are you guys getting an u/s?

The non-medical "keepsake" places won't be able to tell you if anything's wrong, unless it's HUGELY wrong. If you get a medical one, they measure all sorts of things, brain parts, organs, fluid in the sac... They are usually very clear at the keepsake places that they are NOT doing any medical diagnoses and won't make a report or anything. Just make sure you know what you're getting before you pay for it.

currently not planning on getting one unless a medical need arises.

in your reasons for having an ultrasound, why is it that you believe your midwife would prefer you have one? has she said this outright or is that simply a feeling you get? if it's a feeling, i would ask her if you are correct in your feeling that she would like for you to have one. either way, you could ask her what information she would benefit from knowing from the ultrasound.

as for your dh wanting to know the sex, is he okay with the idea that babe may not want to show that zone of the body? because not all babes turn just right for the ultrasound tech to be able to tell. and do you want to find out the sex? or are you okay with finding out because your dh would like to know?

as for the not being concerned about the emf, your babe might feel otherwise. i was open to using the doppler with my first pregnancy, but after the second time of using it and the babe kicking in the exact place that the wand was placed, i wondered if maybe it was bothering to the little one. we used the fetoscope from then on until i was in labor, when we used the doppler for intermittent monitoring for ease of use. i know that visual ultrasound and doppler ultrasound are slightly different types (visual is intermittent while doppler is continuous) so it might have a different response from the babe, but we never had a visual ultrasound with the first babe.

the location of your placenta might change only slightly. if for example, you have a low-lying placenta that is near the cervix, it might move up as your uterus grows to accomodate your growing babe. if the placenta is located near your fundus (the top of your uterus), it will probably stay relatively near the top of your uterus.

and as for peace of mind, is that because you will be able to "see" your baby or because the diagnostic aspect of the ultrasound could rule out some major disabilities?

i'm not trying to second guess your choice or your reasons, but these things popped into my mind when reading your post. you don't even have to post answers to the questions i've listed if you don't want to. i just put them out here to see if they help you make your decision.

wishing you peace and wisdom...

~claudia

Quote:
she said outright. the only test i'm absolutely refusing is the gtt and i just asked her in an interview what tests she "requires."

Quote:
i'm ok with it i guess.

Quote:
that is good to know

Quote:
diagnostic aspect but sometimes the u/s is wrong

Nope. Blurry pictures aren't worth the risks, for me.

We're not, though selfishly I'd really like to start picking out cute girly or boyish outfits right this minute! I saw some SUPER cute dresses at Ross that I really wanted to buy, but I already have a few things for a baby girl and don't need a whole closet full. Teehee.

It wouldn't make it more real to me either, it honestly would make me feel more disconnected by having someone else tell me what sex my baby is, or how he/she looks by pointing out the different features. I like taking my own pregnancy test, measuring my own fundus, checking my own cervix, telling DH about when baby moves rather than telling him what the doctor or midwife said, because *that* is what connects me to the baby. But that's just me and I understand totally why other people would feel better about seeing baby. I ordered a fetoscope so that we can hear the heart beat, I'm excited about that

Cara

Well, I had one US with each of my other two, and I've been looking into it this time and have decided that I'm not going to have one done.

There's nothing concrete about the safety (or lack thereof), that I've found, but I do know that there have been studies proving that it can change cell growth and heat up the areas it's looking at.
Also, if it happens to be near your DC's ear it is about as loud as a freight train.

Sooo, I figure that, as long as there's no medical emergency, we'll just be skipping US/doppler this time.

