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October 2015 Moms
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Anatomy scan, questions to ask....

MrsN092714MrsN092714 member
in October 2015 Moms
I am going for my anatomy scan next Friday at 20 weeks (so excited and nervous at the same time!). We haven't seen baby since 9.5 weeks so it feels like it has been forever. Last time at the end of our ultrasound our tech asked if we had any questions and I have been doing a bit of research into this so that we go with with a few questions this time. we are team green so I plan on letting her know that as soon as we walk in (a friend was recently told after telling them she didn't want to know and was very disappointed in her experience (not in the sex itself, just the tech)). So a couple of the questions I have are: Location of the placenta Measuring ahead or behind Heart chambers and function Function of other organs Anything else you would recommend? Can they tell you if you have sufficient fluid levels via ultrasound?
Married:09/27/14 
Baby N-Born:10/29/15
Our Angel: EDD: 05/11/17. MC at 6 weeks
Baby #2- EDD: 07/18/17

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Re: Anatomy scan, questions to ask....

  • amberrmariee20amberrmariee20 member
    Here the ultrasound techs don't tell us anything... They can't answer our questions we have to wait to see our dr to talk to them about it ...
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  • leah665leah665 member
    I would also keep in mind that a radiologist has to review the ultrasound photos and write a report. I think the tech is legally not supposed to discuss certain things.
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  • MrsN092714MrsN092714 member
    last time after she was done her measurements she went out for a few mins, reviewed everything with the radiologist and then came back to ask if we had any questions, at 9.5 there wasn't much to tell other than baby's heart was beating and it was measuring a week ahead.
    Married:09/27/14 
    Baby N-Born:10/29/15
    Our Angel: EDD: 05/11/17. MC at 6 weeks
    Baby #2- EDD: 07/18/17

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  • naka92naka92 member
    Seems our techs do the same things, @MrsN092714
    I've gone for two ultrasounds so far, and both times she explained she was going to step out for a while to review the images with a doctor and then come back to tell me about them. This time though, It looks like I'll be meeting with a genetic counselor right there and then, which is apparantly something this hospital does, so I'm sure I'll get to ask some questions at that point. The anatomy scan is pretty long though, so dont be surprised if they cant just step out and review things with the radiologist to tell you how literally everything looked. The only question id ask right away is: "Does my baby look healthy and is there anything at all I should worry about?", because in the end, that pretty much sums up what we all want to know, I think :)

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  • batmom05batmom05 member
    When we had our scan last week, the tech told us everything she was looking at it as she was looking at it. She covered all of your questions in her overview. They were fantastic.

    We have a family member who recently had a little boy with a heart defect that wasn't picked up on the ultrasound and we were very nervous, so she was very detailed in everything she told us. It was very much appreciated.

    I think the questions they are willing to answer and what they are going to tell you will vary practice to practice and state to state. Good luck! I hope you get all your questions answered, whether it be at your scan or at your followup appointment!
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  • casserole27casserole27 member
    Exciting! My 20w ultrasound is next Thursday we are team green as well. I am hoping I'll be able to ask questions cuz I don't see my doctor til 2 weeks after.
    My main curiosity is where the placenta is, size/health of the baby and I want to hear the heartbeat cuz we haven't yet. I am thinking they will cover most of that but will have to ask if they dont.
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  • danixbanani24danixbanani24 member
    Just echoing PPs, ultrasound techs can't tell you anything.  A report has to be written after the pictures are taken and then your doctor reviews and discusses with you.  If you want, you can ask the tech if you're having a boy or girl :)  That they can answer.
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  • VioletandRoseVioletandRose member
    Sometimes I think it depends on the tech. I've had 3 'real' ultrasounds so far – an NT scan, a fetal echo and the anatomy scan. The tech at the NT scan wouldn't tell us ANYTHING except "the doctor will come in to discuss." That really freaked me out; I was convinced there was a problem because I didn't think I'd be seeing a doctor at all that day. The fetal echo was completely guided by the sonographer, who told me everything and anything I wanted to know. He was very detailed. I think because he was a heart specialist, an actual doctor wasn't required to give me information. At the anatomy scan, it was a mix of both. The tech wasn't quite as forthcoming as the heart specialist, but went through exactly what he was looking at, telling me what was working/measuring properly, etc. He answered all questions we had. He passed the images on to the attending doctor, who reviewed them and came in at the end of the appointment for 5 minutes to tell me everything looked fine and to come back for another in 6 weeks.

    So, in a nutshell, don't be afraid – feel the tech out. Some have a better bedside manner than others. Or you can just ask them at the beginning, "can we ask you questions or do we have to wait for the doctor?" They will be honest with you.
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  • ehebaeheba member
    My tech was awesome and really went Into detail about what she was looking at and saying this looks good.. this is good.. looks normal.. and even said we should be hearing good news when we discuss it with the doctor. She was awesome but I am surprised I didn't think the techs were allowed to say anything along those lines!
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  • meghan82meghan82 member
    like @VioletandRose my experience has varied widely with the U/S. i've had 4 now. one was very early on because of concerns about a potential miscarriage, i had one in the ER and also a transvaginal done in the hospital. both of those were fantastic but there wasn't much to see or tell yet other than it was a single pregnancy with a heartbeat measuring slightly ahead of schedule. my first trimester screen was also done at the hospital and was fantastic-- the tech was very informative and gave us tons of information on what she was measuring and when everything looked good (ex., NT measurements and nasal bone), although she did mention a doctor would talk to us about it-- the great part was it was a prenatal diagnostic center so a doc came right away afterwards and discussed everything with us. the other 2 have been done in my OB/GYN's office and are much more perfunctory and business like. she just gets her measurements and told us the sex. little boy did not cooperate to get all the measurements at week 18 so i went back this week (22 weeks 4 days) and she just got the missing measurements, we were done in 20 minutes. she really seems to be focused on getting the info she needs and not really that interested in informing parents-- it's clear she views that as the OB/GYN's role to discuss. it's disappointing for curious and nervous newbies like us but i've come to accept it. anyway just be prepared for either style. 
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