My great-grandmother was a lay midwife and delivered many babies. She said she could “tell” if a baby was a boy or a girl and claimed that her methods were incredibly accurate. Since I’ve had an ultrasound which made it very clear that our child is a boy, I thought I’d evaluate some of the tales I’ve heard to see how true they are.

Chinese Gender Chart
I found that there are actually several variations circulating. Most of the variations accurately predicted that our child was a boy.

Morning Sickness Method
Supposedly, you have more intense morning sickness if you are carrying a girl. My morning sickness is not as intense as it was with my girls, but yet, it is there and is more intense than it was with my first son. I don’t know what this means actually, except that I have morning sickness which still affects me 5 months into my pregnancy.

Heartbeat Method
According to this tale, if a child has a slow heartbeat, it’s a boy. If it has a fast heartbeat, it is a girl. The cut off is supposedly around 140. This child has a heartbeat of 150 consistently, so this myth didn’t accurately predict the gender of our child this pregnancy.

Out In Front Or All Around?
According to this myth, you can tell the gender of your child based upon how you are “carrying” the child. If you gain weight all over, your child is a girl. If your weight gain is all “out in front”, it’s a boy. For me, this has been true.

For this pregnancy, half of the myths of listed accurately predicted the gender of our child; half did not. This tells me that I had a 50/50 chance of guessing the gender of our child correctly! While the myths may not be of any real help in enlightening you as to your child’s gender, they are a fun way to pass time while waiting for your bundle of joy to show up.

Because I am of  “advanced maternal age“, I went today for genetic counseling and a level 2 ultrasound at the local medical college.

Our baby is a boy!  My husband was thrilled and our older children were thrilled too.  How wonderful!

The ultrasound technician told me (my husband is away on the other side of the country on business) that our baby has echogenic bowels.  This means that the bowel shows up brighter on the ultrasound than it should.  However, it is “borderline echogenic”.  I don’t really understand other than they say echogenic bowels are a “marker” for Down’s Syndrome.   They can also mean absolutely nothing.

The doctor advised that I consider an amniocentisis to determine if the marker was a true indicator for Down’s Syndrome.  I refused.

I have to say that the doctor didn’t spend but 5 minutes with me and then left.  I wasn’t really impressed.  I mean, if it REALLY is a serious thing, then shouldn’t you spend a little more time with a patient? The genetic counselor told me that echogenic bowels could mean: nothing at all, that the baby has swallowed some blood or excess amniotic fluid, that the baby has cystic fibrosis, or that the baby has Down’s.

Since I have had some spotting, I am leaning more toward the logical conclusion that our baby has swallowed some blood.  I am hoping that all will be well, and I’m trying to concentrate on the good things about this baby and how he appears otherwise healthy.

Have you ever been told that your baby has echogenic bowels? I’m curious to find out what happened in your case.  Please post!

I was shopping at my local Walgreen’s pharmacy where I spied a prenatal gender test for about $35.   No, I didn’t purchase the test, but I thought about it.  I still am thinking about the test.

The test is called the Intelligender. Supposedly, it’s available at different pharmacies, but it can also be ordered online if you can’t find the product in your local area.

Chemicals in the test react with your urine to identify the gender of the child you are carrying.  An orange color means your child is a girl. A green color means your child is a boy.  The test manufacturers claim that the results are 80% accurate if the directions are followed.

I am having an ultrasound next Monday, where I hope to find out my child’s gender minus the $35 dollar expense.  I know, $35 doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but yet it is.

Have you heard of this product? Would you try it for $35?

I just got back from my “baby doctor” appointment.

The fourth month is a pretty routine visit.  They screen your urine for protein and sugar and take your vitals.  During the appointment, your doctor or midwife will go over your “symptoms” and ask if you have any concerns.  They will ask to make sure that you have no swelling in your face, hands, or feet.  They will also make sure that you aren’t having contractions, cramping or bleeding.  These symptoms can signal a serious complication.

Some  symptoms that have shown up for me in the past few weeks: nosebleeds and a stuffy nose.  I dislike the stuffy nose thing, but I’ve found that if I use nasal strips, it helps me to sleep better at night.  I also find that I get winded more easily than usual.

