Couldn't see hands at anatomy ultrasound

stacystilly · January 2015

I'm a first time mom and we found out today that we are having a little girl! While we are beyond excited and they said everything looked great, at my doctors appointment directly after my ultrasound, my doc told me that she wants to do another scan in two weeks because they were not able to find the hands. I'm completely freaking out!! I know it's not the worst thing, but this is all new to me. Anyone else encounter something similar??

stacystilly · January 2015

We did get a few photos but the profile ones were pretty close up. The ultrasound lasted maybe 10-15 minutes at most. I hope that's the case and she just wasn't in the right position for us to see. Thank you!!

stacystilly · January 2015

I'm 22 weeks. No worries on the questions!

stacystilly · January 2015

Compared to yours, my entire ultrasound was no where near as long it seems like.

SassFrass · January 2015

My a/s took 56 minutes. They completely rushed you if it only took 15 mins. No way could they have done everythimg they were supposed to.

MrsPDX · January 2015

Wow 10-15 minutes?? Did they take measurements and everything? Mine went over an hour. Given that short period of time, I wouldn't worry too much. It took my tech a while to locate everything and so its quite possible the hands were just hidden or inaccessible.

McBaby19 · January 2015

My a/s took about 40 minutes I believe. The tech was thorough about explaining what she was doing (I asked her to be before she began). She took a while to get all the heart pics she needed, even stopped and went back to it once baby moved to a better position. Also she had to use 3D to get baby's face since LO was stubborn and kept his/her hands In front of it (she was hacking for cleft lip and other abnormalities). Overall everything was good and she got everything she needed. So I think 15 minutes seems rushed, and it's possible your LO was in a difficult position to get all the pics they wanted. Good luck at your next scan! :x

Poppy715 · January 2015

I agree with everyone else. No wonder they couldn't find them. 15 minutes is not nearly enough time for a full anatomy scan. Were they able to find everything else they were looking for? At your appointment they should have gone over everything they could and couldn't find. Hopefully they just didn't do the full screen and can find your little girls hands at the next appointment.

CorryS12 · January 2015

I have not had my A/S yet. But I pray all the women on here are correct and they just didnt do a thorough enough scan.

ladyteach0505 · January 2015

We bought a video of our anatomy scan and it was just under 30 minutes. I've noticed in some of my u/s pictures that sometimes the hands and arms almost appear as part of other things in the pictures- almost as if they're overlapping another white image, if that makes sense. Fingers crossed for you.

louloutte87 · January 2015

Our baby is really un cooperative - first scan (12w) it wouldn't lie right and 2nd scan (20w) I had to go for a walk as it wasn't in right position to see the face. She almost had us back too but she managed to see what she needed to after 40mins of poking and drinking sugary drinks. Don't freak out... Maybe your girl is camera shy

dj99 · January 2015

I agree with the PP that your a/s was rushed. Mine was also about an hour, the tech explained everything that she was looking at and then after the DR came in and did another a/s to verify everything. I would call your DR office and state your concerns here.

icajesica82 · January 2015

10 Min seems extreamly fast. I think we were in there at least 45 and they didn't get good shots of his lower spine because of his position. Sounds like poor job on the techs side. Try not to stress too much. Our tech spent at least 10 minutes looking at the heart.

stacystilly · January 2015

Thank you all so, so much. It really is putting me at ease. I was texting my girlfriend at the time and checked the time stamps yesterday and sure enough, it was less than 20 minutes!! The tech only pointed out a few things like the heart, chord and feet, to be honest. You could see the spine clearly and her lady bits clearly as well which she also pointed out. That was it though!! She didn't go over anything it much detail at all! My doc did order another scan for me which I have to make the appointment for and I will definitely make sure they try not to charge me for this as it would be something that would go towards my deductible so if course, would pay out of pocket. I had no idea how long it should have lasted so this is very helpful. I appreciate everyone's comments so much!!! Much love to you all and your little ones!

