[IamPink]

I am TTC now and I need to know about ultrasounds and Pre-e.

My due dates were always right. *Their* due dates weren't.
With my 1st, I didn't have a u/s until 19 weeks. He came right on time for me, but they listed him as 37 weeks (8lbs 7 1/2 oz!!

)
2nd was induced b/c of Pre-e on my 39 week, *their* 37 week date (7lbs 13 1/2 oz).

I didn't know if I should consent to their first trimester u/s because then it will lock me into a date. I will know when I get pregnant just like always, so their dates might be wrong. But, if I wait to have one at 20 weeks, then I will still be locked into their dates which are always wrong for me, but I always have this one done. What can I say.. I always want a peek to know how many arms and legs we are dealing with and I'm too nosey to wait until the babe comes to find out the sex!
So, I hope that you guys can give me some pros and cons that I haven't thought of to decide if I should have the first one or not. I know that for their flashy little chart they will want the first one done, but then at 40 weeks I don't want to hear induction even mentioned so that I don't kill someone! But, if I wait until the 20 week one, then they might move the date to 2 or more weeks earlier than it is time. Ugh.. what to do? what to do? I know the baby will come when it is ready, so there won't be any agreements about induction of any sort!

Second question.. Eating a very high protein diet and exercising is how I avoid Pre-e again, right? I only had it with my last (different father) and I want to really get it into my head what needs to be done from the start! I will ovulate next weekend. I have been taking all of my vitamins, but I want to start eating protein right away so that I don't fall into the trap of Pre-e!!!

I'm pretty much just typing out loud, but I wanted to get your thoughts on the u/s for sure. I'm a Doula and afraid that I know a little too much!!

Thanks!

 

[Emilie]

Good for you mama for being on top of things!

your mw will deal alot with nutrition with you-( if you are having a mw)

Vitamin b is good..... as well as a bunch of other stuff.
my mw had me count my protein. I am a vegetarian- so i had to fit it all in!

Exercise is good too!

have fun ttc!

 

[georgia]

Sending this over to the I'm Pregnant Forum

Think you'll get a lot more responses!

Best wishes with everything

 

[alegna]

Personally I would not do any u/s without medical reason. Even the OB/Gyn organizations say this.

-Angela

 

[Kidzaplenty]

If I were going to have a U/S for dating purposes, I would do it ASAP, like around 7-9 wks. But an U/S is not necessary.

You said that their dates are usually earlier than yours, putting you actually farther along than they think. This is probably a good thing. You won't have to worry about them trying to induce you because you are "late". If I had to have dates that were off, I would want them to be off in my favor, like that.

 

[sapphire_chan]

Well, at least their dates are always wrong in the right direction.

Why on earth do they base dates off later U/S though?

 

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Preventing pre-eclampsia: Eat 6-80 grams of protein daily. There are roughly 25 grams of protein in three cups milk.

Eat Salt to taste: Limiting salt during pregnancy does little to prevent swollen ankles and fingers. Lack of adequate salt can cause pre-eclampsia.

Eat food high in calcium: A study of eclampsia rates world wide found that the highest rates were in countries with low calcium intake. One thousand grams of calcium daily during pg is a minimum recommendation.

Take in adequate calories.

Tone and nourish with Raspberry, Nettle, and Dandelion leaves throughout pg.

Remedies for pre-eclampsia: Increase level of potassium in your body, potato peels and bananas are exceptionally rich in potassium; Mint, Chicory, and Dandelion leaves also have extremely high levels of potassium.

Help balance sodium/potassium ratio: Drink Raw Beet Juice up to 4 ounces daily.
100mg of vitamin B6 daily in conjunction with high potency B complex supplement.

Augment protein and mineral levels: Add up to three tablespoons of powdered Spirulina or Chorella seaweed to your daily diet.

Dandelion leaves: Infusion or Three ounces of cooked dandelion greens.

 

[BlueIrises]

The earlier the u/s the better it is at dating a pg. The u/s for dating should occur at 12w or before to be most accurate. The u/s done at 20w are really for checking the anatomy of the baby to make sure the organs are all functioning and everything is in its right place. This u/s is not as accurate for dating b/c babies at this age vary in size. U/S reports will always have two due dates on them: one date is based on LMP, this is the date you are probably using if you are clocking when you ovulate and are having timed BMS. There is also a due date that is given based on the size of the baby. This causes the due dates to vary b/c a baby can be either big or small for its gestational age. This is usually the due date doctors will use b/c many women do not know exactly when conception took place, it can vary several days from the date of ovualtion.

Due to problems TTC I had to go a very "scientific" route to get PG. I know for sure that I concieved on March 17th giving me the due date of Dec 8. However, I have seen due dates on my u/s reports that say Dec 5 and Dec 1 b/c the baby is measuring bigger than his gestational age.

Hope this helps! Best wishes!

 

[ChristieB]

This is why I love my midwife. She takes my due date as THE due date, since I pay attention to things. And she doesn't require U/S ever, unless medically necessary. Last preg. I planned to not have one at all, but since I went 2 1/2 wks. over, we had to have 2 U/S, right at the end, to check levels of amniotic fluid (none in the second U/S, so I had to be induced

). She also avoided using doplar on me at my request. She's wonderful!

:

U/S is much safer for the baby at the end than at the beginning. There's so much rapid development in the baby early on that U/S can mess it up. At the end of preg., though, the development is slower, so less likely to get messed up.

As for an u/s to know if the baby is developing properly (all the arms and legs, etc.), I don't know what to say. I don't know what the statistics are for them getting that kind of info correct. I know they sometimes make a mistake re: the sex of the baby. I would imagine that they could make a mistake about the health of the baby, too. I think mother's intuition is a good thing to go by. And, imo, the baby is more likely to be healthy in the end if there is no u/s.

Obviously, I have different take on all of this than some. Good luck making your decision and ttc!

Christie