The midwife measured me and announced that I am large for my date. I am consistently measuring two weeks larger than I should measure she tells me.  They feel that perhaps my dates are off.  Wouldn’t that be nice to deliver earlier than expected?  Maybe….can I get everything done that I need to do two weeks earlier than planned?  We are remodeling to make a room for the baby.  I’m not sure if it will be done by August!

This baby does not like the doppler and flutters around to get away from it.  They had a hard time finding the heartbeat because of that.  The midwife finally found the heartbeat at the very top of my uterus near my belly button!

My next appointment is at the Maternal Fetal Medicine center locally because of my–ahem–advanced maternal age. They’ll be discussing risk factors and doing a level 2 ultrasound to check on the baby. I’m hoping that we might be able to see if our child is a boy or a girl!  My next regular appointment is two weeks after that.

I am now halfway into my 14th week of pregnancy.  This week, my doctor’s office called to inform me of my visit to “Maternal and Fetal Medicine Clinic (MAFMC)” at the local teaching hospital.

Visits to the MAFMC are reserved for women who are 35 and over and pregnant; women who have a history of stillbirth or miscarriage; or those who have children with genetically inherited diseases.  I am not happy to say that I fit into all of the above categories.

My appointment at the clinic is March 30th.  At that time, they will offer genetic counseling to my husband and I (I’m not too worried about this as the genetic issues my older children have were inherited from their father’s side), and perform a level 2 ultrasound. During the ultrasound, they will be looking for birth defects, and also physical markers for Down’s Syndrome.

Since I am 39, I am well aware of my risks and that worries me.  My sister-in-law and brother discovered recently that the child they were expecting had Down’s.  She is my age.

Another factor that concerns me is that my husband travels frequently.  I am hoping that he will be home for this visit and able to attend with me.  I am sure I’ll want the emotional support on that day.

The exciting news is that I shall be 19 weeks pregnant at the time of this visit.  I am praying that all is well with our baby, and I am also hoping that we might be able to find out the gender of our baby during this visit.  I’ve found that not all of my children were willing to share that secret with us during the ultrasound visit! This does happen occasionally.

I finally found a brand of pre-natal vitamins that I can tolerate! The doctor I have was kind enough to give out samples so I could try the different kinds without purchasing a whole lot of vitamins.

Have you ever been scheduled for a “high risk pregnancy appointment”?

Today I’m going to share my second pre-natal appointment with Babies Online readers! My hope is that maybe this will be helpful to you though.

I was nervous today because I’ve miscarried around four months before.  I am spotting now.  Is it “normal” or a sign of something ominous?

At first, they had trouble finding the baby’s heartbeat.  As I have been pregnant quite a few times, my uterus is large for date (I say I am old and my elastic is stretched out–they say maybe it is twins).  We could hear flutters though.  Some babies do NOT like the doppler I’ve been told and wince away from them, even in utero.  The midwife swore she heard a heartbeat but it kept moving.  She couldn’t get a “lock” on it.

I was trying to NOT panic.  It’s not easy.  They asked me if I would like an ultrasound to reassure myself and of course I said yes.  It took a while until the machine was free in the office and I waited and tried to not worry.  As we were walking to the machine, the midwife told me that she felt I might be having twins as my uterus was so large for my due date. Either that or my dates were off.  I still was going with the stretched elastic theory though.

We got in there and the first thing I noticed was the flutter for the heart.  My baby was OK.  The midwife checked for two–there was none.  My dates were correct too.  What do you know? It IS stretched elastic after all!

The baby was curled up with his or her knees in his or her face.  We laughed about that.  How is that even remotely comfortable?  All of this room and this baby is curled up on itself!

There was no sign of bleeding or blood in the ultrasound.  The midwife told me that sometimes, women who have had surgery on their cervix (I’ve had 2 to remove pre-cancerous cells) can spot and bleed a little bit.  She felt this was the cause of my spotting.

The heart rate is 160.  My great-grandmother would have sworn that meant it was a girl.  This midwife tells me that the whole heart rate and gender correlation is a myth.  We’ll see.  My next appointment is in 3 weeks, although they’ve set me up with a genetic counselor for a session and a level 2 ultrasound because of my “advanced maternal age”.

Read more about my pregnancy journey here.

