Redo Ultrasound?

T.,
I wouldn't worry. I am a sonographer, and this happens frequently enough. Babies are not known for their compliance. We do live in a litigious world with malpractice fee's that are out of this world. Better safe than sorry for the Doctor's reading the study. As far as ultrasound creating heat, it does when using high power levels. These power levels have been scrutinized and studied for years and the ones used for diagnostic exams of babies are restricted to the lowest levels possible. I hope this helps. Take care.
C.

With my first son the doggone ultrasound technician's would've driven me to a nervous break down if I had let them! At EVERY single appointment the tech would tell me that some specific feature was a "possible sign of Down Syndrome." (Because of a specific genetic disorder, I had a CVS in my 11th week. Since they already had the genetic material I authorized a test for Down Syndrome too. The test came back negative so I knew he didn't have Down Syndrome.) I had a friend who was pregnant at the same time, and SHE was told that her baby looked like he only had one kidney. (He was born with two!)

Your baby is almost certainly perfect. They're just being ultra cautious. (And in our sue-happy country, they need to be!)

T., I am a perinatal ultrasound specialist and I know for a fact that this happens all the time. The best way to evaluate the spine is with the spine up and not all babies are totally cooperative when you go in for your anatomy scan. So don't worry. This is very common. The majority of the time if there is a major spinal defect there is usually brain anomolies as well. So relax. Things are probably fine and look forward to getting to see your baby again. T.

T., I work with ultrasound machines regularly in my job as a wildlife biologist. I measure things like fat depth and look for signs of pregnancy in harbor seals. I can tell you for certian, that sometimes I cannot see what I want to see due to the position of the animal. If your baby was postioned so that her spine was against the farthest wall of the uterus, it could be difficult to get a good image of the spine. I wouldn't worry, she'll be in a different position during your next visit and they can get a better look.

I wouldn't worry. You hear all the time about people who could find out the sex of their baby because he or she wasn't in the right position. This is the same kind of thing. It can be hard to see in there with everything they have to look through. Also, if they suspected something I'm sure they would have told you. The best thing you can do for you and your baby is just relax and enjoy your extra peek at your little girl!

My first child had SIX ultrasounds! And she was (and is) super healthy...but they were worried about all sorts of things...her head, her spine, her size...and in the end, they estimated her size at 10.5 lbs. at LEAST. She was 8! I would not be worried in the slightest that you are having another one. It wasn't until the sixth one that they could even see her gender (she kept crossing her legs), and ultrasounds are inexact on the best days.

Take care, and don't worry! Good luck with your pregnancy! Your daughter is due three days after mine was...Crystal came a week early (thank goodness).

Yes, I have two kids and it happened to me both times I went in for my first ultrasound. According to my technician I wasn't really quite at 19 weeks (my first child I was at 17-almost 18 weeks and with my second at a little over 18 weeks). They said that the baby is in a better position at closer to 20 weeks - at least that was what I was told. Anyway, both of my kids are just fine - with no issues. Try not to worry about it and enjoy getting to see your new little one another time.

Dear T.,
I think they probably just couldn't get a good view. I had several ultrasounds, and I remember them saying that my son wasn't giving them an easy time with certain things they needed to see. I wouldn't worry, though I know it's easier said than done.

Sounds to me like they really just could not see her spine enough to make sure! Stay positive, my ultrasounds never gave us a hint that something was wrong with my son...45 minutes old, my sister in law saved his life. Just stay positive and ask questions! We'll be praying for y'all!

T.,

As a mom who loves to have ultrasounds done during pregnancy, I would advise you to research the subject of ultrasound carefully. I just had one done to confirm whether we are having twins or not (we are)! But I happened upon an article the other day in a pregnancy mag that told of the dangers of ultrasound. It scared me badly enough that, twins or not, I'm not having any more done! In one particular study, they out a microphone inside a woman's uterus and did an ultrasound. When they played the sounds back, they said it was loud enough to sound like a subway train coming into a station. But the most alarming thing was that the ultrasound waves can, and do produce heat hot enough to cause fetal brain damage, and there is a correlation between frequent ultrasound and autism. You will make whatever choice you feel is appropriate, based on your current situation, but I just thought I'd give you a little heads-up on the issue. Chances are that you'll have a healthy baby, so try to relax. I know that it is a little scary sometimes, though. I am a little bummed that we won't be getting anymore photos of the babies for keepsakes. And we won't be able to tell the genders of the babies, but it's just not worth it. Well, I hope all goes well for you guys.

T.,

My general philosophy about stress/worry is not to do it until there is real reason to. Always assume the best until you KNOW different. I think you are jumping the gun here. Hang in there!

K.

Don't panic, with both of my kids I had to have the ultrasound redone. With my daughter I had one at 19 weeks, 21 weeks and again at 25 weeks. They could not get in to stay in the correct position long enough. With my son it was the same thing, he stayed in a very strange position until about 2 weeks before my due date. I was nervous also when they said I had to have it redone but I found out that it happens alot especially when the first one is done before the 20 week mark.

The same thing happened to me and everything turned out fine.
I was actually glad to come back because they couldn't tell the sex of the baby either. The next time we found out it was a boy when I was SURE we were having a third girl.

Dear T.,

I had the same issue with my daughter when I was about 19-20 weeks along. She was very "camara shy" so to speak. I schedules a follow up ultrasound a week later. She did a lot better that week because I was able to see all of the necessary bone structures, therefore everything was cleared up and I was to have a baby girl. Some babies just don't want to cooperate. My advice is to schedule another ultrasound in about a week or two. Also try to schedule the appointment at a time of the day when the baby isn't normally active. It might be a little easier if the kiddo is asleep to get the images needed. I know it was that way with my two boys that followed my daughter! =) Take care and I hope all goes well!

Sincerely,
C.