Gentlemen May Want to Look Away... Pregnancy Advice

[kpzra]

The water thing depends, I never had to drink any special amount.

[Kogarashi]

The letter I got said it was for an Obstetrical B Scan, and from what I've seen, in BC at the local hospitals here, it's not done transvaginally unless you're quite overweight or if the baby is too deep in the pelvis and they want to see the fetus better.

for a transabdominal, you drink all the water so it acts as a magnifier/conductor thingie for the image. If they couldn't get a clear view on that, then I would have had a transvaginal, and that doesn't need the water.

Basically what CoffeeMonkey said. I'm kind of surprised at the request that you actually drink the extra water, but that may just be differences between your doctor's office and the one where I went for my three. Mine just told me not to go to the bathroom for a few hours prior. But yeah, if they're using the one on your belly, they need the water to help with the picture (and, in some cases such as early pregnancy, to help push the uterus up a bit so they can see without the pelvis in the way).

I've actually had abdominal and transvaginal scans in the same visit before. They started with the abdominal, then sent me to the bathroom to pee when they decided they needed to do some double-checking with the transvaginal. Uncomfortable, but not horrible. The office where I went, at least, used a condom and lube on the wand to make it more comfortable overall.

For the first ultrasound visit, I think they're going to take a lot of measurements (at least, if it's the first trimester screening). They want to check a whole bunch of things to make sure the baby is growing well, and possibly to double-check if they've calculated the duedate correctly. They can also catch little potential problems to keep an eye on. I actually had three ultrasounds in three months with my third child because of a pair of cysts in the placenta that could have caused issues with the blood flow in the umbilical cord, but thankfully didn't. The second and third visits were just to keep an eye on things, until they determined that the cysts didn't pose a concern anymore. All I can say to that is thank goodness for great insurance.

[fireheart]

Some hospitals as well may do a CD-ROM of the ultrasound pics. While mine wasn't because I was pregnant or anything (it was to find out why I was having chronic UTI's), I still had to go through the same process regardless (drink a litre of water and hold it). On top of that, because my bladder was so irritated, I was doing the pee dance all the way on the bus and through to the radiology place. The only tip I got from the radiology place (when I rang to book/confirm my appointment) was to not drink it in one go, but to drink it in 200-300ml "shots".

afterwards, they sent a copy of the pics to the doc and I also received a copy of the pictures (and the ultrasound report). Of that I learned that one of my ovaries is a bit bigger than the other and that my uterus is retroverted.
I still have that CD floating around somewhere-it's quite interesting seeing your kidneys, uterus and bladder via ultrasound

[Teefies2]

Thank you everyone for all of your advice. But yesterday I discovered that I had miscarried sometime recently.

There was bleeding when I got up in the morning yesterday (June 21). A small amount but my husband and I went to the ER anyway. When they did the ultra sound they looked for a heartbeat and couldn't find any. The ER doctor was very kind when he told us that I had lost the baby around 7 weeks old. I still haven't passed it yet.

I will keep up with this thread though because my husband and I don't give up so easily.

And I pray that Ellain and Ardra will have amazingly easy pregnancies and births!

I'm so sorry I miscarried my third and I was sooo devastated. Take the time you need to grieve ... and know that there is an angel waiting to meet you in heaven.

[PawnPrincess Ardra]

My coworker actually had an excellent idea... I'm bringing my tablet to "tape" the ultrasound and heartbeat. It will be a fantastic way to tell my grandma when I'm ready. She's been bugging me about wanting more great grandkids for YEARS (sorry, Grandma, some of us have a little more trouble getting pregnant LOL)

[NorthernZel]

My coworker actually had an excellent idea... I'm bringing my tablet to "tape" the ultrasound and heartbeat. It will be a fantastic way to tell my grandma when I'm ready. She's been bugging me about wanting more great grandkids for YEARS (sorry, Grandma, some of us have a little more trouble getting pregnant LOL)

Just a word of warning... if you're going to film the screen from your POV the image may seem "grainy" enough that it is hard to tell. Do ask your OB/GYN if it is possible to get prints of the scan on either print-outs or CD-ROM which you can then scan/upload to your tablet.

(I ordered a couple of prints from my first scan (got them at once and paid approx. 20 DKK = $3.50 per piece, the money went to a charity that the hospital supported), and they were so crisp and detailed that I could see Lil Zel's facial features. This was in week 12 of gestation and it was a 2D scan)

[PawnPrincess Ardra]

good idea NorthernZel - I was going to see if the fiancee could hold the tablet, but I will definitely ask about the prints/cd rom as well. Should be interesting

[Ellain]

PawnPrincess Ardra, I was just checking to see how things are going with you. This thread's been a bit quiet recently!

Today I get to have a pelvic exam (which should be extra fun, as I'm painfully swollen down there), and I get to hear the heartbeat. I've elected to skip the first ultrasound, as i can never make sense of the images, and I'd rather see a baby in the picture, rather than a seamonkey, lol. I plan to get one in September though, or earlier if something seems to be wrong.

I'll probably post another update after my appointment this afternoon.

[AlmightyALT]

I hope everything is going good for Ellain and Ardra! Hopefully we'll be able to see some pics soon!

[PawnPrincess Ardra]

Things are fantastic in this house... except for my weirdass emotions LOL Poor Fiancee (we'll call him E)! Had the ultrasound (because I'm older, it was highly recommended) and baby is on it's 9th week. Heartbeat is VERY strong (got a video, thanks to the uberawesome tech) and it's got excellent placement. I will try later on to scan a pic from the ultrasound, baby was just chillin' in there I shed a couple tears and E had to take a seat when he finally got to come into the room - I refused to look until he was there, to the tech's amusement. So yep, things are pretty good, and napping is my new best friend. Another good thing, I've got an appointment on the 25th with Awesome Midwife that delivered both my niece and nephew. She's REALLY hard to get, but with my bro and his girlfriend having been former clients, she made an exception. Baby's due date is Feb 15th. Whew! And... let the nesting continue LOL (it's a real thing, when all this time I thought people were plain crazy!)

[FormerCallingCardRep]

Your baby's due on Little Bit's birthday.

Hopefully everything will be smooth sailing

[Ellain]

We heard the heartbeat yesterday, it sounds perfect. My husband was so excited he forgot to record it, but the midwife was nice enough to take out the machine a second time for him. We also met with the last doula we were interviewing, and we think we know which one we are going to hire.

As for that little swelling problem, I am now taking antibiotics and sitting on ice packs. It should go away in a few days, thank god!