thoughts on ultrasounds/dopplers - Page 2

[Moonprysm]

I'm planning ONE 20 week u/s to make sure everything is okay, and only because it's something my husband has requested of me since we're planning a UC. I will make it clear to them that I want it to be quick and only check for things they need to check for. We aren't finding out what it is, we don't want her to take her time and take pictures for us, ect. Minimal exposure just to know that there aren't any complications that would take us away from our UC.

[~~Mama2B~~]

I had 1 during my first pregnancy to determine if she was still breech at 30-some odd weeks and then I had a stupid NST at 42 weeks to appease my midwife. I was uneducated about the doppler though and used that nearly every week at the end. I UPed until the 7th month, so there was nothing before that.

Ths time I'm debating how long I'll UP. Regardless though, I'm not going to do dopplers or US unless there is a concern that comes up. We don't want to know the sex anyway and I think the risks are too great and the scientific support for the safety is too sketchy. It seems that the medical world promotes something for a generation of two and then realizes people are disfigured or dying from it and says, "Whoops, stop doing that now." I don't want to risk it.

[HoneyTree]

Originally Posted by UnassistedMomma

With our last baby we rented a doppler for home use at the end of the pregnancy & during labor. It was very limited use, and I did find it very reassuring to be able to 'check in' on the fht every few hours of labor, and especially at the end...More than likely we will do that again this time around. No U/S though.

We did this, too, and will probably do the same this time. (Though mine wasn't a UC, this is just what I requested of my m/w.)

[Prism]

more good reading:

http://www.unhinderedliving.com/pultra.html

[Elizabeth0506]

We didn't do ultrasound but we did use doppler. This time we are planning on using nothing unless our midwife suggest or feel like something isn't right. I always felt like we didn't need electronic waves bothering the baby, that it why they move around, and if there were something wrong we will still want the baby no matter what.

[yogamonkeyjo]

i've just came home from my 19 wk u/s. for some reason, although i've been fairly good at researching everything before i give it the go ahead, i never thought to look further into the ultrasounds. because i'm not as healthy and natural as i'd like, i still have some caffeine and sugar occasionally and didn't think much of having half a soda before as a guarantee for some movement so we could see (and connect with) this little unbelievable surprise...and i felt awful when i saw (and felt, like i hadn't yet) how much he was squirming. it wasn't until i got home that i realized it wasn't the poking or the drink, but the noise. i searched for this thread to find some more articles, i haven't read them yet, but am already pretty sure that i won't be getting another ultrasound with this one and definitely only one halfway through with any others. i had two different early ones (6w and 10w)...apparently he seems fine so far...

[AntoninBeGonin]

Since I got pregnant without having a period I'm having an ultrasound in midJune to get an EDD.

With Little Guy I had one or two of the level 2 or level 3 ultrasounds because during the regular ultrasound they thought they saw a problem with his kidneys. He was perfectly fine though.

I didn't have any official ultrasounds with Baby Girl, though I did have to have an echocardiogram for a heart condition I have, and while I was on the table I asked the radiologist if she'd peek around a second. We saw the baby's legs, but that was it .

[riaketty]

I'm not quite as scared of U/S as I should be. We had two with DD, one at 6w (thought I was miscarrying, in the ER) and one at 28wks for gender. I explained to the tech at the 28wk one that I was wary of the heat, and if she could take off the probe every minute or so... she was more than happy to oblidge, and we took it in baby steps. She'd check this, take it off, check that, take it off, etc.

Dopplers don't scare me. *shrug* I avoid them because I think they're unneeded (since we have a fetalscope) but if one had to be used I wouldn't be worried.

I think it's the people who have an hour long U/S every month who are the ones who have the risk. Once or twice during a pregnancy doesn't scare me. I won't do the 3d/4d one, though, because that actually has many many more waves, which means there's more jiggling of the fluid and more heat.

[andbabymakes4]

I will probably only do the 20 week one, just to reassure my dh so we can proceed with the homebirth I want.
I lost count I had so many with my dd.