When you are pregnant, bleeding or spotting can cause a lot of worry and wonder.  Such experiences are supposedly common: about 1/4 of all pregnant women will experience bleeding or spotting during her pregnancy according to statistics.

How do you know that your bleeding is just “simply bleeding” and not a sign of miscarriage?  There are some clues that may help.  It should be noted that any time you are pregnant and are concerned, you should call your doctor.  If you are experiencing bleeding, please call you doctor for more advice and information immediately unless your doctor has otherwise directed you.

That having been said, you may wonder what it all means.  How DO you tell the difference between something scary and something mostly harmless? You may also wondering what will happen next. I have bled or spotted with almost all of my pregnancies.  I’ve lost some of those pregnancies.  This is what I’ve learned.

There is a difference between “old” and “new” blood.  This is one thing the doctors always asked me.  What is the color of the blood?  Red means new; brown spotting means old blood and doesn’t seem to be a “big deal”.

Another thing that doctors always asked me was how much bleeding there was.  That’s hard to gauge actually.  A good way to have something definitive to tell the doctor is to put on a pantyliner.  You can say that you haven’t soiled the liner and it’s been on about so many hours or you can say that you’ve been soiling through a pad every so many minutes.

Another thing that was very important to the doctors was if I was experiencing pain.  During my miscarriages, not only was I bleeding quite a bit, but I was also experiencing a significant amount of pain.  For one miscarriage, I felt the pain in my stomach. It felt like really bad cramps.  For the other miscarriage, I felt the pain in my back.

I found that one of the first questions that doctors ask about when you are bleeding is if you’ve had sex recently.  For some women, this can cause irritation, which can cause bleeding.  They will also ask you if you have reason to believe that you have an infection, which can also cause bleeding.  Fibroid tumors can also cause bleeding during pregnancy.

Some of my bleeding episodes have landed me in the ER.  For my last child, my fibroids were causing a lot of bleeding.  Even though the blood was brown, I was soiling through pads.  My doctor advised me to go to the ER for an ultrasound.  At the ER, they determined that our child was fine.

I know how scary bleeding can be during pregnancy.  Hopefully, you’ll never experience any bleeding!  Please note that above ALL else, you need to contact your doctor!

Monday was my first OB appointment.  I’ve had many people ask me over the years exactly what happens at the first appointment? What can I expect?  Read on to find out!

The first appointment is usually at least an hour in length.  Plan ahead and find a sitter for younger children if possible.  If you are concerned about the length of the appointment, you may be able to shorten it by completing some of the paperwork ahead of time.  You can download forms off of some doctor’s websites for just this purpose.

The first thing that happens at your appointment is that the nurse will ask you for a urine sample.  Usually, they test for protein or sugar in your urine.  Most offices also do a pregnancy test to confirm your pregnancy.  After this comes the part I dislike–they WEIGH you.  In fact, I dislike being weighed so much that I requested that they weigh me backwards! They complied.

After this, a nurse went over my family history and health history.  She asked about my husband’s family as well.  If you have had any pregnancies and deliveries before, they’ll ask about that.  Since I am of–ahem–advanced maternal age, they requested that I consider going for genetic counseling.   I declined the blood testing they offered to test for genetic problems because I’ve seen too many friends worry about false positives.  I asked if I could get a high resolution ultrasound to look for markers for Down’s Syndrome instead. They said yes.  I declined an amniocentesis test.

They took blood from me to test for different things like HIV,  which is pretty routine.

They did a quick physical and asked if they could do a Pap test.  I declined simply because I tend to bleed and I knew it would worry me, especially with my history of miscarriage.

Then they offered to do an ultrasound to see that the baby was where he or she should be and that everything “looked” ok.  I agreed.  They did an ultrasound on my stomach but really couldn’t see much because I am only 8 weeks along.  I agreed to a vaginal ultrasound.  We could see the baby and the sac.  We could see the heart fluttering too.  They printed out my child’s first picture for me to take home!

The doctor was careful to remind me that I still have about 4 weeks left to go until the first trimester is over, until then, my risk of miscarriage is still high.

For now, we wait an hope that I’ll be able to “keep” that OB appointment in February!

