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Frequency of Ultrasounds

1K views 23 replies 17 participants last post by  nethead 
#1 ·
My doctor said I'll be having one every 4 weeks. I've read about the risks of u/s, and while I'm ok with one or two, every 4 weeks from 18 weeks (when we found out) on, seems like a lot.

What was your experience?
 
#2 ·
That's what my OB wanted to do. I decided that I wouldn't do them all.

I had one done at 12 weeks to confirm twins (I pretty much knew already).
Had one done at 20 weeks to check on them...growth, sexes, heart, lungs, etc.
Had one done at 34 weeks (yesterday!) to check growth and positions.

I probably will not agree to another one. The advantage was knowing that it was twins at 12 weeks and seeing that each had their own amniotic sac and placenta, so less monitoring was OK.
 
#3 ·
I had one at 12 weeks, found out it was twins! Another at 18 weeks, another at about 22 weeks?? I was having pain and they werent sure from what so they did one to check the girls. Another at 30 weeks, the day I delivered my twins.
 
#4 ·
unless they are fairly certain that they are mono/di or mono/mono twins I don't see the need. I had them every three weeks until recently where it was 2x a week and now that i'm 36 weeks we're doing them 1x a week. Mine are mono/di and thus at greater risk.
 
#5 ·
I had 10 US between 10 and 39 weeks. This was in 1994.

One of the reasons I had so many was to monitor growth rates, since my babies shared a placenta (but had separate amnions).

They were delivered by C-section at 39 weeks (I developed HELLP toxemia), weighing 8 pounds each, with excellent Apgar scores. They showed no ill effects whatsoever from the number of scans I had.
 
#7 ·
I had them every week from week 13 to week 36 when we had the twins but only because I had a tear in a placenta and was bleeding. We had to monitor the tear and size of the baby weekly to be sure there weren't problems. My friend who used the same ob had 2 u/s's total for her twins but she had no problems.
 
#8 ·
We've been having them every 2 weeks since about 19 weeks. This is due in part to the fact that they are mono/di and also because I have Crohn's disease which can sometimes complicate things. Even though I'm trying to have as natural a pregnancy/birth as possible, it does make me feel much better to be able to keep a close eye on how things are progressing. I figure the more we know about how they are developing, the better chance I'll be able to have a birth with very few medical interventions.

My friend just had mono/di twins in January (weird coincidence
: ), and she had hers every 4 week up until the end, when she started going every 2, then ever week. Her babies were born naturally at 36 weeks with no complications at all.
 
#10 ·
I had them every 4 weeks too beginning at around 20 weeks. I had my first at 9 weeks which (surprise!!) showed two babies. Then the 20 week "standard" and then every 4 weeks from there. I'm not an ultrasound fan but with two babies in there it truly did make me feel more at peace seeing them and knowing they were doing well. FYI...my girls were dichorionic/diamniotic and had separate placentas.
 
#11 ·
I had 1 at 20 weeks that told me it was twins, another at 22 weeks that was a full u/s to check organs and everything, another at about 30-32 weeks (don't remember) and then 2times a week from 31 weeks on. The ones in the end were very quick to check amniotic fluid at the NSTs.
 
#12 ·
Thanks, mamas! I was wondering if this was the standard of care that most docs go by. I was planning a homebirth this time, but my mw won't do twins.

My doctor is a family practitioner, so I also have to see a perinatologist too, in case I would need him later for complications. And if they're born before 35 weeks he will be the one I'll see b/c I have to be at least that far along to deliver at our hospital. Any earlier, I'll have to drive over an hour (ugh!) to the big university hospital to deliver.

And, my FP can't do a c-section should that end up being necessary, so he said during the birth there will be an OB there in case the need arises.
 
#13 ·
Hello! From your signature it looks like you're having 2 boys? We are having 2 boys also! Have you picked names out yet? Since we both have a Gabriel and Sophia I think it would be interesting to see what your choices are.