Hawk&Eye · January 2015

At our a/s baby would not come out of this comfy spot he had down by my pelvis. The ultrasound tech would have liked better pics of his feet and bottom part of his spine. We tried a few different things but was running out of time. So we just scheduled another short scan before my next appointment in a couple weeks. She was very thorough with everything else and said she wasn't concerned just running out of time but we had been in there around 50 minutes.

allisong1187 · January 2015

That's crazy, she definitely didn't take the time to do a thorough scan. My first scan took about 45 mins and I still had to come back for another because they couldn't get everything.

mamadeuce · January 2015

That was pretty quick for your 20 week scan. I had mine last week and it lasted for about an hour. I would not be too worried because it seems like they rushed through yours.

At mine they never got a clear picture of our LO with her hands open just closed. There was one with her thumbs up but that is all. They were able to count all the knuckles and the doctor said that was perfectly fine. Sometimes the babies don't want to cooperate with all the measurements they try to get. You will be going back soon. So hopefully they will do an in depth scan.

dukwok · January 2015

Thag stinks they rushed you, but congrats on everything looking good so far! The tech couldn't get detailed pics of my baby's nose and mouth, so my obgyn actually recommended I go in for a second scan to get the images. I would assume your doctor would probably say something similar since your scan was cut so short, but I'd definitely check. Keep us posted on how your next scan goes!

jesslfar · January 2015

I had that issue with my oldest and her feet. Normally they spend closer to 45 minutes or an hour doing an ultrasound, but sometimes they can't see it all. We did find her feet on a later ultrasound, but we couldn't see anything on the 20 week and while they doubted there was a problem, they could not see either of them or even ankle bones. There was also an issue with her cord and them having issues seeing something with it. She has two perfectly normal feet ( she is 7). Your ultrasound was very rushed and I'm not shocked they couldn't find them in that time. Normally there are parts they can't see and they go back during the exam and l

stacystilly · January 2015

Thank you everyone and I will keep you all posted! It's very helpful to know how long everyone's was and I'll definitely be asking lots of questions at my next one. I'll be scheduling it tmro!

MrsPDX · January 2015

Definitely update us after your ultrasound! Fingers crossed everything is good!

mpiemont · January 2015

That sounds like a really fast AS. Try not to worry- hopefully it was just position.

stacystilly · January 2015

*UPDATE* Hi everyone! I had my second scan today and it went totally fine and we saw the hands right away! The tech said that I'm not the first one that has come in there panicked that their child didn't have certain limbs and blames the way the doctor relays information to patients. She also said that if there were no hands, I would have found out that day! It's a bummer that I had to worry for nearly two weeks of all the possibilities. I understand it could be a liability for doctors to say one thing and then the outcome be completely different. I just wish I was told in a more comforting way about why I needed this second scan, if that makes sense. Anyway- rant over! Thank you all for your responses and words. I really appreciated them all! Sending blessings to your growing families! xo

lyefimova · January 2015

My mom said that when she was pregnant with me the Dr said they couldn't find my head. She didn't believe them at the time but said when I hit my teens she found out they were right all along. Glad all is well with your Lo

rivers714 · January 2015

Yay for hands!!

lysser1218 · January 2015

Woohoo!!! Hand up baby, hands up!

lakingsfan2015 · January 2015

lyefimova said:
My mom said that when she was pregnant with me the Dr said they couldn't find my head. She didn't believe them at the time but said when I hit my teens she found out they were right all along. Glad all is well with your Lo

I have read this like 20 times. They couldn't find your head? Am I missing something and this is a joke that went over my head?

JuliaRL · January 2015

yeah, they totally rushed you. An anatomy scan takes an hour or so!

lbleacher · January 2015

I would worry they couldn't find mines left foot at the first one and sent me for a second since he wasn't cooperating. They couldn't get any of the head/brain measurements because of his position.

MrsPDX · January 2015

Yay so happy baby is healthy!

calli7147 · January 2015

Don't worry. I had to go back 2 weeks later. The doctor couldn't see the chambers of the heart and her profile. She was just being uncooperative...lol. The next scan was perfectly fine. Yours will be too

stacystilly · January 2015

Thank you all! It is relieving and for those moms going through the same thing on this post, it is best not worry! I had to learn that the hard way, unfortunately. It's so hard but it will all be okay!