One of the most common problems spotted at the 20 week ultrasound is placenta previa. Placenta previa is where the placenta is nearby, or actually covering some or all of the cervix. It’s a potentially dangerous condition because if the placenta covers the cervix, it blocks baby’s way out, requiring a cesarean section to deliver the baby. And more seriously, as the cervix dilates towards the end of pregnancy, the placenta can be torn and bleed, which can be life-threatening to mom and baby.

Complete or partial placenta previa, where the placenta covers at least a quarter, or even all of the cervix, occurs in around 1 in 200 pregnancies, and requires careful monitoring by your doctor.

And more common is a marginal placenta previa, where the placenta is close by, or touching the cervix, but not actually covering it.

At 20 weeks, when the placenta is relatively large compared to the size of the uterus, many women appear to have placenta previa. The ultrasound technician will note the position of the placenta, so your doctor is aware and can discuss it with you. The doctor will probably tell you to avoid intercourse, heavy lifting, and strenuous activity. Your husband will be thrilled that he has to do the vacuuming instead of sex.

Several moms I know, including me, had marginal placenta previa at 20 weeks. At my next obstetrician appointment, the doctor explained what it was. The position of the placenta is largely random, but there are risk factors to placenta previa, including previous cesarean sections, a history of placenta previa, and it’s more common in older moms. Apparently, smoking or using cocaine also increases the risk, my doctor told me, raising one eyebrow. What? I’ve never smoked and the only kind of coke I know comes in a red can with a swirl on it.

The good news is that for most women who have marginal placenta previa at 20 weeks, as your uterus grows, the placenta gets further from the cervix and you’ll likely be given the all-clear to get back to normal activities by 24-28 weeks. Your doctor will schedule another ultrasound to check the position of the placenta at that time. If the placenta is now clear of the cervix, then vaccuming, etcetera are back on.

I had another ultrasound at 25 weeks, and like 90% of moms with marginal placenta previa at 20 weeks, my placenta was in a normal position, and the rest of my pregnancy went smoothly, except for having to think of other excuses to not vacuum.

If you are pregnant, and experience any vaginal bleeding, get checked by a doctor asap. If you have been told you have, or may have placenta previa, it is important to let the doctor who examines you know, as they will need to take extra precautions when they examine you to avoid causing any damage to your placenta.

I am trying to make my birth experience as natural as possible. I’m prepared to forego an epidural and ‘tough it out,’ and am firmly against Pitocin to induce labor. I respect every woman’s right to choose her own birth experience, but, for me, I feel that a fully natural, un-medicated birth is the best way to go.

The gestational diabetes has put a slight complication in these plans, as the midwives have referred me to their MFMs (ie, maternal-fetal-medicine specialists, or obstetricians) for consultations.

Since I don’t need medication to control my blood sugar, and the baby, according to our most recent sonogram, is on the small side, in the 22^nd percentile for weight at 5.1 lbs at 37 weeks, I can still have a natural delivery with the midwife. But now they want me to go for weekly ultrasound tests.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle to have natural childbirth with as little intervention as possible. The more the medical personnel look for problems, I believe, the more they will find things to investigate. After all, one of the causes of emergency c-sections is hospital staff that panic upon misreading a fetal monitor when the mother is monitored continuously.

In general, out of all the medical tests and procedures, I am convinced that ultrasounds are one of the safest. I was fully prepared to have three throughout my pregnancy. But I believe that weekly ultrasounds, which could mean three or more until I hold my daughter in my arms, is a bit excessive. Even if she gains a pound a week at this point, she will still be a safe weight for a natural delivery.

I’m not sure if my arguing with the doctor over not having another ultrasound until week 40 is sheer stubbornness on my part, or borne of the conflicting research I’ve read about the technology.

I certainly believe the procedure is safe – in moderation. I’m not sure that three or four tests in as many weeks could be called ‘moderate.’

Certainly, Internet searches and discussions with women whose beliefs span the gamut from ‘medical technology is perfect’ to ‘all-natural birth, no compromises’ turns up plenty of research on both sides of the argument. Most of the research I’ve seen, however, leads me to believe that ultrasounds are perfectly safe – and certainly the safest, least invasive test you can for peace of mind. Here is just one article of many regarding the safety of ultrasounds.

