Drinking water before anatomy scan?

kayak11 · May 2011

Hi ladies! I'm relatively new to this board and was wondering if you were given any instructions about drinking a certain amount of water before your anatomy scan. I forgot to ask when the nurse called to schedule the appointment and I don't have time to call the office until this afternoon. Thanks!

mrsmikey · May 2011

I was just told to have a full bladder, not a specific amount to drink.

BabyBLove · May 2011

I was told to come with a full bladder, they didn't give me an exact amount of water. I made sure I had a bottle of water on my way, but ended up emptying some of my bladder when I got there because I had to go so bad!

I think some women are told they don't need to drink water for it, it just depends on the office where its done and the way they handle it.

camdenfaithful · May 2011

When I made my appointment they told me that there were no requirements (this was just the scheduling people), but when I actually went into for my scan, the tech said it was better to have at least a partially full bladder.

I figure it's better to drink a bunch of water beforehand because it's certainly a lot easier to empty your bladder than it is to pound a bunch of water really quickly.

julygal · May 2011

They've always had me empty my bladder before going into the room and have never told me to drink a certain amount of water. However, it is probably better to go in with a full bladder and be told to empty it then not have the conditions they need to get the images.

Azrayla · May 2011

Some places dont need a full bladder (Depends on their machine) I think the nurse would mention it if you did..If you want to be save just drink enough to feel like you need to pee and you can always empty your bladder before the u/s

Leahanna21 · May 2011

I was told to drink at least 32oz 30 - 45 mins before my scan. It wasnt as bad as I thought it was going to be though.

PurplePanda83 · May 2011

For all of my u/s the doctor said to make sure I had pleanty of water the day before so I was well hydrated. She also suggested eating something as a way to possibly get the baby moving more. GL!

Codi-Bailey · May 2011

I was told to have a full bladder. Then, when she started, it was too full and had me empty it out completely. LO was very squished with it being full so he couldn't move for her to get better pictures. Once it was empty, she was able to get what she needed.

Mrs. Alice · May 2011

My peri's office said no. In fact they encouraged me to go pee before it started. I purposely had a Coke with lunch right before the appointment and my babies were very active and cooperative.

JrsGurl1823 · May 2011

They had me pee in a cup before i went in, and if i did have a full bladder that whole time with her pushing for a half an hr i probably would have peed myself lol

mishele · May 2011

My doctor didn't really tell me to do anything special but I have to give a urine sample pretty much every time I have an appointment so I always have a full bladder. They took me in for the scan prior to getting my sample so I had a full bladder for the scan.

This gets me thinking. This is going to turn into an involuntary response soon. I fear that even driving past my doctor's office is going to make me want to pee.

UberTroll · May 2011

I was told to drink 24 oz, 1 hour before the scan. My bladder was too full, so I had to empty it.

I had another scan a week later and was told I didn't need to have a full bladder.

mabma80 · May 2011

I wasn't actually TOLD to have a full bladder. When we went in I had to go to the bathroom and they told me if I could hold it for a little bit, cause it helps with the u/s. So, I think if it's full great! If not, I don't think they make a big deal out of it.

amandaloren · May 2011

mrsmikey:
I was just told to have a full bladder, not a specific amount to drink.

This...and with me its not that hard to get a full bladder these days.

KBaker421 · May 2011

The ultrasound tech actually told me to go use the bathroom because my bladder was too full. Embarrassed

Guess i took their instructions seriously

twinkle_toez69 · May 2011

I got no instructions either and went in with a partially full bladder. Turns out it wasnt full enough and they couldnt see my cervix, so now I'm going back for another one tomorrow. I guess that's the good part - I get to go for another one and see him again! I'd go with full to be on the safe side!

VitaminC · May 2011

They didn't tell me to have a full bladder. But I went with one anyway. I drank way to much and had to wait about 15 min. for my appt. So I wanted to cry by the time I went in. I was wishing I hadn't drank quite so much. Because I just wanted her to finish so I could go pee. I drank about 3 pint glasses of water sweetened with lemonade. I had ice in there too. But it was still 40+ ounces I'd guess. I think I might have peed once though at home.

kayak11 · May 2011

Thanks everyone! I was told to have a full bladder at my last ultrasound (around 15 weeks) and it was pretty uncomfortable when the tech was pressing on my stomach! I'm probably still going to call, but it seems like it would be a good idea to have a full bladder :-)

kimh0162 · May 2011

They never gave me specific instructions when I have gone for mine. I always ended up going to the bathroom beforehand because I always have to wait so long in the waiting room and we never had any problems with seeing my LO. I guess I would just call the doctor's office and ask them to make sure.

faerieme129 · May 2011

They had me drink 32 oz 30-60min before my appt. After a while they let me go so I'd be more comfortable, but said try not to completely empty my bladder. Easier said than done! Then once they got most of the pictures they needed, they let me go again before we finished up.

I would def. call and ask before your appt.

ermaderma · May 2011

I always have a full bladder when I go just in case. For my anatomy scan, it wasn't full enough and she couldn't get the images of his head because he was too low. I drank water, had my appt with the doc, and then she tried to get the other images. Turns out, I was too full and he couldn't really move around that much! I had to go let out about half of it (yeah, that sucked!) so she could get the rest of the images.

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