it to me.

So long as your concerns were addressed at the last u/s, I wouldn't have another one.

[LittleLu'sMom]

We had the NT scan at 13 weeks (I know a lot of people don't do this, but it was important to my husband). That was going to be our only u/s, but I had previa at that one, and the nuchal measurement was borderline but the bloodwork was fine, which sometimes indicates a possible heart defect. So, after discussing with our MW, we opted to have a follow-up at 22 weeks. They checked all the major organs, brain, placenta position, heart in detail, etc. For us, the peace of mind was worth it...especially for the placenta position.

In your case, I'm not sure I'd have another, since you did it at 17 weeks. But only you know what's right for you!

[JFTB1177]

That's such a personal decision really... since you had an u/s at 17 weeks, if they checked all the things they would check at the 20 week, I don't see why you need to go again.

Now if you ask me what I would do personally, I would go, only because I am completely paranoid and need constant reassurance everything is okay. This is probably because I have had miscarriages so I always worry about something being wrong. I do all prenatal testing and u/s's because I want to be totally prepared for anything and everything, even if they can't find everything, kwim? I actually just had another u/s yesterday (at 38 weeks) to check position since I am having a HBAC, it's important to me to know that (even though baby can still flip up until birth... my MW and doula both did belly checks and couldn't figure out the exact position). The place I went to was a new place I haven't been to before so they insisted on doing all the measurements and checking everything, and I was more than happy to let them... it gave me a great piece of mind- but that's just me!