Have you had or will you get an ultrasound?

[Happiestever]

Just wondering how many other mamas decided not to get a ultrasound and then go on to UC or are planning it this way. It seems like some people I've talked to request a u/s as a pre-req to going ahead with a UC. I have had one friend ask me what I would do about a deformed baby- like I am going to throw it in the trash or something- geesh. I don't feel that I am at risk for any problems, and my other two were born perfectly health- why would this one be an exception. And if it were, I would figure it out, yk?

And aren't u/s unable to catch every thing, Especially when the baby isn't fully developed yet? It seems weird to me that I would do UP and get an ultrasound just to check out everything is where it should be. I guess I am just feeling alone in thinking ultrasounds are not necessary.

[Marlet]

It depends on who you ask as to whether or not they are necessary. Do they carry risks? Sure, everything does and you just have to decide for yourself if you are ok with those.

I do get one ultrasound. DH has requested I do that and so I do. It can give a good baseline I think. I don't feel prompted to get them nor do I feel they are necessary for me but it's something I do for DH. I go UP and with DD2 (my first true UP) I thought the same thing....why go all UP and then do an u/s to make sure it's all legit? In the end it came down to having my bases covered. Part of the premise for UP is self care so I don't see why getting one wouldn't qualify as such. There are women who heck their urine every day or their blood sugar and/or pressure for the same reasons. Just because ultrasounds aren't as easy (in some cases) to get or seem frivilous what with the over use of them doesn't mean they can't be a tool. If you were seeking traditional prenatal care you would have the choice then as well. It's just another tool you can utilize if you want. That helped me with that thinking.

Like I said though, highly personal choice. We like doing it BECAUSE I go UP.

[adinanikki]

Not alone

You are not alone in your thinking that Ulatrasounds are unneccessary. My first child I refused them (much to the dismay of my dr). I did get regular prenatal care and in my eyes the heartbeat was enough to tell me that all was well. Ultimately, it's your decission. Your body, your baby, do what you think is right.

[joliebebe]

We dont do ultrasounds either. This is my first real UP/UC although I wasnt into ultrasounds with my first two babies but was coerced into having them. I dont think its necessary for UP to have one- a very major part of the whole idea to me is to just leave things alone unless otherwise indicated.

Ultrasounds arnt always accurate and dont pick up alot of things if your looking for deformities. My first baby had an intestinal birth defect-which had to be operated on when he was 2 days old (major abdominal surgery), but u/s are not designed to pick up on those things.

A skilled midwife or (you if you have learnt how to) can determine alot of things just by palpating. This is all we are going to do-I want to know what position the baby is in during labour. Dont want a suprise breech!

[Marlet]

Originally Posted by joliebebe

Ultrasounds arnt always accurate and dont pick up alot of things if your looking for deformities.

Definitely worth keeping in mind. You have to figure out how much stock you are putting into it. We go mostly to make sure placenta is in a good spot and to get a heads up on positioning issues. We also know that those two things can change at any given time. Despite knowing that, they still reassure DH.

[Sailor]

It seems like whenever I've told anyone that I won't be getting an ultrasound they think I'm doing the most dangerous thing in the world.

I'm originally from Poland, where ultrasounds are not routine. They're done only if a problem is suspected. So, I'm not really used to getting one "just in case" ... though I have no problem with that concept.

I'm 26, healthy, and both my dp and I underwent genetic testing prior to trying for a baby. I feel fine with not getting one. I'm aware of the risks, and accept responsibility for them. Though, I no longer tell people this as they really seem to react in a negative way. And then I start to feel like some freak!

[Marlet]

How much was that testing? I've always wondered why more people don't get it. Seems it woulld help nix alot of anxiety and potential issues.

[Sailor]

I think most people don't get the genetic tests because it's a recent thing, not yet very popular and, because of that, very costly. I don't think insurance covers them either. It would be an out of pocket expense. They run anywhere from $800 to $5,000 per person. It depends on how comprehensive you want them.