I won’t deny that all three u/s I had put both mine and my husband’s minds at ease over several factors, and I won’t argue the convenience of knowing it’s a girl long before my delivery date.
What concerns me about the sonograms, more so than their overall safety is their accuracy in predicting what they are trying to determine in my situation: fetal weight. Depending on the competency of the technician, the best an ultrasound offers is a +/- 1 pound margin for error. When you are talking something weighing between 4 and 10 lbs., that’s a large difference. And when you are talking about an automatic, mandatory c-section at 9 lbs., based on hospital policy, I’m not willing to take that risk.

I haven’t reached a conclusion, yet, on what I’ll do next week when it’s time for the 38-week ultrasound. It might even be a moot point as I feel like the baby “dropped” a bit last night. I think I’m just weary of fighting with the medical establishment for my right to a natural birth.

Recently, my wife and I have been discussing 3D ultrasounds. We never got one with our daughter, but we have been giving it more serious consideration this time around, partly because this may be our last child, so we really want to capture the moments.

We have already had three regular ultrasounds (and if her pregnancy with our daughter is any indication, several more before all is said and done) and have images from each. The thing is, we have a few images from my daughter’s ultrasounds, and we rarely look at them anymore.

Our friends who have gotten the 3D ultasounds swear by them, and say that they are totally worth the investment. (In Canada, a 3D ultrasound can run upwards of $500, depending on duration, number of DVDs, prints, etc.) However, I wonder how many of them watch the DVD or look at the images now that they have the child.

Logically, some people would argue that they are akin to baby pictures, and while parents of a one year old are unlikely to look at baby pictures, they will definitely look at them when that baby is a ten year old. However, I would suspect that part of our attachment to the baby photos comes from our experiences that are captured in the images. We look back and remember that time, whereas when we see a 3D ultrasound, we don’t have memories of seeing the baby like that regularly.

For those readers with children: did you get a 3D ultrasound done? Was it worth the investment? Do you watch it often? And for those expecting: are you considering a 3D ultrasound? What factors will impact your decision?

You can read more SciFi Dad at Tales From The Dad Side.

During each of my many pregnancies, I spent a great time checking out gender prediction methods. Actually, more than not, many people were happy to offer their tried and true methods of prediction to me, especially when they found out I was pregnant again after having 4 girls.

Would our next child be male or female? Drum roll please.

I stumbled across a Chinese Birth Chart while researching online one day. According to the website, the chart was “ancient Chinese knowledge” hidden in a tomb for over 700 years and was now on display at the Institute of Science in Beijing. For entertainment purposes only, the website authors were displaying the chart online. I was intrigued, but cautious, and so I showed my husband.

Dear Husband has a degree in science and he called it a statistics chart. Nothing more, nothing less. There was nothing magical about it he claimed. Nevertheless, he agreed that there very well may be some validity to the chart.

Would the “statistics chart” be accurate? I checked my prior pregnancies with the chart information and astoundingly, the chart was right. I checked each of my sister’s information against the chart information and again, it was correct. Then, just for the thrill of it, I called my sister, who was expecting at the time and due to have an ultrasound in a few days. We worked out her information and according to the chart, she was having a girl. The ultrasound confirmed the chart’s prediction at her ultrasound.

All of this intrigued me. Was I carrying a boy or a girl? Could I stand to know? Suppose the chart said it was a boy and then I had a girl? After 4 girls, would it be fair to get my hopes up for that son of which my husband and I were dreaming?

My husband and I sat down one night and checked the chart which told us we were having a boy. Now what? After years of buying pink, glitter, and lace, did we dare trust the chart? Should we tell people that “the Chinese chart” said it was a boy? Would they believe us?

A few months later, we had an ultrsound due to difficulties I was having with the pregnancy. The technician asked me if I wanted to know the sex of our baby as it was quite obvious. Did I want to know? Yes, yes I did.

Our child was a boy. A healthy boy.

I cried the whole way home! Firstly, because I was relieved that our child was all right. Secondly because IT WAS A BOY! After four girls, I was going to have a boy!

You would think that my relatives would have been happy for us when we told them. Sadly, not one of them(save my husband’s mother) believed us, the ultra sound, or the Chinese birth chart. Instead, they felt that I was one of those women who was just going to have girls and had sadly convinced myself that I was having a male child to make myself feel better about the whole thing. For the baby shower that happened shortly after our ultrasound, most folks bought yellow and green. Some bought us blue, just in case. I began to have my doubts at this time and wondered if the technician had made a mistake or if the chart had been a phony too. Who to believe?

