- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
2nd Trimester
So upset - Bad ultrasound experience
Posted over in 1 Tri by accident. Sorry for the dup post.
So today was my BIG day. I was finding out what I was having. I was SO excited to go in. This is my first baby. I couldn't wait to "see a baby"
As you can see below, I am at 17 weeks . I go to the ultrasound lab. I go in the room and the women says to me "It says here... You are 17 weeks." I said "Yes" She said in a very ACCUSATORY tone... "Well, why are you here". Perplexed I said "Um, Here for my Fetal Ultrasound Anatomy Scan?" (question?) Annoyed she says "Well, your at 17 weeks, I hardly doubt you'll be able to see anything. Who sent you?" "um, my doctor" She says "Why did she put it at 17 weeks??!?" I said "Well, When I first found out I was pregnant, they said I was 8 weeks, I got an ultrasound and they said I was 7 week. I guess the doctors office never fixed my schedule for appointments" She said "Well, you know- they really should... You SHOULDN'T be here." I said "Okay, I'll talk to them." She has me lay down on the table. I tell her my husband is in the waiting room, she goes and gets him.
For the next hour, she waves the wand over the belly. I say "Oh is that the heart" She says "yes" I watch some more and say "Is that the brain" she says "yes". This is how the entire hour and fifteen minutes goes. She doesn't tell us we are looking at .
More wanding over the belly.
We find out she "thinks it's a boy, but it was quick so I can't be sure"
More wand over the belly.
Appointment over
I tell friends who have kids the story, and they said "well that's not fun. Our tech walked us through everything. They told us where we were measuring, that everything looked normal, and that we were right were we needed to be etc. They told us what we were seeing, what was what, and it was fun".
I feel 100% gipped. This women didn't tell us ANYTHING. She just moved her waned around, did her job and left.
I'm sorry this was suppose to be fun and happy. I am not feeling like I missed out on seeing some very cool stuff.
I called my doctors office and told them the first half of the story and they called the hospital. I think the hospital called me back to apologize, but honestly, I was too upset to talk to them.
We are also not 100% sure it's a boy because A) I don't trust this bitchy women and 
she said "I only saw it for a second.."
WWYD?
Warning
No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
This discussion has been closed.
Re: So upset - Bad ultrasound experience
with a horror story like that, i'd ask for another U/S with a NEW tech. i'm sorry that lady was such a douche.
my big u/s is tomorrow and i'm really hoping nothing like this happens. i probably would have knocked that lady on her a*s. :-/
I totally agree with this, but at the same time there are things that a good tech can explain to you that most people wouldn't even know to ask. Like at our last u/s the tech just randomly pointed out the diaphragm and showed us that the stomach was below it and the heart was above it and explained how that is important to the baby's development. It was really interesting and I would have never known to ask questions about that.
I'm sorry you are upset, but I don't think she was really that rude (the anatomy scan is supposed to be done between 18 and 22 weeks for a reason), and I think she did her job.
It in unfortunate that she is less communicative than the people your friends had, but the point of the scan is not your entertainment or enjoyment or to find out the sex. It's to get some very specific measurements of your baby to determine whether the growth is as it should be whether devleopment is occuring properly and whether there are markers or indications of problems or potential problems.
Sometimes that requires concentration (and I would suspect that may be especially true if your gestational age is less than what it should be). If you really want the entertainment aspect, pay for a private scan. That is the only advice I can offer.
Gabriel Ross - August 24, 2009 * Vivienne Rose - May 1, 2012
My Blog
I know exactly how you feel...I had pretty much the same experience with mine last week (minus the part about not being far enough along). ?The tech blatantly ignored our questions or if she did answer, she went out of her way to try to make us feel stupid about what we asked, and she spent less than 10 seconds (literally) trying to find the sex of the baby (and the baby wasn't even being uncooperative!!). ?
I really felt like it was supposed to be such an cool experience, I had been looking forward to it for so long, and I felt that it was taken away from us. I was super upset about it for 2 days, but then I started getting over it. ?I did call my dr.'s office and complain to them about it because I just don't think we were treated fairly, and they did offer another ultrasound with a different tech at my next appointment a month from now, so it did make me feel better that at least my dr.'s office cared about my bad experience. ?
I really wanted to know the sex of the baby, so my DH took me yesterday for a 3D ultrasound to find out what we're having. ?The place I went does them for less than $100, so you might look into a place in your area that would do one for you. ?Sorry about your bad tech...I know it really sucks...
