So excited to see my baby!

kayla2536

December 18 I have an ultrasound and will get to see my baby! It's at a "boutique" place, so it's elective. Yes I've read about them. A grandparent of a student of mine owns the business and said to come in and "it's on them" so it's free too.

My husband is particularly excited. He made the point that it still doesn't feel real to him because he sees me with all the less-than-fun symptoms and physical/emotional changes but it's just different because he's not experiencing anything directly. So he's super excited for pictures and to actually see his baby, it's adorable.

We'll also find out if it's a girl or boy! Obviously healthy baby is most important (so far according to my doctor everything is A+) but I'm PUMPED to find out!

satcher08

I'm with you on the excitement. I'm getting an ultrasound with my OB on the 21st and he's fairly certain he will be able to tell the sex. I'm obsessively counting down the days! 

amandalee620

I don't know why people are against electives. I get electives done when I have cramps or other things that have me worrying. The place I go has a lady who is a certified us tech. I have had 6 us since I found out 2 of which were elective. I find out next week at an elective and I am sooo pumped!

kayla2536

I've only had a dating ultrasound so far 7 weeks ago! The woman doing it is a certified tech too so I don't see the harm. If I were higher risk I'd have way more done at this point.

Atlast111

amandalee620 said:

I don't know why people are against electives. I get electives done when I have cramps or other things that have me worrying. The place I go has a lady who is a certified us tech. I have had 6 us since I found out 2 of which were elective. I find out next week at an elective and I am sooo pumped!

The reason for this is that ultrasounds can heat tissue to a low level. Although they are deemed safe they can't be 100% sure of the longterm effects of overexposure. Because of this, they recommend that you limit the number you have to just those that are medically necessary for the health of the baby particularly in the first trimester.

kayla2536

Yes, I've read that. I've only had one so far due to being super low risk. I'll have another through my dr at 20 weeks and then I think again at 35 or 36 weeks I believe. So I doubt one more is going to cause any harm.

I've seen some woman get all up in arms over doing an elective one.

I'm super excited and my husband is too, I see it as a bonding/attachment opportunity as well. Like I mentioned he isn't directly going to anything (besides my ridiculous emotions lol) so it's still weird for him to try and fathom his child is growing inside my body right now. Don't take that the wrong way, he's incredibly excited too, this will just add to it.

peregrinefalconx

I get to see my LO today at 13 weeks for my high risk appt. Excited and nervous. I think for those who have had losses or are particularly anxious, the benefits of seeing the baby outweigh the risks. Neg hormones don't help healthy pregnancies.

Atlast111

@kayla2536. I'm sure 4 will be fine. In the US you seem to have a lot more than we do. In England we only have 2, one at 12 weeks for NT test and one at 20 weeks. I think we dont bother with early viability scan (if you are low risk) due to miscarriage early on. I think they have the opinion that if you are going to lose the baby there really isnt much they can do.
Waiting for the 12 week one is a very long wait, I finally have mine next week so will see the baby for the first time. Sure your husband will love the scan, you are right it definitely helps them realise that a baby is actually coming lol.

Atlast111

peregrinefalconx said:

I get to see my LO today at 13 weeks for my high risk appt. Excited and nervous. I think for those who have had losses or are particularly anxious, the benefits of seeing the baby outweigh the risks. Neg hormones don't help healthy pregnancies.

I agree for high risk but you see a lot of low risk women going crazy with them, having 1 a week or fortnight is madness! They treat the scans like a toy! My advice, have the minimum you can get away with and be patient! It would be ironic if you were putting your babies health at risk over a worry over the babies health! Hope your scan goes well. :-)

kayla2536

I have heard of women going nuts over elective ones! I was never going to do one and just wait until 20 weeks until the owner offered it to me for free...too good to pass up! I've known her and her grandson for probably 2-3 years now.

izzyp25

That is so exciting @kayla2536 ! And even better that its free!

I guess I am naive I totally didn't realize there were opinions over elective ultrasounds! My OB told me she used to scan herself weekly (because she could) when she was pregnant and told me if I ever have anxiety to call them up and they will fit me in for a scan. She certainly didn't seem to think more scans were harmful to the baby. 

