Reasuring and worrying. (Ultrasound Scanning)

Member Name: lexijoe

Product:	Ultrasound Scanning
Date:	18/02/03 (304 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: know what is happening inside you

Disadvantages: know what is happening inside you

I have only had three ultrasound scans. Two were with my now three month old daughter and the other was in an earlier pregnancy that turned out to be a blighted ovum (i.e. there was no baby in the pregnancy sac). The first scan I went into without any knowledge of what it might show and was ignorant in the fact that I was pregnant and that was that. I had to wait an hour and a half before actually being seen and couldn't bring myself to look at the screen for some reason. I even joked with the person doing the scan whether there was anything actually there. I will never forget the look on her face.

An actual scan consists of lying on an examination table with your belly out and having some lubricating jelly squeezed onto your skin. The jelly used to be cold to the skin but on my last two scans it was warm like Ralgex. A handheld scanner is then rubbed over the jelly on your skin and a picture of your insides will appear on a monitor. For your first scan it is useful to have a full bladder so they can identify it and dismiss it.

There are also things called internal scans which use a different type of probe and is inserted internally for a closer picture. I have also had one of these scans and they are not very nice to say the least.

For my next two scans I read up on what they would be looking for and went into the examination with my eyes wide open. I was prepared for the worst but happily there was nothing apparently wrong and my daughter was just beginning her journey. I had my next scan at 21 weeks pregnant and was amazed to be able to see her sucking her thumb and moving around. So much so that the examinator asked me to walk around the room to see if I could move her so she could see all four chambers of her heart.

At both scans I was nervous and scared and I think the worrying is not good for you. On the other hand it is good to actually find out whether the pregnancy is progressing well and that there are no problems
.

When I was told that there was something wrong with my first pregnacy my mind went blank and I felt numb. There is nothing to compare with the joy of seeing your child in its first stages growing inside you but also the other side of the coin is just as powerful an emotion. You can leave that room feeling on top of the world or like the bottom has just fell out of it.

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