Wow, how disenchanting. I'm so sorry. My US lady was a jerk too. I haven't gotten to 17 weeks yet but for my first time the lady didn't say "there's the ______". I had to ask. I asked if I could record it with my camera phone and she said no. ( I can't imagine why not).
She banged on my belly to get the baby to move, IMO a little harder than necessary. I was very displeased. She was dry and offered little conversation/help. She really just acted as if she was taking the US for her info only.
Some ppl are just jerks and really need to reconsider what field they're in.
That's easier said than done. Our u/s tech specifically said not to ask any questions while she was doing the scan. She was really short with us and very unfriendly. The baby had it's legs crossed so we didn't get to find out if it was a boy or a girl. Plus, we only got two pictures! They were the most craptastic pictures I have ever seen! We are going to get a 3D/4D scan in two weeks so hopefully we will get better pictures and find out the sex.
This. Also, at some places the techs are not allowed to tell you anything. At our hospital it is against policy to tell the patient anything but the sex, but we still have very talkative, friendly techs. There was no reason for your tech to be so insensitive.
I agree... I would not call this a "bad ultrasound" nor a "horror story." A bad ultrasound is when you find out your baby is not well, has not developed properly, or has died. I know this is not what you want to hear, but honestly, get some perspective: I opened this post fearing the worst, and this is NOT it.
The instruction sheet for my upcoming anatomy scan specifically states that the tech will not tell us any medical findings during the exam. They are not supposed to do this; it's the job of the radiologist who reviews it afterward. Could your tech have had a better bedside manner? Sure. But some u/s techs are all business - this is not a big deal.
I don't want to sound insensitive, but I have to agree with easjer. OP says this is suppose to be "fun and happy." That's not what a anatomy scan is for. It is a medical procedure. Does it suck that your tech wasn't as nice and friendly as a lot of them are? Sure. But, the tech doesn't owe you any entertainment - the tech is supposed to check the status of the health of your LO - which the tech was obviously concerned about doing because of the confusion about how far along you are. (Which is of course not your fault.)
Talk to your doctor and explain to him/her what happened. If the doctor reviews the measurements and everything looks good then pay for an elective ultrasound if you want the fun experience.
easjer05 - how far along were you when you found out the sex? It looks like you're just past 18 weeks and "you know, but you're not telling!" LOL. I am guessing you found out before 18 weeks? I'm glad your tech told you what you were looking for!
Exactly. At our 20 week U/S it was VERY clinical, she had the personality of a rock, hardly talked to us at all. She was there to do her job, take the measurements, etc. At the end, I finally had to ask if everything was okay, and she said everything looked fine. She only checked the gender because I asked her to (although we already knew what it was by then).
If you're looking for a better U/S experience, I would recommend going to a private place to get it done. Worth every single penny. We did ours at 17 weeks to get a gender determination, and it was so amazing. She was with us for about 30 minutes, letting us watch the baby, taking pictures, etc. It was a really awesome experience. We just did a 2D session, so it was pretty inexpensive. I think we paid $75 and got photos and a dvd of the whole session to take home. The photo in my sig is from the private U/S. The ones from the doctors office, you can barely even tell it's a baby. The two experiences for us were night and day.
While I sympathize with the fact that the u/s experience was not what you expected, it sounds like the tech performed her job duties in that she obtained the views your physician needs to assess fetal development. I looked forward to the anatomy u/s-and got lucky because the tech was very talkative and warm. I would complain that the tech insisted that you should not be seen due to gestational age. It is the job of the tech to fulfill the physician's orders PERIOD. Maybe you can schedule an elective u/s for the "experience"
FWIW, many people find the word "gipped" (typically spelled gypped) to be racist and derogatory... I assume you didn't mean to offend-just wanted to point it out because I appreciate when others let me know such things.
Sorry you had a bad experience.
I would just wait for your next one. AS exciting as it is, remember that ultrasound is an anatomy scan not a scan for mommies. They are not obligated to tell you what or how they are doing things though yes I think most do. This scan is to see if there are abnormalities.
Also, you were too early. It is typically done around 20 weeks.
Thankful your little one is healthy. That's what matters. IMO the tech, while lacking in bedside manner, did nothing wrong. She did her job.
We don't actually know 100% yet. My anatomy scan is scheduled for next week. We got a guess at the NT scan (which was a total coin toss guess) and the doc couldn't confirm at the next u/s (16 weeks). It was really unclear. The last u/s (Monday) he didn't even look, and I didn't ask, since it wasn't the purpose of the u/s (it wasn't the last time either - but he had a look because of a measurement he was trying to get and since we had identified the cause of the bleeding, he took a gander, with no results).
