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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

have pointless scan booked for Thurs, who thinks I shouldn't cancel it?

34 replies

SenoraPostrophe · 24/07/2006 11:39

I know it sounds like an odd question, but in this area, you get 5 flippin scans. this will be the 4th (at just under 8 months). I can't be bothered, it's hot and I think it's pointless. I told the midwife I thought it was pointless and she said it isn't, it is necessary, and that women in Marbella (which I mentioned as an example of a place where they "only" have 3. didn't dare mention the uk!) have lots of complications. she also wrote "doesn't understand the importance of testing, is too busy for a scan!!!" in my little record book.

so anyway. I think excessive scans in normal pregnancies are pintless, a waste of time and money and even possibly detrimental to the women and babies. But given that they do do so many, they don't measure bumps and things that often.

I want to cancel the app, but can anyone give me a good reason why I shouldn't?

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Enid · 24/07/2006 11:40

I would cancel it

what on earth do they think they are going to find now??

Kelly1978 · 24/07/2006 11:42

I would cancel it, sod it! I had loads with the dts and most of them were pointless in the end. I def wouldn't do it with a single baby.

Iklboo · 24/07/2006 11:42

I would cancel - and complain at the patronising bint writing defamatory information in my record book (once I'd extracted it out of her @rse that is!)

Original poster

SenoraPostrophe · 24/07/2006 11:42

the consultant is a git too.

when I asked him he said it was highly necessary checking for complications.

maybe he's worried about losing his job.

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Original poster

SenoraPostrophe · 24/07/2006 11:44

oh god can't be arsed to complain though. I should have complained about dd's treatment 2 years ago, didn't, and everything has seemed insignificant since.

I'm glad you all agree!

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Kelly1978 · 24/07/2006 11:45

what complications?! They did a bloody scan on me right at the end, and still couldn't tell which way up the baby was! It gets harder to see as they get bigger in any case. That's one of hte reasons all the checks are done at 20 weeks in this country.

Gemmitygem · 24/07/2006 11:45

I would cancel it if you want: It's totally your decision and if you feel you don't want it, don't be intimidated. I love having extra ones just to see the baby, but it's different for everyone. Also, it might be useful to see what position the baby's in (though I guess it could change between now and the birth)..

Iklboo · 24/07/2006 11:46

DO you get charged for scans? I heard in the US hospitals will sometimes do unnecessary tests so they can bill the insurance companies loads

Gemmitygem · 24/07/2006 11:48

didn't see the bit about her writing that in your record book. How bloody patronising! Seems we still get treated like naughty schoolgirls if we dare to question 'authority!'

Medical professionals are supposed to be advising us and then respecting our choices, not telling us what to do!

Original poster

SenoraPostrophe · 24/07/2006 11:49

no, no charge.

It's very odd actually - you get loads of stuff on the spanish social security system that you don't get on the nhs - like scans and GBS tests- but they have far fewer nurses (I mean there are fewer posts - loads of unemployed nurses here) and far less in the way of equipment - eg no toddler beds in intensive care (dd was tied down with bandages because she didn't have a cot), no cot sides in the children's ward, not many toys etc.

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Original poster

SenoraPostrophe · 24/07/2006 11:50

gem - actually that's probably it. Spanish people simply don't question the authority of medical professionals (poss because many are still very grateful to have a health service at all)

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MrsJohnCusack · 24/07/2006 11:54

I would cancel
I had a scan at that time and it was horrible, had a trainee doing it so it took forever, and I kept fainting from lying on my back - which you're not supposed to do for any length of time at that point are you? so seems v. counter-productive

and they didn't pick up that she was a big baby, even though that's what they were scanning for....

Gemmitygem · 24/07/2006 11:56

i think the authority thing is bad in the uk too: people do think that 'doctor knows best', and just obey hospital protocols etc, and the language used to you when you're pregnant reinforces the idea that you must obey or submit to certain procedures as decided by them, rather than ever mentioning the fact that medical professionals can advise you, and you can choose at any point whether or not to take their advice and treatment (specially the stories you hear on mn and from friends during labour where people say 'I wasn't 'allowed' to eat anything, They didn't want to let me go overdue, I 'had' to stay on the bed etc etc.)

I'm due to give birth for the first time in Belgium in Oct, and I'm terrified of this authoritarian approach, cos probably in labour you don't have the strength to argue!

I've searched (in vain) on the net about hospital policies versus patient wishes, and there's not much beyond your right to refuse treatment, and this does worry me!

redz · 24/07/2006 12:00

I personally wouldnt cancell it. I have had 5 scans so far and thats only because my hospital are doing a extra care its the mothers choice if you want the extra ones. Im 32 weeks now and wont be having anymore. Its nice to see baby and that everything is going well.
In regards to your notes I put my own little notes on there they are mine! So when im not happy with someones work I make a note of it. It seems to give them a little kick uo the backside!

SSSandy · 24/07/2006 12:07

They do a lot more in Germany and I just went along with it and did them all TBH

SSSandy · 24/07/2006 12:10

They printed out little photos of the scan every time and I collected those and put them in her baby album - baby sucking her toe, blowing bubbles and floating upside down etc.

jamiesam · 24/07/2006 12:25

I agree with redz that you should add something to your notes under MW patronising comment, like 'MW failed to explain to me the importance of scaning at this stage. If a MW would give me the time to explain the need for this 4th scan I will give it my full consideration'.