That said, I have two electives scheduled. We wanted to find out the sex for Christmas (at just over 17 weeks) and then I will have a 3D later. Getting to see that little baby bouncing around just gives me all the feels!

amandalee620

Atlast111 said:

amandalee620 said:

I don't know why people are against electives. I get electives done when I have cramps or other things that have me worrying. The place I go has a lady who is a certified us tech. I have had 6 us since I found out 2 of which were elective. I find out next week at an elective and I am sooo pumped!

The reason for this is that ultrasounds can heat tissue to a low level. Although they are deemed safe they can't be 100% sure of the longterm effects of overexposure. Because of this, they recommend that you limit the number you have to just those that are medically necessary for the health of the baby particularly in the first trimester.

Atlast111 said:

amandalee620 said:

I don't know why people are against electives. I get electives done when I have cramps or other things that have me worrying. The place I go has a lady who is a certified us tech. I have had 6 us since I found out 2 of which were elective. I find out next week at an elective and I am sooo pumped!

The reason for this is that ultrasounds can heat tissue to a low level. Although they are deemed safe they can't be 100% sure of the longterm effects of overexposure. Because of this, they recommend that you limit the number you have to just those that are medically necessary for the health of the baby particularly in the first trimester.

I have read some both good and bad the us last all of 8 minutes. I'm extremely anxious and I get nervous when I have cramps as I was told I couldn't get pregnant in the first place. I've seen studies that say they can give the baby autism, but so can vaccinations apparently and I will def be getting my baby vaccinated. The reason you don't get more during a pregnancy is because your insurance does not want to cover them. I would rather pay out of my pocket to have piece of mind. I have been to the ER twice with bleeding and had to get us both times plus my dating and Down syndrome testing and the dr didn't seem to concerned with giving me those other than to say insurance may fight it if they deem it unnecessary. Plus my baby looks pretty happy to see me

Atlast111

amandalee620 said:

Atlast111 said:

amandalee620 said:

I don't know why people are against electives. I get electives done when I have cramps or other things that have me worrying. The place I go has a lady who is a certified us tech. I have had 6 us since I found out 2 of which were elective. I find out next week at an elective and I am sooo pumped!

The reason for this is that ultrasounds can heat tissue to a low level. Although they are deemed safe they can't be 100% sure of the longterm effects of overexposure. Because of this, they recommend that you limit the number you have to just those that are medically necessary for the health of the baby particularly in the first trimester.

Atlast111 said:

amandalee620 said:

I don't know why people are against electives. I get electives done when I have cramps or other things that have me worrying. The place I go has a lady who is a certified us tech. I have had 6 us since I found out 2 of which were elective. I find out next week at an elective and I am sooo pumped!

The reason for this is that ultrasounds can heat tissue to a low level. Although they are deemed safe they can't be 100% sure of the longterm effects of overexposure. Because of this, they recommend that you limit the number you have to just those that are medically necessary for the health of the baby particularly in the first trimester.

I have read some both good and bad the us last all of 8 minutes. I'm extremely anxious and I get nervous when I have cramps as I was told I couldn't get pregnant in the first place. I've seen studies that say they can give the baby autism, but so can vaccinations apparently and I will def be getting my baby vaccinated. The reason you don't get more during a pregnancy is because your insurance does not want to cover them. I would rather pay out of my pocket to have piece of mind. I have been to the ER twice with bleeding and had to get us both times plus my dating and Down syndrome testing and the dr didn't seem to concerned with giving me those other than to say insurance may fight it if they deem it unnecessary. Plus my baby looks pretty happy to see me

I live in England so it's not limited for insurance reasons. It's limited because it's unnecessary for low risk women. It's just best to play it safe and limit them as much as you can! We have private boutiques here and I could afford to go often but would rather not take the risk. It's your baby, you are free to scan away but as I say there is no guarantee excess us don't cause problems. I have no issues with OB referred scans (particularly for bleeds) but electives are another issue. If a woman is using them because she is anxious for her whole pregnancy, what will she do, get 1 scan a week for 38 weeks? It just needs to be used sensibly.

fishwife799

That is exciting. I did an elective one fro my first. It was one of 3 that I had that pregnancy. The woman had just opened her boutique and needed a "model" to do an ultrasound where people could come see so I got it for free as well. Mostly it was just my family that made it but it was really neat for all of us to experience it together. They have since passed a law in my state that does not allow ultrasounds to be performed unless referred by a doctor and they can only be done by a certified medical professional in a medical office. So That is no longer an option for us.