Birth & Beginnings: childbirth conversations : To Ultrasound or Not

Birth & Beginnings: childbirth conversations

Hello mothers and mothers-to-be! This blog focuses on pregnancy, childbirth, children, and parenting. Along with providing helpful information and resources, it is also a place to discuss choices and trends in these areas. The blog will inform and encourage mothers as we share and learn from each other. It is not a place to say that one opinion is better than another; instead it is a forum for camaraderie and for sharing personal experiences. So feel free to read, respond, and absorb information on a daily basis as together we traverse this world of motherhood.

Laura Tolman, CCE, LSP

Laura Tolman is a local certified childbirth educator and labor support professional. She also works as a postpartum doula. She and her husband are long time Alaskans and are the parents and forming relationships with families while learning about other cultures. In her free time Laura enjoys writing freelance articles, poetry, and the performing arts. Her favorite pastime is being with family and coaxing uproarious laughter out of her young son.

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To Ultrasound or Not

Posted by mamas

Posted: December 15, 2008 - 10:14 pm

Comments (0) |

Ultrasound is used for many reasons throughout pregnancy. Although it has been proven to be safe in many studies, some are still concerned about its potential effects on the un-born baby. Some parents are choosing not to have an ultrasound at any point during their pregnancy. Others want at least the standard twenty week ultrasound to check the anatomy of the baby.

Although insurance companies would not cover an ultrasound solely for the purpose of determining a baby’s gender, many parents want to know in advance. Now that 3D and 4D ultrasound are readily available, some parents even want to purchase memory kits including CDs and DVDs of their baby in utero. Many parents will bring their baby’s ultrasound picture with them during labor and birth to provide an inspiring focal point. Others will show their children in the future, the real-time imagery of their life in the womb.

An ultrasound can provide critical information that will affect the pregnancy and birth, such as position of the placenta, fetal defects, and the amount of amniotic fluid. Such as in the case of a complete placenta previa, where a cesarean section would most likely be needed. There is a lot of information that can be gathered from the use of ultrasound technology. However, some would caution about excessive ultrasound use or use strictly for recreational purposes, as this is a still a medical procedure.

Have you used ultrasound? What are your thoughts? Do you have memories of seeing your baby on ultrasound?

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