17 Weeks: Baby Who Are You

Around 17 weeks I used to start getting excited about having an ultrasound, but this time around there are no plans to get one unless there is a cause for concern.  When I started having kids, being pregnant was this unknown territory because I am adopted.  Unlike most people, I heard nothing about birth stories.  I was working in a hospital radiology department, so getting an ultrasound seemed just fine with me.  Everyone I worked with could not wait to find out what I was going to have.  I remember looking at my tiny baby on the screen and thinking there he was in this special private world.  It was amazing because I did not even really look pregnant at this point.  I had a little tummy, but I could still forget there was new life inside of me.

The ultrasound was a symbol of my connection to my babies before I could hold them.  It is what made me feel like I was really pregnant.  After my first baby, my assumption was to keep having ultrasounds, but when I switched from a doctor to a midwife this thinking was challenged.  We do not really know the long term effects of the ultrasound.  Plus, some of the results can be false, even the gender of the baby.  It seems as if there are times when this test is useful, but I am beginning to question if one really need up to three ultrasounds per baby. 

When I was pregnant with my fourth child I was working with a midwife and took to heart that I might not really need an ultrasound.  However, I still insisted on having an ultrasound.  I did not want this child to be the only one without pictures of his or her secret world.  Unfortunately, I went in for the test just a few days past twenty weeks and the measurements of my baby were all off.  (at or around 20 weeks babies growth patterns change, some grow bigger than others)  This would not have really mattered except I had a preterm labor scare and when the doctor went to look at my ultrasound results, my baby measured two weeks behind my calculated due date.  This was the difference between delivering in my small town hospital and being sent to Seattle.  In a situation like this, everyone wants what is best for the baby, but I was not convinced my test results were correct.  After a little bit more examination of my ultrasound results, many typos were found in some of the measurements.  The entire test was useless!  Do you know how much an ultrasound costs?  I did not have this problem with my first three children, but this experienced changed my attitude toward ultrasounds.  I no longer want to just get them as a routine test.

With this baby I did go in to get an ultrasound when I thought I might be loosing my baby, but it took me five days to reach the conclusion of getting that test done. (I was only thirteen weeks along.)  I had decided I did want to have any ultrasounds, but knowing if my baby was dead or alive was important to me.  It was such a blessing to see him or her happy and alive.  Now that I can feel my baby kicking and there does not seem to be any concerns with my pregnancy, I do not plan to have any ultrasounds from this point on. 

We will not know what we are having, but many parents decide to wait until the birth of their baby regardless of any ultrasounds.  This leaves baby names up in the air.  I have enjoyed knowing my baby's name as soon as possible, but I am sure we will be able to settle on a boy's name and a girl's name.