How safe are repeated scans ? And should they be spaced out

[CoconutGirI]

I had an incident where my bump earlier got hit and I've had cramping and back pain for hours. It's not easing.
I contacted maternity and they rung me back to say no need to come unless I'm having bleeding then they'd assess me.
This is still causing me stress. I feel like it's consuming me.
I'm wondering how safe it is to have a scan? I had a scan 9 days ago , my 20 weeks scan. It says scans are safe but some say scans should be spaced 4-8weeks apart to avoid time baby is exposed to ultrasounds. I find this confusing if they are 'safe' .
Some sites have suggested the can cause birth defects and development issues in childhood. Autism, speech ect
I wanted to book a private scan for my own sanity to check baby is ok but I'm worried anout having the scan so soon. I'm 21 weeks now start of this week and I've already had 5 scans . I hadn't planned on anymore until a 30 week gender scan but feel if I don't book a scan now to check baby is ok after hitting it, I'll go insane as the force of the impact felt so bad.

I think scans are safe so get one for peace of mind, but baby is protected by water so shouldn't have felt impact. How did you hit it?

I had scans every fortnight from 16 weeks for my mcda twins. If they were harmful I don’t think they’d be recommended. I’d ask for one just for peace of mind.

@XelaM I was lying on the sofa and my pet cat leaped down from the top of sofa onto my stomach directly on bump where baby is as its laying across my bottom of belly. I don't know how heavy he is but he's quite a sturdy boy and the impact had me doubled over in pain Shortly after that I started getting bad cramping and it back pain but maternity won't see it unless i start bleeding . I know he's just a cat and it's not about his weight but I'm more worried about the force he hit me with as he's very boisterous and it felt like he pushed deep into my lower belly when he leaped on

As others have said ultrasound scans are safe otherwise they wouldn’t be used as frequently as they are. I’ve had to have extra scans too and like @Elephantswillnever said they wouldn’t be recommending them if they weren’t safe. The internet can be a minefield when you’re worried about something but try to only check reliable websites where it’s healthcare professionals offering advice and guidance on things. Keep an eye on how you’re feeling if your cramps and pain get worse do ring the maternity unit again.

If there's any correlation between extra scans and baby's development, it's probably because whatever caused the extra scans has also caused the developmental issues. I.e., a baby who has issues which will affect their development picked up before birth might well have extra scans. The scans haven't caused the issues though. So I wouldn't worry about that.

However as others have said, baby is generally pretty well protected at this point anyway.

Interesting, I've never seen this risk anywhere, and I've had ALLOT of scans. The only advice re spacing them out had come from the perspective than measurements can be inaccurate so a good gap of 2 weeks is recommended to iron out those fluctuations.

I tried to book a private scan at Window to the Womb and they said I had to wait as my hospital scan was in a week and they recommended at least 2 weeks between scans. So maybe there is something in it, but the NHS believes there isn't any risk so I'd go with their advice.
The best thing you can do is take it easy and stop worrying. If you're worried about baby's movements drink an ice cold glass of water and lay on your left hand side. It should get baby moving again. Xxx

I wouldn’t worry. I had a toddler jump on my belly multiple times when pregnant with their sister. It’s more likely you’ve been injured than the baby. Have you felt much movement yet?

I've never seen warnings re number of scans, the 2 week rule is to ensure that there is sufficient gap between measurements that any inaccuracies (different sonographer, babies position ect) are 'absorbed' to give a truer picture of how the pregnancy is progressing.

ultrasound scans are perfectly safe. I would ignore random Internet sites as they peddle misinformation and will only make you more anxious. you are better off speaking to your doctor/midwife. but you genuinely have nothing to worry about with scans. we do them ALL the time, because they are safe. its x rays that are a bit risky (especially early on).

tbh what you describe is not a major impact, but have a scan for reassurance by all means.

Scans use sound waves to make a picture of the baby. They are completely safe. I'm in the US and my obstetrician had a sonogram/ultrasound machine in every examination room and did a quick scan at every pregnancy visit.

Repeated scans are fine. I was under the care of a recurrent miscarriage specialist clinic and there were times when I had scans one day apart. Everyone said it was totally fine. So don't worry.

Very unlikely that the baby has been harmed by the bump. Hope it all works out ok for you xxx

I’ve had scans every 2 weeks with both my pregnancies. I was told to wait 2 weeks between scans so they can see a development, not because it was unsafe. I’ve previously had 2 scans 5 days apart to double check something.

Perfectly safe and I would be calling triage back and saying you aren't happy and want checked ✨

Please don't worry about the scans. I'm 27 weeks and have had 4 so far, with 3 more booked in. I needed two early scans due to a previous ectopic to check the location, my trust offers scans at 12, 21 and 36 weeks as standard and I have growth scans at 27+6 and 31+6 booked in.

I've known women who have had 10+ scans due to needing lots of growth scans.

The NHS wouldn't do so many scans if they weren't safe.

OP, this is the third thread I’ve seen you start about your cat jumping on you. You are clearly very distressed about it and the stress you’re feeling will be far worse for the baby than either the impact or the scan.
Go and see someone for your peace of mind so you can stop worrying.

My dog is 10kg and has jumped directly on to my bump a few times it hurts but doesn't do baby any harm she's well protected and still moving about. Obviously I don't encourage it but stuff happens and as others have said lots of people have a toddler bouncing around on them during pregnancy with no ill effects.
Re scans I had 2 x 12 weeks scans 1 week apart because they couldn't get measurements then had to have 3 x 20 week scans all within 2 weeks due to being referred to fetal medicine and again not being able to see what they wanted to. All is fine and there was never any mention of scans causing issues.