Not with either pregnancy.
We prefer to be surprised about the gender, and aside from peace of mind, don't see any big reason to do one.
We would, of course, if there was a medical indication for one.
I haven't researched all of the reasons for getting an ultrasound as much as I have researched other things.
my question is:
aside from finding out the gender & wanting to see the baby, why did you get an ultrasound?
And did it reveal any fixable medical condition?
NOTE: I'm not talking about a medically recommended ultrasound--if it was a high risk pregnancy to begin with then that is TOTALLY different. Or if your caregiver suggested it because something didn't seem quite right, then OF COURSE that's different.
I'd also like to add that just the peace of mind that seeing your baby would bring is CERTAINLY a valid reason, and I don't think that ultrasounds are bad in ANY way. I think it would be a nice way to bond with the baby. I'm asking these questions because sometimes people act like we're bad parents & endangering the baby by not getting one.
5 comments:
My sis in law at one of her regular scheduled ultrasounds they found that the baby only had one kidney, babys great now, almost 4, had she not had that regular ultrasound it would have been a lot to deal with at the birth.
I look forward to ultrasounds, insurance pays for them so great, now if they didn't we probably wouldn't fork over the money to have one! When they did the last ultrasound of luke at 36-37 weeks they estimated how big he was at that time (7lbs-give or take a lb.), so depending on how long he was in the oven they just guesstimated how much more he would weigh. My Dr. decided to induce me a week early, good thing because at 8.4 he barely made it without having to have a c section.
And now with this baby at my 11 week appointment when the dr. tried to find the heart beat using the doppler thing, there was to much other noise interfearing, so she did an ultrasound to make sure that there was indeed a heart beat. And they might do one at my next appointment just to make sure babys fine since the kidney stone crud.
I think that just because you are doing things different than other people in no way means that you are endangering your baby, what mother would do that. You know you, and if the drs think that things are fine then why wouldn't you.
I guess maybe people might think that way because it is just so common and a lot of the time just done.
But then what do I know, I could never have my babies the way you have yours...
With #1 we only had one ultrasound -- at about 12 weeks -- because the midwives wanted to "establish" the pregnancy. We wanted to be surprised with the gender and never had another one.
With #2, #3 and #4, we had the standard 20 weekish one and found out they were both healthy boys. With #3 and #4 (and maybe with #2, don't remember) we did several (maybe a week apart) towards the end as weight checks (which--and I can't stress this enough--are horribly inaccurate in my experience) because of my history of large babies (#1 was 11lbs.)
Even though I agree with you that they are in no way necessary, it is nice to see the baby, check for medical problems, check growth and measurements, etc. I think it's just peace of mind more than anything else.
(And, with a #4 boy, it's nice to know so you're not disappointed at birth that it's not a girl. ;o))
I think in general, it's just to make sure that your baby is growing correctly, and when they measure the size of the baby they can get a more accurate idea of your due date. In an ultrasound they can see everything and would be able to spot any defects or abnormalities. And while seeing those things wouldn't change anything, you would at least have forewarning and be better prepared to handle them after the birth rather than being surprised later on.
I wanted to know the baby's genders and that was my main reason for an ultrasound. I would also like to know ahead of time if the baby is going to have any medical problems that we can be prepared for in advance. I always said if I have a boy and a girl that I would keep the gender a surprise for the rest of the babies, but I don't now that we have a boy and a girl if we could really deal with the surprise. :) So I guess we'll see.
paige, you and dave are NOT bad parents. you're better informed about different issues than a lot of people. and i think it's good you have your own ideas about how you want your births to go and about raising your kids.
my reasons for getting an ultrasound were to know the gender and to see if the baby was healthy. you could say i don't like suspense.
on the day we had the ultrasound i was really nervous and hoping that the baby would be developing properly and that there were no signs of birth defects. since i was born with a club foot and other defects with my leg, i knew that it could be a risk for my baby. even though my mom is diabetic and i considered those defects to be related to blood sugar levels in the 3rd trimester. and even though we have no family history with those problems i am still worried. and am looking forward to the next ultrasound so i can know if everything is still okay. not that anything could be done, i just would like to have some time to get used to the news. and to have a plan.
i think an ultrasound is a good thing if it's fun for you to see the baby and you want to be put at ease if you are anxious about problems. but if you are ready to handle certain problems should they occur and want to be surprised about the sex then that's fine too. it doesn't make a difference to the baby, it just depends on you.
i for one wish i didn't worry so much :)
by the way, congrats. i cant wait to see the new member of your family.
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