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Original poster

Sexing via scans and litigation!! Who would?

42 replies

Piffleoffagus · 17/06/2004 16:57

Apprently some hospitals refuse to sex on ante natal scans incase parents litigate if they are wrong...
OK, call me naive but who would litigate? does this mean if people found out the baby was the other sex they would end the pregnancy? is it because they paint the nursery pink or blue and want a refund?
Did anyone ever have a sexing during a scan, and them not say, we could be wrong, but it sur points to being s/he...?
Baffled

OP posts:
frogs · 23/06/2004 16:55

They were right about the important bits, though, webmum -- he didn't have an enlarged heart or inflammation of the brain, which is what they were actually looking for.

I didn't realise you were currently pregnant, otherwise I wouldn't have posted that comment. But I suspect because finding out the sex is not actually that important, they're a bit more cavalier about it than they would be when looking for a specific anomaly.

BTW I've never heard anyone say a bad word about UCH, which is pretty amazing considering all the bad press the alternative hospitals get.

webmum · 23/06/2004 16:56

yes

but you are led to believe they are quite accurate, I can't get round the fact that frogs was shown labia and ovaries that did not exist!

This is quite a HUGE mistake isn't it???

webmum · 23/06/2004 16:59

Thanks Frogs but don't worry about your comment, you cannot know all the personal circumstances of everyone that posts here!!!

frogs · 23/06/2004 17:12

I think in fact it isn't such a huge mistake, as the sex organs start out hermaphroditic and only become differentiated into girl/boy as pregnancy progresses. At 20 weeks the testicles are usually still inside the abdomen, which is presumably the bit they mistook for ovaries. And in fact he was born with an undescended testicle, which probably compounded the confusion.

piglit · 23/06/2004 17:16

We were told that what they had seen was probably a scrotum but could also be the labia as they are similar in size and shape at 20 weeks.

bundle · 23/06/2004 17:18

at our 20 week scan my consultant was teaching someone else to do scans and when she came back into the room - and we'd asked the sex - she said oh yes, I thought I'd seen a hamburger which is the classic shape to describe the external female sex organs at that age iyswim

Jimjams · 23/06/2004 17:20

Yes male and female can look pretty similar. If you try sexing a baby mouse you will see what I mean

As others have mentioned earlier- scans seem to be next to useless for weight. DS1 (born at 8 lbs at 38 weeks) was measuring as being 10 on the scan- the consultant said he didn't believe it- same with ds1- measuring way bigger than he was. it was correct with head size though! (massive!)

I suppose the other hting is - of the baby is lying in wrong position you sometimes have to go back to check the heart etc- they wouldn't bother with sexing, but may be happier just to guess.

bundle · 23/06/2004 17:42

jimjams one of my colleagues used to sex chicks as a holiday job...

hmb · 23/06/2004 17:45

When I saw ds's bits it was a late scan and I was about 7-8 months gone.

Ironicaly they knew he was going to be a c-section and I had extra scans as they were worried he would be small. At two weeks early he was a respectable 9 2.

We also had to have a re-scan of the heart as he wouldn;t stay still long enough for them to do it......now some things haven't changed.

Jimjams · 23/06/2004 18:09

sexing chicks is really well paid. Unfortunately I can only sex mice which is no use to anyone!

bundle · 23/06/2004 18:10

very important to mice though, jimjams

hmb · 23/06/2004 18:16

Don't they just 'know'?

I take it that they are not like rats then JJ? Very large testicles, rats. If they were men they would be down to their knees.

Kittypickle · 23/06/2004 18:17

We're not told down here what sex it is from the scan for the reason of abortions. But, they are quite happy for you to fork out a hundred and fifty pounds next door at the private hospital for a sexing scan with your NHS consultant.

Jimjams · 23/06/2004 18:48

and hamsters even bigger. When they're babies it's hard to tell- easy with adults.

webmum · 23/06/2004 20:37

Frofs I didn't know that about genitals....with all the books I've read....

It makes more sense now. I wonder why don't they explain it properly onstead of putting up sgns in the hospital about not wanting to waste time sexingthe babies.

Thanks!!

eidsvold · 24/06/2004 09:00

dd had two anomaly scans at Kings due to her heart defect and accompanying Down's syndrome - their equipment for scans is very good and yet the obstetrician doing the scan did not say for certain dd was a girl - she only said it was 'probably' a girl..... This time in Australia the baby was just not in a position to cooperate with the sonographer in terms of exposing gender.

It is good to have some surprise with this pregnancy rather than knowing all we knew about dd - girl, heart defect and down's syndrome....

Original poster
Piffleoffagus · 24/06/2004 09:16

We have been told we will get 3d scans and extra testing to detect Noonan Syndrome in another pregnancy etc, if we want it (undecided)
We were not told with dd, but I went to babybond for sexing scan as I was so sure and I wanted to know, found out with ds too, next time will be a surprise, but both times I physically knew myself and wanted to check, a surprise would have been qute cool actually if either had been "wrongly" sexed!
NoW Frimley have changed and will sex if you ask.
With apprpriate disclaimers

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