Ultrasounds. What are they good for?

The million dollar question at any Army post for YEARS has been how many ultrasounds the post hospital does for each pregnancy, and of course, where in town is good to go get more ultrasounds, because the post hospital never does enough for most of these people.

Ultrasound has got to be the most beloved technology surrounding pregnancy as we know it. I mean, who doesn't love seeing the baby, right? Babies are cute, and you can see the heart beating and know they're ok, and even make sure before they're born that they have all their fingers and toes! There are even 3D and 4D ultrasounds that will show you the baby's facial features. There are boutiques that do these, and even people who can bring the stuff to your house to do it. Ultrasound is a huge part of pregnancy these days.

Like most people, I didn't used to think there was anything wrong with it. I thought if they were harmful, they wouldn't be so popular (That's before I realized the error of they style of logic. Lots of things are popular that are certainly not good, especially when it comes to pregnancy. Hey, wasn't Thalidomide pretty popular back in the day?) Then I read an article from a very reputable British medical source which linked excessive numbers of ultrasounds during pregnancy, to speech delays among the children. That opened my eyes enormously. I have a speech delayed child, and I had an excessive number of ultrasounds while pregnant with her. Since I went so far past 40 weeks, the compromise to avoid an induction was to check fluid levels and placenta function frequently (daily toward the end) by ultrasound. I probably had a dozen ultrasounds while pregnant with Erin, and it probably harmed her.

It's like anything else. Nobody does it for malicious reasons. Most people are just going with what their care provider recommends for them, and currently, a lot of care providers recommend ultrasounds, some frequently. It's something to question, though. Sure, it's fun to see the baby, but is it worth the risks? Honestly, I don't believe it is. Since learning of all these things, I say no to ultrasounds. I did have a minimal number of them with Orren and Chaiyo/Sirikit, but honestly, in retrospect, I probably would not have requested those either.

Here's a good concise article outlining the links to possible harm coming from ultrasounds. It cites its sources as well, which I find important.

Say no to ultrasound unless there is some medical indication for it. Is it really THAT hard to wait until the baby is born to see him/her? You know the ultrasound image doesn't look that much like the baby anyhow. Think before you consent/request.