In the meantime, can you find out why so many scans? (I've had 12 week and 20 week only this time around, and that felt like overkill as only had 12week scans with ds1 and 2)

You know, if they're looking for something in particular, that you/baby turn out to have, and you didn't have test (blah blah blah!) - but what it risk of not having scan to search for ?whatever? against risk of having too many scans???

Original poster

SenoraPostrophe · 24/07/2006 12:55

ha! at the photos. this consultant doesn't do them. presumably the money for them comes out of his wages. I only got one with ds when I saw the locum.

nobody has given me a good answer on what they're looking for though, jamiesam - that's partly why I asked on here. I can't for the life of me think what it might be that it isn't too late to do anything about anyway. they can tell if it's breach when I'm in labour, right?

re the notes - I think my midwife thinks I don't understand her (because I am english and she spanish). she didn't understand my explanation of why I didn't take the diabetes test (becase I'd had breakfast and the nurse told me that would make it invalid) anyway. god I'm glad this is nearly over.

Gem: you're right that you don't have too much energy to argue in labour, but it can still be OK. My advice to anyone in a foreign country giving birth (I've done it twice!) is to make a very short birth plan listing all of the things most important to you. anything that you can do sneakily (like eat) just do - make sure you waste as little energy as poss on arguing. not that you'll necessarily have to. also, can you visit the hospital beforehand?

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Arabica · 25/07/2006 01:26

Well, I'd have had the scan, but that's only because at your stage of pg, I knew my baby had a condition which needed to be monitored in case they needed to whip him/her out early and arrange an emergency op. There are some conditions (such as hydrocephalus, which my baby was suspected of having) which can be discovered at a late stage, but AFAIK they're all pretty rare.

Chandra · 25/07/2006 02:01

"Spanish people simply don't question the authority of medical professionals (poss because many are still very grateful to have a health service at all)"

A nice piece of stereotyping which totally misses the truth! everybody find treatment that differs from the one received in own country uncomfortable in someway or another, and Spanish, as any other population in the world also question their doctors. Now, bad practice and medical mistakes exist in every single country of the world, if you were here I guess you would be with us complaining of parts of the service that do not suit our needs (i.e. I waited 18m to get an appointment to have DS tested after a peanut reaction, took him to Spain and tests were ordered on the same day, so is not that bad...)

Now, as a curious piece of data most of my European and American friends were horrified at the idea of having a single scan. Waste of resources? perhaps, but if that's what people is used to...

Sakura · 25/07/2006 02:51

Well, this is my pet hate, so Im going for DEFINITELY cancel it! Im in Japan, and they are obsessed with technology and scanning here, some women have one once a week!
I managed to find a doctor and a midwife wholl humour my weird "foreign" beliefs and Im 31 weeks gone and Ive managed to go without having one scan. I may have one at my next check-up because they have been so good with me I might as well meet them half way. But on the other hand, it would only be to check the position of the baby (midwife can do that competently), and measure the babys head against my pelvis (to see if its too big), and they dont even have that one in the UK either, so I might just change my mind. And as you mentioned, because Ive had no scans, they have been very consistent with measuring my urine, fundal height, position of the baby etc at each check up-all things you can do without scans.

Sakura · 25/07/2006 02:52

Oh, and you have to pay extra here for each scan you get, so theres obviously more to it that medical purposes.

eidsvold · 25/07/2006 03:12

i had a scan - that I almost didn't go to - 10 days prior to due date. We knew our dd1 had a heart defect and down syndrome - had already had this was to be my 7th or 8th scan.

i almost did not go for the scan - couldn't see the point when I was so close to term anyway - even knowing what I did. Thank goodness i did - was having scan at 9.30am - dd1 was born by emergency c-section at 11.08am. It turned out i had poor dopplers - she was not getting any nutrition ( for want of a better term) and had not grown for two weeks. When they took her out and examined my placenta - it had packed it on and was pretty dire. It also turned out I had lost of a lot of amniotic fluid unknown to me and dd1 had to be treated for infection whilst in ICU - we were lucky.

I am not trying to scare you - just sharing my story - you have to decide what is best for you. My dh was the one who wais we had better go just to check everything was still okay with our babe. Thank goodness - it was one of the rare times I listen to him without disagreeing and doing my own thing anyway........

you need to decide however what is best for you.

poopy · 25/07/2006 05:23

I am glad you went too Eidsvold but surely more scans with a baby with DS is more common because it is more likely that there may be complications on top of the heart problem? Correct me if I am wrong
I had extra scans for DD and I still don't know why (I had had a prev. emergency cs due to DS being a big baby and long labour etc). All the scans told them was that DD was a big baby - I could have told them that for nothing due to the HUGE bump I was carrying .... and something told me that I wasn't going to have a 7lb tiddler after a 10lber .... It was pretty much a waste of time
BUT .... we did get a perfect full frontal view of DD's sleeping face which I still have etched on my mind and will treasure the memory forever - but no medical purpose obviously.

Sakura · 25/07/2006 06:18

eidsvold, were there NO signs to tell you that there was something wrong? I mean, no decrease in movement from the baby at all? Surely if the placenta was not working properly, the baby would not be very energetic in the womb, in which case I too would definitely have had a scan.

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