[racidoodle]

i had 3 w/ ds (viability @ 12 weeks to find a heartbeat, anatomical @ 20 weeks to check development & gender, and size estimate @ 35 weeks because they thought he was huge -- he totally wasn't -- they were so off on their estimate

when i scheduled my 8-week appt, they offered to do one. i like the idea of seeing that everything is ok (hopefully), but i think we'll hold off. maybe we'll do one this time. not sure yet.

[Prism]

I remember reading somewhere that dopplers are worse than u/s because an u/s "pulses" the waves so it gives the babe intermittent breaks.
With a doppler it's not pulsed so it is continuous heat and noise...
has anyone found this in their research?
I'm going to hunt for that artcile.

[SoPac]

Very cautious about ultrasounds

Hi all - I feel compelled to respond. With my first pregnancy a few years ago the midwives did an ultrasound right away. They did a few really early on and then I lost the baby. Of course know one knows for sure why and I realize it could have nothing to do with the ultrasound - many people have them and have perfectly healthy babies. BUT I did do a lot of research and decided that for myself, I would not get another ultrasound.

With my second pregnancy I never had an ultrasound and thankfully delivered a healthy baby girl who is now 19 months. I just discovered I'm pregnant again. I won't get an ultrasound unless I feel that something isn't going well. Nothing that they'd tell me would make me terminate a pregnancy but that's just me. They research I came across seemed to say that ultrasounds are done WAY too frequently - and there are many false positives and negatives.

Everyone is different. I strongly suggest doing the research before you get one and make sure you're comfortable!!! Best of luck!

[caedmyn]

Originally Posted by Prism

I remember reading somewhere that dopplers are worse than u/s because an u/s "pulses" the waves so it gives the babe intermittent breaks.
With a doppler it's not pulsed so it is continuous heat and noise...
has anyone found this in their research?
I'm going to hunt for that artcile.

I'm not in this DDC, but...I've read this several times, although I don't have any links. I choose to avoid ultrasounds and use the Doppler only for a couple of heartbeat checks before the baby is big enough for the fetascope (usually you can't find the heartbeat with a fetascope until 18-20 weeks). Unfortunately my current babe has already had WAY more ultrasound exposure than I'm comfortable with, as one midwife spent probably 4-5 minutes looking for the heartbeat with a Doppler at 11.5 weeks (never found it), and it took a second midwife 2-3 minutes to find the heartbeat with a Doppler at 12 weeks.

[D'sMama]

Just a quick Q for everyone:

This is my first pregnancy, so I don't have any experience with u/s or doppler beyond reading about them here and elsewhere ... I'm starting to feel rather uncomfortable with the idea of using invasive technology without a compelling medical reason... that said, I am really curious and would love to see or hear the baby just to see or hear the baby! Especially since I'm only 9 weeks and not showing - it's hard sometimes to believe that there's actually a little one growing inside. I'm really conflicted about whether to do one or not... My MW said she would use the doppler at my 11 wk appt (which I can refuse, of course), but I know that if we don't hear the heartbeat then, that I would panic and immediately go in for an u/s!

Anyway, I guess I'm wondering if there's any real reason to check for the heartbeat early on... I mean, this may be incredibly naive, but wouldn't you find out, eventually, if there was no heartbeat/no baby? If there was a blighted ovum, for example, eventually your body would remove it, correct? I know if the embryo/fetus dies or stops growing, it can sometimes take a couple of weeks before it's expelled, but it happens eventually and if there's a problem, you'll know from pain or bleeding, right?

Sorry, I know this is kind of a dreary post and it might be a dumb question, but I'm just wondering if there's any real medical reason to do an u/s or doppler if there's no sign of miscarriage or other problem and if the mom is healthy and has never had any uterine/pregnancy problems in the past?

I just have this gut feeling like I should let go and trust that everything is okay and that the baby is developing perfectly well on its own and doesn't need me poking around to check on it. (Which is not to say I judge anyone who does them, at all! I understand the appeal and the reassurance of seeing/hearing, definitely!)