FEBRUARY HEARTS Due in February 2015 , open group all welcome!

[Blondish_keg]

Ladies I had a totally normal and wonderful poo today

Ladies with losses, so sorry and you will be missed x

 

[Feronia]

I am still not convinced on the long-term safety of ultrasound and dopplers due to the fact that they have been shown to damage mice fetuses in studies. I'm not saying to never use them -- I've already had one abdominal scan and one internal one due to the bleeding -- but to consider having fewer scans and less use of dopper. They also haven't been studied very much at the frequency that they are used today (they've been studied in the 70's and 80's, but not so much today even though they're used at a much higher frequency). I am definitely avoiding all 3D scans at least, since those are the worst.

This link worries me: https://chriskresser.com/natural-childbirth-iib-ultrasound-not-as-safe-as-commonly-thought It suggests that they can cause the baby's tissues to heat up (especially the brain), cavitation, and acoustic streaming.

Ultimately though, I would be careful about overusing home dopplers. Even if they don't cause any damage to you, wouldn't it be more stressful if you couldn't find a heartbeat? I totally understand wanting to have the comfort, though... Again, I totally see the use of them for the 20 week scan, if you suspect twins, if you're having bleeding, or any other high risk situation, just not for normal pregnancies when you don't suspect anything abnormal. Just my thoughts!

 

[maisie78]

Congratulations Blondish

Feronia this is one of the reasons I have avoided a Doppler in previous pregnancy and will again this time. As much as I would love to hear baby everyday I am not sure about the impact the frequency can have on a foetus. I definitely get the temptation to get one though, especially for this time as I am feeling a lot more anxious.

 

[MissEyre]

So sorry to hear smallbliss.

 

[jmandrews]

I'm so sorry smallbliss

 

[Feronia]

Yeah, same here, I TOTALLY get the temptation! It would be lovely to know that there is still a heartbeat, but I am going to resist and only get my 20 week scan unless I have any more bleeding.

 

[bridgetboo62]

To be fair Bridget it isn't offered as a matter of routine here. You only get offered in special circumstances. In our case the condition my daughter has is particular to females and so finding out the sex now can help us decide whether or not we want further testing.

i know im still super jealous that you get to find out early!

 

[MissEyre]

I will also be resisting the urge to get a doppler. I think it would make me even more neurotic if I couldn't find the heartbeat!

 

[bridgetboo62]

i got one just for fun not to ease my mind about anything
i dont really have any worries anymore
i probably wont use it like every single day
maybe once every few days or once a week
but i dont know if i really believe all those studies about ultrasounds and dopplers causing negative effects, if they did they wouldnt be so widely used. and there isnt much research at all to prove that it really does cause negative effects its all just speculation

 

[Feronia]

maisie78, fingers crossed everything is okay with your current pregnancy. It must be stressful to wait to find out. When you are that 1%, statistics don't mean terribly much to you, right?

but i dont know if i really believe all those studies about ultrasounds and dopplers causing negative effects, if they did they wouldnt be so widely used. and there isnt much research at all to prove that it really does cause negative effects its all just speculation

There are tons of things that have been used for decades, even though they were harmful (like x-rays on pregnant women, food GMOs, Thalidomide and DES given to pregnant women in the 50s and 60s that were then shown to cause horrible birth defects, etc.). Widespread use doesn't mean something is safe, unfortunately.

It isn't just speculation. There are trials on mice that shows that high frequency ultrasound causes damage, and some studies even on humans that demonstrate it. It definitely needs to be studied more, but there are certainly ethical considerations that prevent studies that would really demonstrate a causal link. Again, ultrasounds and dopplers are SUPER useful in a lot of situations, so I'm not against them -- I just question casual use of a medical instrument, or 3D ultrasounds just for fun or *just* to find out the sex.

 

[bridgetboo62]

to each their own i was just stating that i happen to disagree
testing on mice is really not the same as testing on humans
and we do test on humans, everyday all the time people are getting ultrasounds and using dopplers and their babies come out just fine and perfectly healthy

 

[jmandrews]

I am terrified. I'm not having symptoms anymore. This is what happened a fees before my MC last time. Ugh just makes me so nervous. My scan can't come soon enough. I need reassurance. If I am going to MC I just want to know now.

 

[luminescent]

does portland get bad snow storms? I grew up in minnesota...5 feet of snow? negative 30 degrees? nah, everything's open.. go to work/school. haha. I'm pretty confident about being a great winter driver. I think I can make it to the hospital in any weather. (mine is 30-45 min away)

hmm.. I've briefly heard about the possible risks of dopplers/ultrasounds too. obviously they are used every day and in most cases are fine, but they are supposed to cause some heating of tissues. seems like it wouldn't be a problem if it's not used frequently/for too long at once time. this would be an interesting study, but like feronia said, it's not exactly ethical to study in humans. I think testing on mice is a decent indicator of what happens to living tissue in general/a fetus though.

so sorry to those with losses.

 

[swanxxsong]

Aww jmandrews. I am so sorry! Mine come and go, so scary. :/ when is your scan?

 

[MissEyre]

I am terrified. I'm not having symptoms anymore. This is what happened a fees before my MC last time. Ugh just makes me so nervous. My scan can't come soon enough. I need reassurance. If I am going to MC I just want to know now.

jmandrews - I had myself completely freaked out a few days ago because I wasn't as tired, wasn't as nauseated, wasn't getting up as much at night, and had a much larger appetite. A few days later and they all came back much stronger. I threw up for the first time last night. I hope your scan goes well! I go in for my first scan on Monday. Here's to good news all around!

 

[bridgetboo62]

jmandrews my symptoms come and go
if you are worried POAS maybe?

portland doesnt usually have bad snow storms
so when we do get like 2-3 feet of snow everything shuts down
no one goes anywhere people crash their cars people die
because we dont salt roads because it hurts the fishies in the rivers and no one knows how to drive in the snow and ice
except us we are always out and about cause we arent stupid/scared like all the other oregonians haha

 

[MrsTM1]

May I join? I'm 5+6 today, which puts me due on 28/Feb/2015. That date may get changed at the 12 week scan. Bit of background: I'm an American (from NC!) living in the UK because I married a British guy.

We lost our first pregnancy (our daughter Dale) this past January at 20 weeks gestation, 3 days before my 29th birthday. I have a high BMI and am on anti-depressants, which warrant me consultant care, which I am very happy with. I'm on low dose aspirin to keep clots from forming, due to the fact that clots are what caused us to lose Dale.

Anyway, I'm excited to be here and hope that I'll be here for a while now!

 

[ShamzLovesKai]

Welcome and congrats MrsTM

Sorry for your loss x

 

[swanxxsong]

Welcome MrsTM1! Congrats and I am so sorry for your loss!

 

[ladybrown33]

Congratulations everyone!! I just got my bfp today the estimated dd is 2/19/14