We were very lucky in that I have a Polish citizenship, and have two doctors in the family in Poland. So, they were able to put us in contact with a geneticist in Poland who happened to be doing research into breast cancer genes. My grandmother had breast cancer, so my genes qualified for his research. He gave us a family friend "discount" on doing my dp's genes, and for checking mine beyond the breast cancer gene. And even that wasn't cheap, but much better than in the US.

So, we got really lucky/fortunate there. As there was no way we could shell out $10,000!

[fyrebloom]

I was not planning to get one this time, but I ended up with a few :

One at 6 weeks, lots of bleeding severe pain on one side. We were worried about a possible ectopic. One at 20 weeks, I had a feeling I needed one. I really probably didn't but I did find out I had an anterior placenta and it was normally attached (I'm a UBACing mom this time around). The placenta is making it hard to palpate and use a fetoscope then it normally would. One more at 25 weeks because I was measuring about 11 weeks ahead, nothing showed up on the u/s. Normal fluid levels and one baby. We think it's because I had twins any my womb is just really really stretchy still. I haven't needed another or gotten one but when I get really worried about something I need reassurance. The first two I got when I was still seeing my hospital mws and the third my HBMW ordered for me.

[gabeyho]

Originally Posted by Marlet

It depends on who you ask as to whether or not they are necessary. Do they carry risks? Sure, everything does and you just have to decide for yourself if you are ok with those.

I do get one ultrasound. DH has requested I do that and so I do. It can give a good baseline I think. I don't feel prompted to get them nor do I feel they are necessary for me but it's something I do for DH. I go UP and with DD2 (my first true UP) I thought the same thing....why go all UP and then do an u/s to make sure it's all legit? In the end it came down to having my bases covered. Part of the premise for UP is self care so I don't see why getting one wouldn't qualify as such. There are women who heck their urine every day or their blood sugar and/or pressure for the same reasons. Just because ultrasounds aren't as easy (in some cases) to get or seem frivilous what with the over use of them doesn't mean they can't be a tool. If you were seeking traditional prenatal care you would have the choice then as well. It's just another tool you can utilize if you want. That helped me with that thinking.

Like I said though, highly personal choice. We like doing it BECAUSE I go UP.

ditto for us. We don't actually UP, but I am going to UC this time and I will continue to see my OB up until the end, but I usually turn down most extra tests. I get an US because it makes my Dh happy. We just get one at the 20 weeks or so. It makes him feel better about ruling out things like cleft palates, and we also like to know the gender ahead of time, but that's just a nice bonus. If insurance wasn't paying for it all, we probably wouldn't bother and I'd be happy with a heartbeat and a surprise gender at the end!

[Earth Momma]

I get the u/s to check anatomy! my first 2 child were perfectly healthy, however #3 was diagnosed with a life threatening cardiac condition with a u/s it would have not been caught otherwise and at birth he would have gone into cardiac arrest and would not been able to be resesatated since the oxygenated blood literally could not pass back to the body. He had OHS immediately after birth. He condition (Shone's Complex) had a 12% reoccurance rate so we get the u/s. throughut our experience we learned that 8 out of 1000 babies are born with a cardiac condition of some sort. having the u/s really gives us peace of mind and we realize it doesn't find every problem!

whatever your decision - be at peace with it!

[noirbettie]

I have never had an ultrasound. My first pregnancy I had midwife care. This pregnancy is UP.

I believe an ultrasound is a diagnostic tool to be used when there is reason to believe something may be wrong which could be confirmed by ultrasound. So far, nothing like that has come up. I won't use it for anything that requires follow-up amnio, and I don't want to know the baby's sex. If I were in a car accident or had unexplained bleeding, I would ask for an ultrasound immediately to check that the placenta was still where it should be. But as long as nothing appears to be wrong, I'll go without.

