Anatomy Ultrasound Questions

[21yrsurvivor]

I'm 19 weeks along and tomorrow I have my anatomy ultrasound, which is making me nervous...every ultrasound makes me nervous lol. Anyway, they say to drink 32 oz of water an hour before the ultrasound do I need to finish it an hour before the ultrasound or start drinking an hour before the ultrasound? They aren't very clear on that. Also how long does it take?

Kaiser Permanente patients: Do they do a 3D ultrasound with that ultrasound? Do they send you home with pics?

 

[Chiochick]

I would say finish it an hour before the ultrasound so it gives it time to go through you.
But I guess idk. I just make sure to always have a full bladder when I go in. They've never told me a set amount.

 

[cnote]

I have Kaiser (San Jose) and I went into my anatomy scan with a full bladder, and they told me to go pee because my bladder was so full, the baby was too squished to stretch out! They told me after the first trimester that you don't have to go in with a full bladder anymore. Also, yes, my u/s tech did give us a 3D peek, but only for a minute. It was 95% 2D.

 

[21yrsurvivor]

I have Kaiser (San Jose) and I went into my anatomy scan with a full bladder, and they told me to go pee because my bladder was so full, the baby was too squished to stretch out! They told me after the first trimester that you don't have to go in with a full bladder anymore. Also, yes, my u/s tech did give us a 3D peek, but only for a minute. It was 95% 2D.

Thank you for writing! I was goin off what they said on a letter that was sent to me. Did you get some pics to take home? My boyfriend is a long distance truck driver and is gone 2-3 weeks at a time and only has 2 days off at a time and unfortunately his days off are weekends. He wanted to see pics. He's so excited about becoming a dad and always wants to see pics from ultrasounds.

 

[Laylagirl]

I have Kaiser (San Jose) and I went into my anatomy scan with a full bladder, and they told me to go pee because my bladder was so full, the baby was too squished to stretch out! They told me after the first trimester that you don't have to go in with a full bladder anymore. Also, yes, my u/s tech did give us a 3D peek, but only for a minute. It was 95% 2D.

Thank you for writing! I was goin off what they said on a letter that was sent to me. Did you get some pics to take home? My boyfriend is a long distance truck driver and is gone 2-3 weeks at a time and only has 2 days off at a time and unfortunately his days off are weekends. He wanted to see pics. He's so excited about becoming a dad and always wants to see pics from ultrasounds.

I just had my 20 week anatomy scan on Friday at Kaiser in Fontana, Ca...I started drinking water about two hours before the appointment.. and finished my 32 oz an hour before my appointment.,, that felt like a mistake.. I had to go to the bathroom so bad before my appointment., the tech said the reason they need a full bladder is because it shows them the cervix. They have to see the cervix to make sure it's closed.., he said if I went in there without a full bladder, he would have to do an internal exam...

Anyway, that's what he said..


And we did get to take a lot of pictures home... there was no 3D pictures at all though over here..

 

[21yrsurvivor]

I have Kaiser (San Jose) and I went into my anatomy scan with a full bladder, and they told me to go pee because my bladder was so full, the baby was too squished to stretch out! They told me after the first trimester that you don't have to go in with a full bladder anymore. Also, yes, my u/s tech did give us a 3D peek, but only for a minute. It was 95% 2D.

Thank you for writing! I was goin off what they said on a letter that was sent to me. Did you get some pics to take home? My boyfriend is a long distance truck driver and is gone 2-3 weeks at a time and only has 2 days off at a time and unfortunately his days off are weekends. He wanted to see pics. He's so excited about becoming a dad and always wants to see pics from ultrasounds.

I just had my 20 week anatomy scan on Friday at Kaiser in Fontana, Ca...I started drinking water about two hours before the appointment.. and finished my 32 oz an hour before my appointment.,, that felt like a mistake.. I had to go to the bathroom so bad before my appointment., the tech said the reason they need a full bladder is because it shows them the cervix. They have to see the cervix to make sure it's closed.., he said if I went in there without a full bladder, he would have to do an internal exam...

