Sonogram question

Sonos are optional...all pre-natal care is. Not that anyone wouldn't want to do what's best for their baby!!

Just out of curiosity, why wouldn't you want one done? It's painless and studies have shown that it's not harmful to the fetus. It's truly an awesome experience.

I am not sure. I would think having one sono is recommended so you can make sure that the baby has all of its limbs, brain stem, and the heart is functioning properly. yes, it is really amazing to see your baby growing inside you but there are some real medical reasons for a sonogram.
If you are worried for some reason about the safety of sonograms or the cost of a sonogram you should speak with your doctor about it.

You definitely DO NOT have to get it done. One of my friends tried for 6 years to get preggo and didn't get any testing done she could of gave birth to Big Bird and would have been happy I do agreet hat they are safe and an unbelievable experience

Actually thats why I was asking....I know many people who rather not have them because they figure what they are blessed with..is fine with them.

Thats why I was wondering.

Not to be to morbid or anything but what if GOD FORBID someone was carrying a fetus that was not alive?
A sono would show that.. It's obviously one of many reasons to have sono's done.
I would think that carrying a baby that wasnt alive longer than you had to would be even more painful.
I think its a little irresponsible to not have certain things done while your pregnant if it's in the baby's and the mothers best interest.. JMO

But the question was do you HAVE to get one done I would never not get one done, in fact I loved getting them done!!!!! I was sad when they said I won't have another until I'm closer to term

I am one of those women who are torn to be honest. Women were having babies way before sonograms were around. There are other ways to check the heartbeat and so on. I am sure they can also know if the fetus is alive or not. I am just not sure that I would opt to have one. If it turns out that there is something wrong with my baby...would I abort because I found this out? I dont know...but I may not want to know...I may just want to be and feel blessed no matter what. JMO.

ON the other hand I would love to experience what a lot of you ladies have and I cannot even imagine the sheer joy of it. So I dont know where I stand on this but as Stacey said..all I really wanted to know was does it HAVE to be done.

Thanks!

Noreen- Yes birth is a very natural process and yes, women have been doing it for a long, long, long time but a sonogram is about a lot more than a heartbeat. For one, you cannot hear the baby's heartbeat thru a doopler (what the doctor uses in the office) in the very beginning so there is no way of knowing the baby's health at that point without a sonogram. A co-worker of fine was pregnant, and at 9 weeks went for her sonogram. The baby was not formed at all. There was no heartbeat, no baby, just an empty placenta. Without the sonogram it would have been weeks more that she would have been 'pregnant' before a doctor would have known something was wrong. It was very, very sad.
Also, there are certain heart conditions, and other organ conditions that can be corrected in utero that without a sonogram they would never know about. Scott's nephew had a very bad kidney problem in utero and without a sonogram I am sure he would have been much sicker when he was born, plus the doctors might not have known what was the causes of the problems so quickly.
It has nothing to do with abortion either. Many of those 'types' of decisions come from genetic testing, not really sonograms. Scott's cousin had a baby with Downs, she was only 27. Now I have NO idea what she would have done had she known before hand, but I do know that she would have rather been prepared for the challenges than taken off guard like she was. The baby was in the ICU for weeks after being born, and she had to put her entire life on hold for months because of how many surgeries he needed. I think if they had known (a sonogram cannot tell this though) she and her husband could have arranged for their 2 year old to be cared for ahead of time, worked out job schedule issues, found the best doctors instead of just using who was on staff at that time and learned about the condition instead of trying to make decisions with 1 hours notice.
Being surprised in one thing, but giving your baby the best shot is another. Just something to consider.
I guess the only person who can answer the MUST I questsion is your doctor.