[~Shanna~]

DH and I have an U/S scheduled for 13 weeks - we've had 2 miscarriages, and wanted an U/S before transfering our (hopefully, longterm) care to the local birth center. (Thanks for any prayers!) Is there any chance that they'll be able to see the gender at that time?

 

[MrsTC]

My friend saw her son's penis at her 12 week u/s

 

[5thAttempt]

Not from you DDC, I had a nuchal scan done at 12w and I saw that it is a boy. However it is very unusual - the baby need to cooperate (spread the legs) and also quality of machine has a lot to do with it.

 

[~Shanna~]

This has been an interesting discussion with DH since last night. I've never been someone who worried a lot about the safety of U/S - in our situation, the fears of whether the baby is alive and okay have outweighed concerns about the risks of U/S. It's only in the past week that I've been thinking that this philosophy could be counter-productive. We thought we "definately" wanted to know the gender because we assumed we'd have the standard U/S at 20 weeks or so. Now that I'm thinking more about the fact that we'll have had 2 by 13 weeks, I'm questioning the wisdom of having a third for the apparent express purpose of finding out the gender. Any opinions would be welcomed, I know it's controversial as to how safe they are.

 

[hapahaolegirl]

From my understanding the 20-week ultrasound is done to make sure the baby is measuring correctly. I think finding out the gender (if you choose to do so and your baby is being cooperative) is just a bonus.

 

[tika]

I know you said this 13wk ultrasound is because you've had two previous miscarriages (for which I am very sorry to hear), but what is the purpose of it? Why can't you transfer care to the BC without this ultrasound? What difference would this u/s make?

You should be able to hear a heartbeat with a doppler at 13wks if you want.

If you are going to have another miscarriage, having this ultrasound is not going to prevent that. All an u/s tells you is that the baby is doing fine at that particular moment in time and things could change just hours later.

If it were me, not that you asked, I would cancel this 13wk ultrasound and have the 20 week evaluation if I needed reassurance. They will be able to see a lot more of baby at 20wks than at 13.

It would make me feel uncomfortable to have that many ultrasounds. Plus, doppler also uses ultrasound technology so in addition to transvaginal and transabdominal u/s, you are being exposed to u/s every time a doppler is used as well. Add all of that up and it can be substantial...add constant electronic fetal monitoring in the hospital and another late pg u/s to the mix and we're talking hours of u/s exposure.

There was a study released just a week or so ago about exposure to u/s. http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=106&pid...=873576&page=2

Here's some more general info on ultrasound http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/P...oundsafety.htm

I'm not saying all u/s is bad, but I'm not convinced it is completely safe either. We all have our comfort zones. Good for you for thinking this through.

 

[~Shanna~]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tika I know you said this 13wk ultrasound is because you've had two previous miscarriages (for which I am very sorry to hear), but what is the purpose of it? Why can't you transfer care to the BC without this ultrasound? What difference would this u/s make? You should be able to hear a heartbeat with a doppler at 13wks if you want. If you are going to have another miscarriage, having this ultrasound is not going to prevent that. All an u/s tells you is that the baby is doing fine at that particular moment in time and things could change just hours later. If it were me, not that you asked, I would cancel this 13wk ultrasound and have the 20 week evaluation if I needed reassurance. They will be able to see a lot more of baby at 20wks than at 13. It would make me feel uncomfortable to have that many ultrasounds. Plus, doppler also uses ultrasound technology so in addition to transvaginal and transabdominal u/s, you are being exposed to u/s every time a doppler is used as well. Add all of that up and it can be substantial...add constant electronic fetal monitoring in the hospital and another late pg u/s to the mix and we're talking hours of u/s exposure. There was a study released just a week or so ago about exposure to u/s. http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=106&pid...=873576&page=2 Here's some more general info on ultrasound http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/P...oundsafety.htm I'm not saying all u/s is bad, but I'm not convinced it is completely safe either. We all have our comfort zones. Good for you for thinking this through.

Thanks so much for all of the info, Tika. I am going to read your links over my lunchbreak. As far as the question about the 13 week U/S: We scheduled it when, frankly, I would have had an U/S every day if they would have let me. We're struggling with being ruled by fear, which is not where we want to be. The more pragmatic aspect of the 13-week U/S is that we are getting wonderful prenatal care from a hospital-affiliated MW that is covered by our insurance. We still decided that we would feel better supported by giving birth at the local birth center, but this is not covered by our insurance, and we are having to work financial miracles to make the birth center happen. I feel really anxious about transfering to more-expensive (compared to our insurance co-pay) and uncovered care when, historically, we've been unable to make it to the 2nd trimester. We're doing a lot of soul-searching on whether we're looking to this 13 week U/S to give guarentees that simply can't be made, but it's hard to dispute in our situation that the risk of MC will be much less if we're reasonably confident that the baby was okay at 13 weeks. I hate hearing myself talk about the financial aspects of this as if we're buying a car, but I'm also aware of the intense financial limits that we're under, and what a gift we've given to ourselves to commit to doing it anyway. Sorry this is more info than anyone asked for. Talking this through makes me wonder if I should call the birth center and just see what accomodations they can make for our fears. The difference between begining care at 13 weeks and begining at 20 weeks may not be as monumental financially as it seems. It may just be a matter of letting go of wanting technological assurance earlier than we planned. Without having read the study yet that you sent, it sounds like you have a definate sense that the risk to the baby is slightly less at 20 weeks rather than at 13? Or do you favor that U/S more because it will give more information? My unresearched sense is that I'd rather have one at 13 and give up the one at 20, but it's mostly fear talking......

Thanks for all the support

 

[mamafish9]

Shanna, I've been in that place of fear, and you are handling it with a lot more grace and thoughtfulness than I did. One thing I wanted to add is that by 13 weeks, you are pretty close to being able to feel your little one moving (I think it was around 16 weeks for me) - and THAT was the ultimate reassurance for me.

Also, you may be able to have a 20 week u/s done somewhere that is covered by your insurance, even though your birthing center isn't - many midwives refer to OBGYN practices for any u/s, and most OBGYN practices are covered by insurance (sigh...)

 

[ILoveMySofie]

Having peace of mind for a mama who has been through a loss is priceless. And if she gets that peace of mind from an u/s, it is worth it - just my opinion.