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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

pregnancy tests, scans, bloods etc? whats the point?

53 replies

workstostaysane · 06/02/2008 17:57

i mean,
if you are not going to end the pregnancy becuase there is a risk of Down's or any other abnormality, and you know you don't have syphillis, HIV and have been vaccinated for rubella,
why would you have the tests, except to see the pictures?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Lulumama · 06/02/2008 18:57

i think there is absolutely nothing wrong with questioning why we have certain tests... certainly, i think that most of us take for granted that we will see a healthy baby at the scan and that the bloods will all come back fine

but something that is easily forgotten is that low risk is not the same as no risk and even if things look absolutely tickety boo, no harm in having a think about what if scenarios.

Original poster

workstostaysane · 06/02/2008 18:58

were they really only introduced as standard 20 yrs ago?

OP posts:

Original poster

workstostaysane · 06/02/2008 19:08

juuule, those are some amazing stories.
i'll have to talk to dh and see what he thinks about the possiblity of us missing seeing stuff like that.

myself, i do still think that they are extraordinary but thankfully rare stories. and i guess i still think that what will be will be.

OP posts:

PortAndLemon · 06/02/2008 19:13

I know my MIL only got one in 1983 because a idiot doctor measured her fundal height and told her that her baby was shrinking(!) and probably had a life-threatening condition(!!), and I'm pretty sure my mother (who had last child in December 1982) didn't have any with any of us. So it seems likely that they became standard sometime between then and when that quote was recorded in 1987.

juuule · 06/02/2008 19:15

I had routine scans in 1986.

PortAndLemon · 06/02/2008 19:17

Getting your iron levels checked can also be useful -- easy to assume you're just suffering from pregnancy tiredness when you're actually very anaemic (I have friends that's happened to).

juuule · 06/02/2008 19:18

Checks for possible pre-eclampsia.

Original poster

workstostaysane · 06/02/2008 19:22

i know i'm anaemic.
and my SIL has had pre-eclampsia twice and it wasn't picked up on by any of her scans.

OP posts:

juuule · 06/02/2008 19:24

Not picked up by scan but your op asked about the value of tests during pregnancies.

Lulumama · 06/02/2008 19:26

pre eclampsia should be picked up by regular checking of the urine and BP, and checking for swelling.

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 06/02/2008 19:28

Plus bloods and wee are good for detecting conditions that mothers may develop during pregnancy such as gestational diabetes or anaemia.

lulu - what would happen if you were very anaemic and had an unattended birth? (Need to know actually because my iron levels often fall to about 7 - this is DC4 and previous birth was less than an hour. As such, midwife has instructed me in DIY birth, just in case!)

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 06/02/2008 19:29

Sorry - bit of XP on the anaemia angle!

hatrick · 06/02/2008 19:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Lulumama · 06/02/2008 19:37

i think the issue is if there is PPH.. low iron from the start of pregnancy can indicate possible issues such as low birth weight IIRC.. but i am no 100 % sure. if you were fearing the baby was coming before the MW, then you would call 999. there is some issue with the whole low iron in pregnancy as the aneamia can be simply physiological (sp) ie is caused by the blood being more dilute in pregnancy..

cannot do any harm to take spatone or floridex as a supplement, and eat a diet rich in iron, afaik!

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 06/02/2008 19:55

lulu - I live on Spatone these days and hope to keep my iron level at dizzy height of 10. If the birth is like the previous ones then I'm not worried about being on my own. If that does happen, the midwife will alert paramedics for me - but we're fairly rural. Last time the midwife arrived with 5 minutes to spare and the ambulance was cancelled, lord knows when it would have arrived! I just wouldn't want to be risking too much blood loss and passing out whilst I'm waiting.

Lulumama · 06/02/2008 20:05

i thikn 10 is on teh bordlerine isn't it? your Dh will be with you though at all times?

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 06/02/2008 20:14

10 is borderline but it's good for me. Hopefully DH will be here but I've had babies arrive 7 days early, on time and 10 days late. I'm sure it'll be fine. But I like to be prepared.

Original poster

workstostaysane · 06/02/2008 20:14

gosh duchess, my iron levels are 12 and i thought that was low.
bit of confusion about SIL: meant to say that she had all routine tests -blood, urine etc as well as scans and on both pregnancies they missed the pre-eclampsia.

OP posts:

bohemianbint · 06/02/2008 20:46

I'm reading this book which is absolutely fascinating; about midwifery in the 1950's and how far things have come in such a short space of time. Well worth a read if you want to see how some births panned out without the kind of care we have now. (Not all negative, I have to say, but very interesting.)

Lulumama · 06/02/2008 20:49

have just finished that book ! it is awe inspiring

bohemianbint · 06/02/2008 21:01

Isn't it great! I'm only half way through but I'm cramming it in every spare minute I can (when I'm not on here, obviously! )

asur · 06/02/2008 21:09

Haven't read all posts but just thought I'd give my experience.

I had no tests in either pregnancy - no urine, blood tests and no scans. HCP's were not happy with this but it was my decision. DS1 was (and is) fine. I ended up getting a blood test after having him and iron came back at 4! They re-tested and realised they'd messed up first test and my level was actually 13! Just shows that tests can be wrong.

DS2 was sadly stillborn at 28wks. We think he had trisomy 13 (no post mortom so not confirmed). This may have been picked up on a scan but that would have been at 20wks, I would not have ended the pregnancy which means I would have suffered an awful 8 weeks just waiting.

I know that in my next pregnancy I would again choose to decline all 'routine' tests.

It is very much personal choice though. I think many people do forget that scans are tests and do think of them as just a chance of a picture.

KacyB · 06/02/2008 21:10

The scans are not essential - I missed my 12 week scan and didn't have the downs test etc., I did have the anomoly scan at 20 weeks, obviously not to decide whether to keep the baby, but to make sure everything was progressing well and to make preparations for the birth - My notes covered the placenta position etc., as well as covering the major organs.
This is so your birth choice is as realistic as possible.
Plus, you get the BEST photo... I've been carrying mine round ever since and have got this really cute one of his hand waving in a little frame by my bed.
And, there is an element of relaxation knowing (as far as it's possible to know) that he's OK in there.

lollipopmother · 06/02/2008 21:34

But with all this opportunity to pay for 4-d scans and this and that it never even occured to me that it would be harmful. Personally I am not going to pay for any tests like that because I think it is thoroughly over the top, but I will have the tests done that are recommended to me as I am not a doctor and I hope that with all their training and wisdom they wouldn't knowingly send me into tests that could harm my baby.

hatrick · 06/02/2008 21:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

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