Anyway, that's what he said..


And we did get to take a lot of pictures home... there was no 3D pictures at all though over here..

How funny! I'm going to the Kaiser in Redlands for mine, then I have to go to the one in Fontana on the 19th for a detailed ultrasound of the baby's head/face because of a medication I take there's a very very small chance that he could have a cleft lip, so they want to make sure he has no abnormalities on his face from that medication. I highly doubt he does but they got to make sure.

About how long was the ultrasound? I'm going to have a terrible time holding my bladder. I have been terrible lately with having to go to the bathroom. My poor boyfriend and family whenever they take me somewhere with them I'm always having to go to the bathroom, of course it doesn't help when you have to drink so much water all the time like the doctors say.

 

[Laylagirl]

I would definitely say to drink the water an hour before your appointment... and tell the tech right from the start that you'll have to empty your bladder.. so that they can do what they have to do and get you some relief asap.. the exam was about 45 minutes long... lots of measurements and on the baby, the fluid, everything.. the exam took about 45 minutes, but he let me use the bathroom after about 15 minutes... I was in so much pain to go.. lol

I had my last baby at the Kaiser in Ontario, but they are so overcrowded there.. 😏 Hopefully the one in Fontana is as good as ontario... I just might drive over to the ontario hospital for the delivery.. so not sure.. make sure to update on how your experience went.. and do you know if you're having a boy or girl yet? Or will it be a surprise?

 

[21yrsurvivor]

I would definitely say to drink the water an hour before your appointment... and tell the tech right from the start that you'll have to empty your bladder.. so that they can do what they have to do and get you some relief asap.. the exam was about 45 minutes long... lots of measurements and on the baby, the fluid, everything.. the exam took about 45 minutes, but he let me use the bathroom after about 15 minutes... I was in so much pain to go.. lol

I had my last baby at the Kaiser in Ontario, but they are so overcrowded there.. 😏 Hopefully the one in Fontana is as good as ontario... I just might drive over to the ontario hospital for the delivery.. so not sure.. make sure to update on how your experience went.. and do you know if you're having a boy or girl yet? Or will it be a surprise?

Thank you so much for all the info! You are awesome! I have been to the Ontario Kaiser too, but not for OB. The Fontana hospital is nice (not sure the L&D floor) but the rooms are nice though. The downside to Fontana is the parking...OMG I hate the parking! You have to get there an hour in advance just to find a parking spot lol. I will be having my baby at Fontana because it's the closet kaiser hospital, I'm all the way up in Yucaipa. We found out it's a boy at 16 weeks at an outside ultrasound place in Colton. So we are excited.

 

[cnote]

Now I'm wondering if they even did the exam correctly, because they didn't even mention checking my cervix! Lol. They gave us a few photos to send home, but the sort of grainy 2D ones. My husband took video of various parts of the U/S, and the freeze framed the good pics from it. The whole thing was about 45 minutes, like the other poster said. Also, if you mention your SO couldn't make it and would love photos, I'm sure they'll go out of their way to give you good ones. Ask if you can get a 3D/4D peek too

 

[21yrsurvivor]

Now I'm wondering if they even did the exam correctly, because they didn't even mention checking my cervix! Lol. They gave us a few photos to send home, but the sort of grainy 2D ones. My husband took video of various parts of the U/S, and the freeze framed the good pics from it. The whole thing was about 45 minutes, like the other poster said. Also, if you mention your SO couldn't make it and would love photos, I'm sure they'll go out of their way to give you good ones. Ask if you can get a 3D/4D peek too

I was definitely going to mention that he can't be there for it and how bummed he is about it. I'm drinking all this water right now and I'm already in hell LOL. I have been have a trouble time holding my bladder lately. I hope I'll get some pics to take home and show my SO, he loves seeing ultrasound pictures.

 

[21yrsurvivor]

So the ultrasound seems to have gone well. The ultrasound woman wasn't that nice though, kinda on the snotty side. I got 5 of the same pics (all in 2D no 3D was done). I was hoping for a 3D or at least see a side profile shot, nope.

