To have ultrasound or not?! - Page 2

[Shell_Ell]

We chose to do the 20 week ultrasound. I was measuring ahead for the entire first half of my pregnancy and it just made me feel more comfortable. False sense of security or not, it was still nice to see the baby in there, and see that it appeared to be developing normally.

We limited doppler use (did mostly fetascope) and I did not have any other invasive testing or procedures. This was just one I wanted.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by ChickyMama

Originally Posted by cristeen

If the ultrasound were to show something was "abnormal", what would you do with the information? More tests? Stress for another 20 weeks?

If an abnormal test isn't going to change the outcome for you, then why have it?

My thinking is that something could be detected on ultrasound that could be treated following the birth if necessary. I would not have further tests such as amnio done.

It was actually a rhetorical question, as are these, because these are things that I think every woman should think about (and discuss with their partner) before consenting to any of these tests (AFP, U/S, NTT, CVS, Amnio, etc.).

If the U/S shows something catastrophically wrong (untreatable and fatal), what will you do?
If the U/S shows something catastrophically wrong (untreatable and child will be vegetative), what will you do?
If the U/S shows something catastrophically wrong (possibly treatable but low chance of survival), what will you do?
If the U/S shows something seriously wrong that the child can live with but will effect quality of life, what will you do?
If the U/S shows something seriously wrong that the child can live with but will need someone else to care for them their entire lives, what will you do?

If the answers to all of those questions is carry to term, then why bother having the test? If any of those questions have a different answer, then go ahead and have the tests done.

I'm not trying to advocate one way or the other. I know what my answer is. But I want to make sure you know what yours is.

[crsta33]

We are having a 20 week u/s with this pg. I was almost 8 weeks pg when I realized I was pg and had not been taking folic acid and I want them to check the baby's spine. I also want to make sure there is only one baby in there (had an u/s with 2nd pg for the same reason). And, as a bonus, I hope to be able to determine the sex of the baby at that point. If wee one is a boy, I'm going to need a little time to adjust and also to prepare my dd for a brother instead of the sister she *really* wants and is expecting despite my warnings otherwise.

Those reasons might not be "enough" for someone else, but I'm looking forward to the test and I'm okay with our decision.

Christa

[jessitron]

We just had the 20-week ultrasound, although I postponed it to 25 weeks since dr said that was optimal for checking organ development. (The standard is 20 weeks to give women the option to abort afterward.)

I debated whether to get it done, because I don't think it's necessary, and was concerned about a false positive that would cause me trouble. But I wanted to know if there was an obvious congenital defect; then I would choose to have a hospital birth for legal reasons. And I figured, other people really seem to like them, so maybe DH and I will too.

Well, it was creepy. I've always found ultrasound photos creepy and ours was no exception. I didn't like it. If we have another baby, I'll skip it.

I say: not a big deal either way. Do it if you want to, skip it if you don't.

[Lady Lilya]

Originally Posted by jessitron

We just had the 20-week ultrasound, although I postponed it to 25 weeks since dr said that was optimal for checking organ development. (The standard is 20 weeks to give women the option to abort afterward.)

I debated whether to get it done, because I don't think it's necessary, and was concerned about a false positive that would cause me trouble. But I wanted to know if there was an obvious congenital defect; then I would choose to have a hospital birth for legal reasons. And I figured, other people really seem to like them, so maybe DH and I will too.

Well, it was creepy. I've always found ultrasound photos creepy and ours was no exception. I didn't like it. If we have another baby, I'll skip it.

I say: not a big deal either way. Do it if you want to, skip it if you don't.

That is amusing to me, because I didn't get the results until about 5 weeks after, and I had the U/S at 21 weeks. When I tried from 17 weeks to make the appointment at the hospital for the U/S at 20 weeks, I couldn't get a human being and nobody returned my calls until I was past 20 weeks, and then they scheduled me for immediately. Then, they didn't say a word to me during the U/S about if everything looked OK, and said they would send the results to my MW. She didn't receive it for a long time, and I kept calling leaving messages asking them to send them to her. By the time she got the results, i was 26 weeks.

I find U/S creepy too. I don't get anything positive out of U/S or hearing the heartbeat either. I do these things for logical reasons, not to feel good, so I will probably still do them in the future.

[Nicole77]

I had the twenty week ultrasound each time. Our dd was born with a minor heart defect and my cousin was born with a very serious heart defect. I feel better having them take a glance at the heart so that if there is a problem we can be prepared to provide the right medical attention at birth. That said, if we didn't have a history of heart defects in our family I would probably not have the ultrasound and do not think that it should be the standard of care. Although, I am also not opposed to those who want to have it done just to get a peek at the baby because I do not think the risks of ultrasound are very high or serious for most people. Certainly no higher than a lot of other risky stuff we do with our bodies and our children's bodies.