I think it's one of those grey areas, and is a personal decision you and your partner should make after doing some research and are comfortable with it

we aren't having one done..and when people ask (random people): do you know what you are having yet?
and i say: we aren't finding out, we aren't even going to have an ultra sound...

i get the same kind of crazy looks that i would if i said we don't vax, we are having a homebirth...blah blah blah...you know, the kind of look that says "that is a dangerous choice, don't you care about your baby's safety?"

and with the other examples, i can see an uneducated person's right to feel that way.
but ultra sound?
it was just invented....and MOST people do use it "just for fun" or to "connect with baby"

which is their opinion/choice

but the fact that it has so quickly become THE NORM
is a little concerning to me.

and i do have personal exp with a probable mis diagnosed hydrosephalis baby.
the ultrasound showed that it had "lethal" amounts of fluid in the brain area and very little brain...and i was told by a specialist it would die between birth and a week of life (that is with life support)
i was 21 and in college at the time, my dh and i both were. and i decided to attempt ending the pregnancy with an "herbal abortion" where you drink a homemade tea to terminate.
which i did and i did pass the baby (all of this was at 20 weeks)
but knowing what i know about US NOW and from learning from my midwife that i adore, the chances of that diagnosis being wrong are so high.
and she also believes in a theory that that womb time is a time of mystical and un-definable possiblity of growth and change...where even if something DOES show up as "wrong" in one US at say 20 weeks, that does not mean that the fetus can not or will not "correct itself" before being born.

we unfortunately had 3 done with dd.
the first one at 20 weeks was to "connect her with her dad"
i was leaving to stay with my parents for a few motnhs (long story) and i thought that was a good way to bond them.

i also was CLUELESS that any risk was involved, still at that time.

then i switched to a midwife and began to learn more and more (i thought i already knew so much!)
and after that ended up having one done while the back up OB-GYN turned her (she switched breech at 38 weeks ish)
and another one done to check for hydrosephalis and spinabifida...
(long story but we were presented with a new risk)
SHE WAS FINE
i was also about 39 weeks.

anyway...when you know better you do better and that is what i feel about this pregnancy and not having one done or dopler.

however.....i have been told by a midwife/ultrasound specialist whom i like and trust that US done later in the preg is supposed to be the lowest risk situation for baby.

so if i DO want to check the situation of the placenta, the gender, or if i am having twins (my big things that i am wondering about)
then i will certainly wait till closer to my due date to do so.

I had issues with the safety b/c I had read about u/s heating the amniotic fluid & I had read that u/s was as loud as a helicopter on the roof to the baby. So with my first 2 I didn`t have any u/s at all. Then with # 3, I had to have 12 ultrasounds!

I found out at 28 weeks last time that I was rh sensitized with a titer that could be dangerous (so far this time, its surprisingly gone down). Only 6 years ago, rh babies were checked for anemia with multiple (weekly) amnios. Luckily, they switched to doing detailed u/s that measures the velocity of blood flowing thru the brain. I was more comfortable with many u/s than many amnios, having no choice, since undiagnosed rh can be fatal, and diagnosed & treated rh disease can leave NO lasting effects at all.

My baby with 12 u/s is now almost 3, extremely sweet, energetic & smart. Luckily he was not very affected by anemia, he was born jaundiced (pathological, not physiological jaundice) and it went away with some lights in 7 days. Some of the u/s he slept right through and I never did find anything proving it was really all that loud. I know I will have a few this time to check on this baby`s status too, but I try and avoid them until later on, in case the early early ones do change any cell structure.

So, that`s my u/s story, I can totally understand never having one, but if you do, chances are your baby will be fine.

I am having one done on monday. I have tricare also and am paying for it myself. It must be a MEDICAL need to have one done. I had one at 7 weeks cause i only had 3 periods between the kids, wanted to make sure of my timeline. I am still trying to get that one paid for by tricare. i wish i had a midwife that would come up with a med. reason to have one but shes not that way i guess but luckily they know a fairly cheap ($120) place that we can go anytime we want so i will dig in savings for that just once and HOPE that we can see the sex, i really want to be able to buy gender specific clothes, ds was always called a girl even tho he was wearing blue...

I also want to have a pregnancy keepsake like that as I have a video of ds, i feel its nice to have one of this child also, even if its just pictures. Although pregnancy is memorable I have a hard time remembering the little details, like what his heart looked like in the chambers, the little personality thats already developed in the womb and i have PROOF that they start out a certain way!! haha.

thats me!