Ultrasound or not? - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[Thandiwe]

http://www.bmj.com/content/320/7230/282.full

This study was reassuring to me.  My oldest child had MANY scans (read: one a day for 1 week, then once a week for a few weeks, then a few more for good measure), my middle child had 3 (1 at first prenate, 1 @ 14 weeks because we couldn't find a heartbeat, then the 20 week scan), and my baby had 1 (just the 18/20 week scan).  My baby is uber hyper and my middle child is left handed; my oldest, exposed the most, seems to not have any of the "trademark" issues.  I struggle with whether or not to get one scan this time, but I am reassured knowing that, despite what's generally circulating around crunchy crowds, there isn't too much scientific study backing up scans being so toxic.  To be honest, there just aren't a lot of studies, period.  But this longitudinal review of cases was very reassuring for me.

[Thebyr]

Originally Posted by lactomom 

I ended up not having them. However, I'll ask what she would have suggested if they had found some. 

Thanks  - I appreciate that.

[lakeruby]

This is a great topic!  This is my first pregnancy, and I am not sure yet what I'll do.  I don't like the idea of u/s but.... I do have some anxieties/curiosities.  For example, I took a hot bath around 5 weeks and then read in a pregnancy book that I could have damaged my baby's spinal cord development doing that. oops.  So, even though it's probably fine, I am kind of nervous and would be reassured by a u/s.

[Georgetown HB Mom]

This is my 4th child. I have only had one ultrasound ever and that was with baby #1. I don't do dating ones because I believe baby will come when baby is ready and we don't like to find out the sex and my midwife would let me know if she thought something indicated having an ultrasound done. I also worry about some of the new research that shows too many ultrasounds can possibly cause ADD and ADHD.

Edited by Georgetown HB Mom - 1/6/12 at 9:42pm

[SomethingAnonymous]

Do any of your have links to any studies that showed a link between ultrasounds and something harmful? 

This is the first I am hearing of ultrasounds or dopplers being theoretically harmful.  With my first child I had 5 operations during the pregnancy, and probably about 20 ultrasounds because of all that going on- but she doesn't have ADD or ADHD. She was an incredibly calm and easy baby and toddler and I wouldn't say she has any behavioral issues now.  She is left handed- but so is her dad and her grandpa. Pretty sure it runs in that family.  

[Georgetown HB Mom]

http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/ultrasoundrodgers.asp

http://www.pnas.org/content/103/34/12903.full

Here are a couple of articles. I am still trying to find the one I recently came across.

[lisarenee25]

Actually, I would have liked to go without an ultrasound.  It's not that I'm morally against them, it just seems unecessary to me unless you are having a problem or are a high risk mother/baby.

In my last two pregnancies, the ultrasounds have been completely and utterly inaccurate.  I wonder why it's just me?

For my first baby, ultrasound said June 11th.  I delivered June 15th at home.  Midwife said that it looked as if he had been in there a month longer - just by the way the baby looked.  He pooped right as he came out.  Had it been any longer, I sure we would have had a meconium problem.

Second baby, ultrasound said September 6th.  Baby was born September 23rd at home.  By the way the baby looked, she was right on time.  The Midwife said she looked like a 40 weeker.  There was no way she was 43 or 44 weeks.  None.  She pooped 1.5 or 2 days after delivery.

It must just be me - seriously.  People swear by them.

[ainh]

Yikes, I shouldn't have read those articles.  I'm already paranoid about autism and my older one is definitely a little asperger's like.  But I will have many ultrasounds this time around (again!).  All three of my pregnancies have had issues and this one is no exception with the cyst that I'd like monitored.  In fact, I'll be having my third ultrasound on Tuesday for the nuchal screen.

I think it's a really personal decision and I wish more people put thought into it.  I only know one story in the hundreds of people I know that have had pregnancies where it was really unfortunate that they didn't have the 20 week ultrasound.  The midwife did eventually know something was wrong (around 7 months) and things worked out, but it was a lot more hassle and heartache and could've been a real disaster if the midwife hadn't been able to detect the problem.  But that is the 1 in a million case, you know?  I mean, there is always a 1 in a million case that people can point to -- plus, a good midwife is often better than a bad ultrasound tech.  I know many more people that have been unnecessarily freaked out and subjected to tests due to bad readings of an ultrasound. 

A friend of mine was told that her baby's insides were growing outside of him and when she went to the specialist in Seattle they glanced at the images the original doctor had sent and said "this baby is perfectly normal...that's his umbilical cord". Sure enough, baby was normal.  But she had about two weeks of total stress and telling family and researching the internet and such.

[SomethingAnonymous]

lol now I have no idea what to do.  I also had one scheduled for Tuesday but I have no idea if I should cancel it and just do one scan later one to check anatomy- or skip them all together- or just do it and not worry about it. It sounds like there is a lot we don't yet know about birth defects and what causes them.  I wish I could be in the star trek universe in the 24th century and most of these medical mysteries were already figured out.

[Ninetales]

Basically the way I feel about it is that there are a lot of things going on with kids these days that we don't understand the causes of (neurological and psychological problems, food allergies and intolerances, immune system dysfunction, chronic illnesses, etc).  It's probably a combination of factors.  There hasn't been any clinical long term study (that I've found) that looks at the safety of prenatal ultrasonography.  Therefore, maybe it's a problem, maybe it isn't.  ACOG actually recommends not doing routinely.  In my first pregnancy I didn't feel any need to do it, so I decided I'd rather not take the possible risk.  This time, I feel like the benefits will outweigh those possible risks.

All in all I just think people should be aware of their options and make up their minds for themselves.  I don't like things being pushed on all individuals all the time as though it's something you "have" to do.  Same with birth and pretty much all things regarding baby.  Research, understand your options, and decide for yourself.