When our child was born, I didn’t take the doctor’s word for it, or my husband’s word–I wanted to see! My eyes confirmed that the chart and the ultrasound technician were right. It was a boy.

I’d encourage all expectant women to try the Chinese birth chart with a few caveat warnings. I have known one woman who did have a child with a sex opposite than what the chart predicted. Therefore, I’d encourage parents who opt to use the information to do so with an open mind and realize that it might not predict the gender of your child. I’d also caution expectant mother’s to use the chart correctly. You must use your age when you will give birth, and the month you conceived to determine results. It can be a little confusing as many times, your age when the baby is born will be different than your age when the child was conceived. Also, you might not know exactly when the child was conceived! Let’s see….was it LATE June or EARLY July?

Whatever your results, I wish you happy charting!

It’s the first question everyone asks pregnant women, to the point most expectant mamas consider getting a t-shirt printed with “boy”, “girl” or “don’t know” on the bump.

Kudos to all the mamas who have the patience to wait and get a surprise, but most of us want to know straight away if it’s a boy or a girl!

So how can you find out? And how reliable are the different methods? Let’s run down the ways you can tell.

Ultrasound. This is how most moms find out the gender. At 20 weeks, it’s about 85-95% accurate, depending on the skill of the ultrasound technician. A prediction of a boy is more accurate than a prediction of a girl. Seeing a penis is a pretty good bet it’s a boy, but not seeing a penis doesn’t mean it’s a girl – baby could have his/her legs closed, or the cord could be in the way.

To get the best chance of the technician being able to tell you if it’s a boy or girl, baby needs to be awake and moving about, not curled up asleep. Have your ultrasound just after your breakfast or lunch. Food increases your blood sugar which usually wakes baby up.

If you absolutely have to be certain about the gender, because you just have to order that pink or blue crib set, consider having a second ultrasound at one of those commercial 3D/4D ultrasound places to confirm.

Amniocentesis Depending on your age, on the result of other tests, and any medical conditions you have, your obstetrician may recommend amniocentesis. It’s a draw of amniotic fluid from the uterus which will be tested for various markers. In addition to other results from the test, it will tell you with over 99% certainty whether baby is a boy or a girl. Amniocentesis is a risky procedure and not to be done just to find out gender, but if your doctor does want to do this test, you can find out baby’s gender for sure.

Mother’s Instinct Are you having boy dreams? Are you convinced you are having a girl? Well, you are probably right. Moms who guess their baby’s gender are right 65% of the time, and dads who guess are right 50% of the time.

Chinese Birth Chart You know, the one that predicts gender based on mom’s age and month of conception. A word to describe this – bogus. I’ve heard so many moms swear by this, even going so far to plan the month of their baby’s conception to get their desired gender. Think about it – if babies’ genders were organized so neatly by month, wouldn’t everyone be conceiving their kids this way?

Home Tests The Intelligender kit is a home test where you add your pee to a jar of chemicals, and watch for it to change color. Orange means a girl, green means a boy, any time after 10 weeks gestation, and all for $30. Their website claims “up to 90% accuracy”. Key words are “Up To” or in other words, “half right” counts as “up to 90%”.

Googling “intelligender” brings up lots of cross moms who got the wrong results, but the Intelligender website has lots of testimonials from happy moms. So who knows? If you have a spare $30 and don’t take the results too seriously, it might be worth a go.

Lab Tests Baby Gender Mentor sells a test for $250 which claims to be “highly accurate” in determining the gender of a baby from a sample of the mother’s blood.

Apparently a small amount of the baby’s DNA is present in mom’s blood, and the lab detects if it has XY or XX chromosomes, for a boy or a girl.. Moms send a blood sample to a lab, and get the results within 48 hours. The company used to claim the results were “over 99.9%” accurate, but has since removed these claims from it’s website after legal action from several mothers who got the wrong results. I’d say give this one a miss.