Anyway, on the ultrasound thing. I wasn't going to have any, and was going to have a homebirth, but at our first meeting with the homebirth midwife at 21 weeks I measured big so she sent us to get an ultrasound. So I had one then, and then I had another at 29 weeks with a perinatologist. She said she recommended another at 34 weeks, but if I declined it wouldn't be too big of a deal. And I did. Everthing has been peachy so far, with no worries, so I don't feel the need for any more ultrasounds at this point.

But obviously as with the other posters, every 4 weeks sounds like a pretty standard practice. I would say though if you didn't want to do them that often, had a di/di, and no other complications, that you really shouldn't need to do them that often and should be able to space them out a little more.
 
#14 ·
S&G24Me--First off, lovely choices in your DS and DD's names!
How old are they, out of curiousity? My G is almost 4 and my S is almost 2.
If both babies are indeed boys, they will be Nicholas and Alexander. What are yours? Elijah and James (just a guess!)?

I guess I will find out more about if the babies are di/di, etc, Friday. (unless I have to wait 2 weeks when I see my primary doc...hope not!) Then I can make more informed decisions.

Thanks, again!


Oh, and keep it coming!
 
#17 ·
S&G24Me--First off, lovely choices in your DS and DD's names!
How old are they, out of curiousity? My G is almost 4 and my S is almost 2.
If both babies are indeed boys, they will be Nicholas and Alexander. What are yours? Elijah and James (just a guess!)?

I guess I will find out more about if the babies are di/di, etc, Friday. (unless I have to wait 2 weeks when I see my primary doc...hope not!) Then I can make more informed decisions.
My G is 10 and my S is 3. So a little different than yours! And I haven't told anyone on the boards yet what my name choices are, the E and J are mostly for my own benefit. But since I feel a bond, I'll let you in on the secret. Ezra and Jude. We are following the biblical theme. Although I don't know that there were any Sophias in the bible?

Good luck on the ultrasound thing!
 
#16 ·
Well my twins had TTTS, so I consented to a lot of u/s -- I believe at least every other week to check on their fluid. Plus every week I had a mfm/perinate appt and he'd do a "quick check." And then NSTs starting at... 28w? 30w? earlier than 32w, I remember that.

HOWEVER, if I'd known then what I know now, I would not have consented to so many. Or at least I would have been more aware of the risks. They did have TTTS, but still. I don't know.
 
#20 ·
Oh S&G24Me, I love love love those names!!!

We stick with Bible/Hebrew/family names as well.

My DD is Grace Elizabeth (kindof Bible + Eliz. is also a family name)
My DS is Isaiah William (Bible/Hebrew + family)

The twins will be:
Shira Hope (Shira is Hebrew for song, and Hope goes along with older sis's name)
Miriam Joy (Miriam is Bible/Hebrew, and again Joy goes along with the others)

Loosely translated their names mean "Song of Hope" and "Tears of Joy"
 
#21 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by MamaRabbit View Post
The twins will be:
Shira Hope (Shira is Hebrew for song, and Hope goes along with older sis's name)
Miriam Joy (Miriam is Bible/Hebrew, and again Joy goes along with the others)

Loosely translated their names mean "Song of Hope" and "Tears of Joy"

Love those names!!!
 
#23 ·
i had a ridiculous number of ultrasounds during my twin pregnancy.

my first US was 6w2d. I gave birth at 30w2d. In those 24 weeks i had at *least* 2 dozen ultrasounds. Now a few of those were done during my hospital bedrest, when things werent looking good and we had to confirm baby A was still head down. I think they did 3 in the hospital. I saw a perinatologist only after 13 weeks and they did US all the time. Sometimes to confirm heartbeats (my twins always had very similar hbs, so close we couldnt always be sure it was 2 different ones), some to check size, some to check cervix length (due to my preterm labor).

Anyway, i dont have any concerns about ultrasounds so i enjoyed seeing my little ones as often as i could. And i have so many pictures, i love looking at them!

Congrats on your ID GIRLS!!!!! How exciting
 
#24 ·
I had one U/S at 17 weeks which was for dating because I didn't have a clue when was last period was, this also diagnosed twins as well as dating. I didn't have anymore U/S but I didn't see an OB I had a midwife, she didn't think anymore necessary, so I didn't either.
 
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