[Happiestever]

[QUOTE=joliebebe;14359201]
Ultrasounds arnt always accurate and dont pick up alot of things if your looking for deformities. My first baby had an intestinal birth defect-which had to be operated on when he was 2 days old (major abdominal surgery), but u/s are not designed to pick up on those things.
QUOTE]

This is exactly what happened to my friend's nephew. THe mom found out at week 33 (and had been having weekly u/s since the beginning)- that baby had a diaphramatic hernia- which he probably wouldn't have survived had he been born at home- he needed a tube put in right away. But she also had other things going on that I won't get into b/c they are my personal opinions.

So even if I were to get an u/s around this time 22 weeks- they wouldn't even catch something like this.

[mwright]

Hey girl!

I'm not getting one and feel completely at peace with that. Unless there is a medical reason or the ultrasound benefits the baby, then I would get one. But in reality, we don't know if ultrasounds are 100% safe and we don't know if it creates defects.

My sister, Callie didn't get one and I have asked midwives if they want a ultrasound with a vbac and the response I got was that its my choice.

[Kidzaplenty]

I feel, that for me, it is something I need to do. I want to know if there are any specific heart issues that could make UCing a bad idea (though it can not catch all of them, it can do a good job in that area) and I also want to know where the placenta is and if the cord is a 3v cord.

For me, these things could change my UCing mind, so a u/s is a "must".

[Devaskyla]

If I hadn't had a prior cesarean, I probably wouldn't have ultrasounds. It's just something I feel like I need to do, making sure the placenta isn't over my scar. I'd probably still have a UBAC even if it were, but I haven't had to make that decision. I just feel safer knowing that it's well out of the way.

[PinkPantherDiva]

We've had an ultra sound with our other two. Since we are doing UP as well, DH would like for me to get the 20 week scan.I have no problem with that. I love having those several pics to put in my kids baby books.

[Astraia]

I've had 3.

one to confirm dates at 8 weeks
one with the amnio at 15 weeks
the 20 week scan (still don't know why I went for that one...) at 18 weeks

I'm not doing any more. I had 4 with dd- the same 3 as above then one at 37 weeks because my belly was measuring 1 cm smaller than normal (???). I know now how unnecessary that was.

At this point I feel no reason to do any more scans. The first two were important for me because I do carry a genetic disorder and really felt the need to know that baby was ok (and he is!), the third one... yeah, I don't know.

I know it doesn't catch everything- a friend of mine had a baby in October who was born with her bladder outside of her body. I figure if the u/s didn't catch that, what else is it likely to miss?

[Lula's Mom]

I haven't had one since my first homebirth with a midwife. In both my UPs, I have not had one.

I thought about it this time... we heard an arrhythmia that worried us, but it has mostly resolved. It's pretty common through pregnancy and even after birth for a month or so. I went back and forth on the ultrasound but ultimately decided I didn't want it.

Yes the stories of CHDs are scary, but I truly don't think this is one- I believe it's an arrhythmia that's not uncommon in an immature circulatory system. Trusting my instincts, and we'll get it checked out after birth...Not that that's a guarantee either.

The thing is, for every story of an ultrasound that detects a problem ahead of time, there seems to be a story where there is a problem and nobody saw it. For instance, I wanted to learn more about the defect that Earth Momma's baby had, and Google took me to a myspace page about a baby girl who was born with Shone's Complex. The mama had 3 prenatal ultrasounds and nobody saw anything wrong. In fact they didn't catch it for more than a week after she was born, despite an EKG by a ped cardiologist and a visit to their regular ped. So you know, no guarantees either way.

[Serenyd]

My OB has his own ultrasound machine and does his own ultrasounds. He normally does an ultrasound at every visit (I know, I know). I've tried telling him that I worry that too many ultrasounds will be bad for the baby, but he seemed to take it personally, and told me "that is NOT true." The good news is he's really quick (2-3 min tops) but I'm also kind of concerned because I don't remember seeing him checking the heart ect. like with the anatomy scans I've had with my other two babes. I'm definately not going to get one a week, so I'll probably space my appointments out towards the end. The time I fussed about the multiple ultrasounds, he just checked heart tones, but with the ultrasound machine
At least I don't have to take my clothes off!