On the plus side, his heartbeat sounded great and he was actually relaxed this time, he stayed still. He occasionally moved his arms and legs. He was definitely taking a nap LOL. I won't know the results of anything till the 24th when I see my doctor. So I'm hoping everything is normal and looks good.

 

[Laylagirl]

Now I'm wondering if they even did the exam correctly, because they didn't even mention checking my cervix! Lol. They gave us a few photos to send home, but the sort of grainy 2D ones. My husband took video of various parts of the U/S, and the freeze framed the good pics from it. The whole thing was about 45 minutes, like the other poster said. Also, if you mention your SO couldn't make it and would love photos, I'm sure they'll go out of their way to give you good ones. Ask if you can get a 3D/4D peek too

I was definitely going to mention that he can't be there for it and how bummed he is about it. I'm drinking all this water right now and I'm already in hell LOL. I have been have a trouble time holding my bladder lately. I hope I'll get some pics to take home and show my SO, he loves seeing ultrasound pictures.

How did your scan go? And did you ask about a 3D or 4D? I didn't know they have that there.. they definitely didn't show mine in that type of frame... and did you go by yourself?

 

[21yrsurvivor]

Now I'm wondering if they even did the exam correctly, because they didn't even mention checking my cervix! Lol. They gave us a few photos to send home, but the sort of grainy 2D ones. My husband took video of various parts of the U/S, and the freeze framed the good pics from it. The whole thing was about 45 minutes, like the other poster said. Also, if you mention your SO couldn't make it and would love photos, I'm sure they'll go out of their way to give you good ones. Ask if you can get a 3D/4D peek too

I was definitely going to mention that he can't be there for it and how bummed he is about it. I'm drinking all this water right now and I'm already in hell LOL. I have been have a trouble time holding my bladder lately. I hope I'll get some pics to take home and show my SO, he loves seeing ultrasound pictures.

How did your scan go? And did you ask about a 3D or 4D? I didn't know they have that there.. they definitely didn't show mine in that type of frame... and did you go by yourself?

The woman that did mine had an attitude and because of that I didn't want to ask about a 3D or 4D. I literally laid down on the table and 2-3 minutes later the woman said "Ok I got what I needed you can go pee and come right back." She kept the screen to herself except for the last 3 minutes. That's all I got to see of the baby. The pictures I got look all the same. No side view (profile shot). And the pics I got aren't even that great. So I'm really bummed/upset. My SO is upset that I got treated like that and only got to see him on screen for 3 minutes, not only to mention 4 pictures that all look the same. I went in by myself, no one was with me.

 

[cnote]

That sucks! Sorry you weren't able to get good photos...I don't know why the ultrasound techs are so somber and emotionless! After my anatomy scan, I was terrified because the u/s tech had a frown on her face half the time and seem to be scribbling down notes and things, but then everything was fine. It's like they're trained to have no expression just in case the findings aren't good!? In any case, bummer you couldn't send some good photos to your guy...you could do a private 3D/4D scan and get better photos. They can be pretty inexpensive too and offer deals for like $75-$95, or even cheaper sometimes. It's suggested you do the 3D scan after 22 weeks or something, because any time before then the baby looks all bumpy and alien like and not super cute like the 28-32 week cuddly babies you see 3D photos of. However, it still may be worth a shot this early if you can find a good deal somewhere.

 

[21yrsurvivor]

That sucks! Sorry you weren't able to get good photos...I don't know why the ultrasound techs are so somber and emotionless! After my anatomy scan, I was terrified because the u/s tech had a frown on her face half the time and seem to be scribbling down notes and things, but then everything was fine. It's like they're trained to have no expression just in case the findings aren't good!? In any case, bummer you couldn't send some good photos to your guy...you could do a private 3D/4D scan and get better photos. They can be pretty inexpensive too and offer deals for like $75-$95, or even cheaper sometimes. It's suggested you do the 3D scan after 22 weeks or something, because any time before then the baby looks all bumpy and alien like and not super cute like the 28-32 week cuddly babies you see 3D photos of. However, it still may be worth a shot this early if you can find a good deal somewhere.