Old Wives Tales. Spinning your wedding ring over your bump. Morning sickness for boys. Or is it morning sickness for girls? Bump out front, it’s a boy, wide load, it’s a girl. Peeing in Drano to see it change color. Craving for sweet things, it’s a girl, craving sour food, it’s a boy. And many, many more. All guaranteed to be right 50% of the time, but lots of fun, at baby showers, and especially for moms who don’t know or want a surprise. (But please, mamas, don’t pee in Drano.)

What are your favorite old wives tales? were they right for you?

All ultrasound systems help in determining the following:

~ Determining the age of the baby
~ Analyzing development of the baby
~ Evaluating multiple pregnancies
~ Detecting structural problem with uterus
~ Detecting placental abnormalities
~ Detecting abnormal bleeding
~ Determining ectopic pregnancy
~ Detecting ovarian tumor/fibroids
~ Locating the placenta

But aside from the usual trans-vaginal ultrasounds (done early in the pregnancy to determine if there is a baby growing inside you) and pelvic ultrasounds (performed during the second and third trimester), there are three other specialized ultrasounds you may choose to have or that may be prescribed for you to get in the course of your pregnancy:

The 4D ultrasound
The latest in ultrasound technology, this type allows live action images of the unborn child. For 20-40 minutes, you can watch your baby smile and turn in living color. Usually, you also get a video or printed shots. Keepsake clinics where these can be gotten (aside from hospitals) are generally strictly-monitored, with this ultrasound having to be medically ordered/required (usually tied up with a congenital anomaly scan) and performed by a licensed sonologist. Usually performed between the 20th-27th week.

the congenital anomaly scan/screening
This is a very detailed scan where special attention is given on the fetus’ body parts. It can also detect possible congenital anomalies with varying detection percentages like Spina Bifida (90%), Anencephaly (99%), Hydrocephalus (60%), Congenital heart disease (60%), Exomphalos /gastroschisis (90%), Major kidney problems (85%), Major limb abnormalities (90%), Diaphragmatic Hernia (65%), Cleft lip and palate (80%) and Down Syndrome (50%). It is also performed between the 20th-27th week of pregnancy.

biophysical profile (BPP)
A BPP is usually performed in the last trimester of a pregnancy, often ordered for women with high-risk pregnancies. This test measures the health of the fetus by measuring the baby’s heart rate, muscle tone, movement, breathing, and the amount of amniotic fluid around the baby.

High-risk pregnancies or strong illness histories could prompt your OB to order the above, whether you like it or not. But parents also have a choice to request for a 4D ultrasound or congenital anomaly scan. However, it will be good to note of the controversies surrounding these two.

Some from the medical field believe that a 4D ultrasound usually has “non-medical indications”, after all, having a keepsake usually overwhelms the true purpose of the ultrasound for the expectant parents. Obstetricians are also divided when it comes to congenital anomaly scans since it does not really offer guarantees, something that was detected now could still mend itself in due time or something could not be detected at all.

Such scans purport to forewarn about possible medical problems a baby might have so parents can deal with it accordingly, like having a heart doctor ready for a baby detected to have a heart anomaly. But it also raises the issue of depression among parents during a time when ignorance could may very well be bliss (e.g. in minor cases as a cleft palate which wouldn’t require URGENT surgery or intervention, but would nonetheless burst the expectant parents’ happy bubble). And in case there is a major anomaly detected, like Down’s Syndrome, will the parents abort the baby? Can they still enjoy the pregnancy knowing they are to expect a child with disabilities? Will they have anyone to support them?

Thus, it is very important for parents to talk about the negative possibilities and their implications first before getting such tests.

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Ultrasound check up # 1

Congratulations! Your blood test showed that you are definitely pregnant. Now let’s have a look at your baby.

Hey, what have we here?’I see two little spots’one?two?Fancy having twins?

Ultrasound check up # 2

So let’s see how the 2 spots are doing today. Hey, this one’s doing great. See the heart beat? The other doesn’t look good, though. I don’t see a heart beat there.

Ultrasound check up # 3

Hmmm, sorry, we’re definitely down to one embryo here. The other one is not viable. Don’t worry. It’s a fairly common thing – the disappearing twin phenomenon. But this one here is growing fast and going strong!

Ultrasound check up # 4

Hello? what have we here? Two heart beats! No, I’m talking about this one spot here. You actually have two embryos in there! Yes, there are definitely two hearts beating in there. It seems like we’re back to having twins after all. Congratulations!