But we've always known that we would go 'smug' and keep the sex a secret - it was our compromise prior to this pregnancy.
Gabriel Ross - August 24, 2009 * Vivienne Rose - May 1, 2012
My Blog
amen to both of these. ?I think you need to realize this isn't for your entertainment- it's a medical procedure. ?This is certainly no "horror story".?
(read it. you know you want to.)
anderson . september 2008
vivian . february 2010
mabel . august 2012
I am with a couple of the other girls. I opened this post expecting to lend a shoulder after you found out terrible news. See, I am one of those girls that found out that my baby has a birth defect from our anatomy scan. Yes it was exciting to see our LO, but I am glad the tech did her job and wasn't worried about entertaining us. So I had to go back for several U/S after that and I must say I am pretty tired of hearing hearing how "lucky" I am i got to see my baby more often. I would have rather had our anatomy scan and been done, but that was not the case.
Just be thankful you have a healthy baby and if you want a show go to an elective U/S place.
You know, I never said it was for my entertainment! OMG. You people seriously need to understand, this is my child. I was hoping to know what I was looking at and have it be a GOOD experience. I have talked to several friends who go on and on about how wonderful the BIG ultrasound was, seeing your child (not just a blob) was. Knowing it was growing okay. You are 100% correct, this is a medical procedure, and I should know if everything is okay. and I don't.
For all I know my kid could have had 1 arm, how am i to know?????? I don't know if my baby is healthy ... so NO i won't move on. She didn't say ANYTHING to me either way. She waved the wand over my belly and ignored the fact that she was dealing with a HUMAN being.
If I don't look out for the way I am treated, who will? This is one of the very few milestones in my life as a mom. Lesson 1, speak up when treated crappy. I shouldn't be made to feel at the appt. that *I* did something wrong. She left the room after yelling at me for being there TOO early, and I was almost in tears. Is this how medical procedures are suppose to go. No.
I did nothing wrong, my doctors office made the appointment and is folling my schedule, not me. How am I too know?
The point is- The Tech was 100% rude and cold, and there was NO need. This is suppose to be a happy time. I hope someone is rude to you guys when you have something happy going on.
I'm sorry her treatment of you upset you so much - it does sound like she was very rude to you about something that was not your fault. At some places, the u/s tech can't (as in, aren't allowed to) talk to you about their findings - they leave it for the doctor. Did you have a regular check-up with your dr afterwards? That's how my office does it - that way they can go over everything. I would try to assume that no news is good news - if your doctor hasn't brought up any concerns, try not to worry - if you haven't spoken to a dr yet, maybe call and ask about the u/s findings to ease your mind.
I'd be careful of just requesting another u/s. If the tech was able to get the measurements they needed, another one might not be considered medically necessary and insurance may not cover it. You may have to pay out of pocket to go to an independent place.
Also, just b/c someone was rude to you and you didn't like some of the responses you got here, it's just as rude to wish it upon others now. I don't think anyone was trying to be mean to you and even the people who said that the u/s wasn't for your entertainment agreed that the tech could have been kinder/friendlier.
You have gotten pretty defensive, some people agree with you while others don't. That is fairly typical here. Most people base their ideas off of what they have heard, read and know from prior experience. Here is mine. Your tech had a bad bedside manner. Just to lend some recent personal experience, this is what happened to us yesterday. I would describe it as a possitive experience, but not one that was particularly fun or informative.
Our tech said at the begining the she had to focus on teh measurements and doing the scan and then would review the baby with us. The entire thing took 15 minutes. Dh and I watched our baby kick and squirm, she told us to look away when she got to the lower half. (We don't want to know) She waved wand over belly. At one point it tickled and she told me not to move. She printed out a billion pics which were for her, not us. She then spent about 2 minutes going over the baby with us, here is the head, that is the arm over it, this blinking dot is the heart and here are the feet. She printed out one blurry pic of the head for us. It was very clinical in general. We had an appointment afterwards, and the dr walked in having looked at the tech's work (after like 30 minutes) and said your baby looks perfect.
It sounds like you asked questions along the way which probably covered the extent if not more of what our tech quickly reviewed for us at the end. No, there is no need to be rude and it sounds like your tech was. However, they did do their job. Are there better experiences, yeah definitely. Reading some of the posters responses and your friends experience I was a little jelous. For results, you should talk to your doctor. Many tech's aren't supposed to provide that kind of information as several pp'ers have noted.