Yeah she was definitely that way. My mom, dad and brother said that's the way they are, and seeing that a few on here have had the same experience too. We did a 3D ultrasound at 16 weeks (my main photo on here) and that's when they told us the sex. We went to one of those ultrasound places and spent $65 for 20 minutes. That place was super nice, the u/s tech there was really sweet and she suggested to come back at 28-32 weeks as well to get the best shots in 3D. My SO was speechless when he got to see him moving, it was so cute to see the look on his face while he watched his son up on the screen. I was hoping for a little more at this appointment but oh well.

Like I said in an earlier post, I have another ultrasound in a week, the 19th, but they are just going to focus on the head/face because there's a very slim chance he can have a cleft lip from the medication I have to take. So I'm guessing that that will need to be done in 3D to see that? I don't know. I think it would be hard to see that in 2D, but then again I am not a doctor LOL.

 

[EverythingXd]

Hi, any drink I have goes through me in half an hour. You could always do a little self-test now - don't have a drink for an hour, then drink the amount they've told you and see how long it takes before you need the loo. Best not to have to sit on it longer than needed

 

[adrie]

After so many ultrasounds and figuring out my body, I have realized that I just need to make sure I have consumed the 4 cups of water by the time I leave or am en route. Too many times I did what they suggested and was even uncomfortable already by the time I was driving there...then you typically wait at least a bit of time in the waiting room and they do a lot of the test with a full bladder.

I also realized that yes, emptying the bladder by a bit relieves the pressure if you are too full and say, haven't left the house or you're in the waiting room.

 

[Laylagirl]

I'm sorry the experience wasn't that great.. my tech explained to me that if his face looks like he's frowning or something looks off, he said it most likely means he's just trying to get a good photo.. he said sometimes the dr will kick the photos back and say They need better shots.. honestly, he looked like something was wrong.. inwent on Friday and my results were back by Monday.. if you want to know sooner, just wait a couple days and call your ob office or send a message on kp.org to request the results as soon as they are in... they will call you back.. I'm sure everything is fine, but if it gives you some peace of mind... this tech was nice to me... but in my last pregnancies, they were all kind of rude.. wouldn't even tell me if my little one had all 10 fingers and toes... hopefully the next ultrasound is better and try letting them know about this experience and maybe they will get you better shots of your little one..

 

[21yrsurvivor]

I'm sorry the experience wasn't that great.. my tech explained to me that if his face looks like he's frowning or something looks off, he said it most likely means he's just trying to get a good photo.. he said sometimes the dr will kick the photos back and say They need better shots.. honestly, he looked like something was wrong.. inwent on Friday and my results were back by Monday.. if you want to know sooner, just wait a couple days and call your ob office or send a message on kp.org to request the results as soon as they are in... they will call you back.. I'm sure everything is fine, but if it gives you some peace of mind... this tech was nice to me... but in my last pregnancies, they were all kind of rude.. wouldn't even tell me if my little one had all 10 fingers and toes... hopefully the next ultrasound is better and try letting them know about this experience and maybe they will get you better shots of your little one..

Thank you for the positive feedback. It sounds like that's the way they are. I'm so used to having nice ultrasound techs work on me because I have had so many ovarian cysts over the years that needed an ultrasound and the techs were so nice. So I went in thinking that they were going to be the same, I was so wrong. My brother said too that with both his kids the ultrasound techs were the same way. Then hearing the stories on this thread I guess that's just how they are, probably don't want to give you false hope in case something is wrong. I'm a person who suffers from profound anxiety (and was on medication for it before pregnancy) and it flat out sucks. I have an appointment on the 19th with another OB doctor to to the facial/head scan and I wonder if they can tell me the results while I'm there, probably not though.

The one thing I was happy to see/hear was the heartbeat. Whenever I see or hear that I calm down. From what I heard his heart sounded perfect.