Tip Tuesday: The Love Of A Mother--Are Ultrasounds Really Safe?

No one questions that mothers love their children. No one questions that expecting mothers can't wait for their ultrasound date. The chance to peek into your own uterus and see your growing child? It's magical.

But it's also not proven to be entirely safe. I do a lot of reading...maybe too much. But when it comes to my kids, there's no such thing as keeping them too safe. When I was expecting my first child, I read and read and read...and I haven't stopped. But 6 years ago I read about the dangers of ultrasounds. That's when I decided that ONLY medically necessary ultrasounds would be the route we would go.

With our first son, the ultrasound showed that he might have an issue with his kidneys. The doctors wanted to be prepared in case something was wrong, that they'd be able to do kidney surgery on him right after birth. They scheduled a second ultrasound ten weeks later (32 weeks) and discovered the kidneys were totally healthy. When he was almost two weeks overdue, he failed the "kick counts" and the doctor told me to leave work and rush to an ultrasound. He was fine, just running out of room. So my first pregnancy I had three ultrasounds. Not what I had intended.

Every pregnancy there after, we've only had one ultrasound per child. No additional ultrasounds were necessary. This baby (yes, #4) we will probably have two ultrasounds. Why two? Well, we already had one (unintentionally) because the Doctors were looking for what we all thought was a ruptured cyst...turns out, it was a hemorrhage...and a baby. I will have one more ultrasound (around the "normal" 20ish weeks) to make sure everything is growing, that the placenta has attached as it should (a danger because of the hemorrhage/high risk pregnancy) and maybe, if baby cooperates, to see the gender.

And that's it. No extra ultrasounds. No "fun" pictures. Why? It's not safe. It's not necessary. And it could be harming the baby. Did you know that ultrasounds destroy sperm? They actually use it as a form of temporary sterilization. What makes it safe for a baby?

I've also heard the "it's my body and I can do what I want." Interesting. This is the same argument that pro-choice people use. But it's not just your body. It's affecting the baby as well.

According to WebMD, some parents are opting for a 4-D scan. "Some facilities are providing this scan at the parents' request without a specific medical indication. A moving picture interpretation is referred to as a 4-D ultrasound. According to the March of Dimes, the FDA, as well as many other experts, the use of these non-medical ultrasounds is discouraged since untrained personnel may provide inaccurate or harmful information."

No, thanks. I'm going to take the word of the FDA, the March of Dimes and the safety of my child over my want to see the baby.

My friend, fellow Conservative blogger and Doctor wrote an article about this subject. She says, "My son, and his twin who died, both hated the ultrasound. It seemed to cause them physical pain from what I observed. They became agitated. It is known that the amniotic fluid warms up at least a degree from the ultrasound."

Again, no one questions the love a mother has for her child. If every mother knew of the dangers and read more about all of their options, maybe they would put the safety of their child ahead of their want.

You'll see and hold your baby soon enough...let them be safe in the safest place in the world. Your womb. Don't open them up to unnecessary dangers.

Edit: Upon further research, I discovered that the Ethics Committee within the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has discouraged the use of non-medical ultrasounds during pregnancy. You can read their opinion here.