every 4 week ultrasounds just because I'm fat :0)

Hi all,

I had my ob appointment yesterday and was told because I am overweight (heavily) that I will need to have an ultrasound every 4 weeks to monitor the babys growth.

I am the same size now as I was last year when I had DD. I had a cruisy pregnancy then with an induced vaginal birth, and DD was a healthy 7pounder bubba.

So...

I said this to the Ob and he said the policies have now changed in the hospital from last year and all large women are required to have 4 weekly ultrasounds to monitor the growth of bubba as it is 'hard to locate and feel for the fundas of overweight women' therefore hard to plot growth.

If there was a concern or something I can understand but my 20 week (and 24 week) ultrasound was fine in terms of babies growth. I have no medical conditions, no gest diabetes etc.
I am not a huge fan of ultrasounds so I don't really see there is a need for such frequent ones- maybe at 34 weeks...but at 28, 32, 36 and 40??

I can't decide what to do because I'm all confused as to whats best for 'cookie' so girls- what do you think? WWYD?

TIA :hug:

what a load of BS

I'm heavily over weight, had two kids and I didn't need any extra scans because of weight. Both kids where average weight when born.

I just wouldn't go.

I too am heavily overweight, and only had the dating scan, the scan at 13 weeks, and 20 weeks with both kids.. Both were born healthy weights as well..

I would be saying thanks, but no thanks, unless there are health problems that arise.

Is there anyway you can get a second opinion? that just sounds absolutely ridiculous. Ok i would understand if maybe your previous pregnancy had complications or maybe you had a medical condition or the baby wasn't keeping up to track with growth but if everything is 100% normal then i dont see why they need to do it. Is there anyway you can refuse?

I'm sorry if im being unhelpful i just dont understand just as much as you do. I was overweight when i was pregnant but i never had any difficulty with them not being to feel the baby... Hopefully someone else will have a better insight for you xoxo

If you don't feel comfortable going then don't.

Sounds weird to me. I am 120kg and so far have had only 2 scans - 12w and 21w. I am having another at 31w but that is due to GD (which I did not have last time). Every 4 weeks seems really strange considering you have had no previous issues

Morbidly obese here. Normal scans here, extra one in the last preg to rule out placenta previa, otherwise no one complained about difficulty of estimating.

Yeah it is amazing the difference in idiot ob's and what they think about weight etc....
My BMI is 42.2 (not that i think i really look that fat) and the booking ob I saw today said I should be fine because i had an easy complication free labour last time at the same weight.
She has referred me to the hospital dietician in the hope i can avoid any further weight gain this pregnancy but otherwise she was cool with it.

I'd get a second opinion hun, every 4 weeks seems a bit rich to me and isn't that a bit too much exposure for bubs anyway??????

Thanks girls- thats what I thought...I'm not being a difficult hormonal pregnant woman by refusing then :rofl:

What a load of BS and completely unnecessary I think. Unfortunately there is no place to go for a second opinion- country town and one hospital limits choice...lol...

I am quite OK about refusing the scans but was left doubting myself as to whether I was being reasonable or not about refusing- now I know I am completely reasonable...LOL

xx

Never heard of that before & I was obese when pg with DD. I had quite a few early scans due to my past history of m/c but after that I only had a couple more. My OBS only ever did the urine test, listened to the HB & checked the position of bubs. I think it is a load of crap. Just don't go.

I am not obese so asking this as a genuine question. Can you still feel the baby moving and kicking due to the extra weight you carry? The reason I ask is that if you can feel the baby moving and kicking so obviously growing, then I wouldn't think you'd need any extra scans than the next person. And even if you really had to hade extra, 4 weekly just seems too many.

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I am not obese so asking this as a genuine question. Can you still feel the baby moving and kicking due to the extra weight you carry? The reason I ask is that if you can feel the baby moving and kicking so obviously growing, then I wouldn't think you'd need any extra scans than the next person. And even if you really had to hade extra, 4 weekly just seems too many.

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The baby kicks from the inside so it has no effect on feeling it with any extra weight you carry. You can still see the baby kicking etc from the outside as well, but everything wobbles for a little longer ;)

It can take longer to feel the baby but believe me you can still feel it. I think this one is more evident than my DS and
this one has an anterior placenta too!

Never heard of it before.. I was very overweight when I had Pie, and was only referred for the 13 week & 19 week scans.

I have felt cookie kicking from 16 weeks. I said this to the doctor too and said to the doc surely me as the woman carrying this baby has some credit in being able to determine if the baby is growing IYGWIM. I think I would notice something is wrong but It appears my maternal instinct counts for zip!

im not overweight and i have an u/s every 4 weeks.. its just my dr's policy to make sure everything is going ok! its annoying cuz he is an hour away and i have to take the whole day off work cuz he runs hours late & when i finally get in im only in there for 10 minutes .. but i must admit i love seeing my baby girl every month!

your doctor is tactless! you dont have to have one if you dont want to! youre right, you know your body and baby and you know when something is up

xx

I'd be looking up and handing them some info on ultrasound use from WHO, then politely refusing. Having done a lot of stuff with sonar, I'm hesitant to do too many ultrasounds. In fact I asked that they only used a doppler for 10 seconds, so the middies would have to use a pinard first to find bub, and the doppler was only used to quickly confirm. I allowed 1 ultrasound in my pregnancy, and I gave them a time limit and required a break in between. I wasn't overweight at the time though, so I could see why a pinard might not be able to used on the more endowed woman, so doppler use may not be able to be used less (unless you simply don't go in for the check up), but you can certainly reduce u/s use.

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it is 'hard to locate and feel for the fundas of overweight women'

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That gives me the impression the dr is pretty underskilled. I'd be suggesting that even though it might be slightly tricky that he gives it a try. What a tosser.
I've heard a couple of my friends say their drs/mws didn't really bother much with fundal height anyway.

I am not overweight, 23 weeks pregnant 70kg and 179cm and have had a scan every 4 weeks since I was 6-7 weeks pregnant - I actually had one scan at my OB. and the detailed scan 5 days later. He scans me everytime and did 14 years ago with my baby girl.

Me 34 :inlove: DH 43

Miss Gabby 11/12/97:brunette:

:bellygrowing: DUE 10/10/11

Yep they forced me into this too. Non complicated pregnancies, no GD.
They did eventually use the 'abnormalities' found on both of my children's morph scans as their excuse, but it was mainly for weight (which is what they told me).
I didn't mind too much. I had the scans, my kids grew perfectly I had uncomplicated relatively drug free (a little bit of gas) Vaginal births with no post partum complications. It was kind of good to 'stick it to the man' when they couldn't find anything wrong. It was all it felt like they were doing with me.... trying to find something wrong with me because someone of my size should not have such easy pregnancies and births. :rolleyes:

If you really don't like the idea of so many scans, talk to them about it. Tell them that you'll have a scan every 8 weeks maybe? There's not alot to do to get OB's off your back... because all they know about every single overweight pregnant person is what is written in all their text books. We all get GD we all have High BP we all have c/s and all because of our weight because we are ridiculously unhealthy people who are a burden on the health care system and should not have gotten pregnant in the first place. :rolleyes: I know it happens, but it would be nice if they could treat EVERYONE on a case by case basis.

I hope you have a wonderful pregnancy!!

omgoodness... every 4 weeks.. how absurd. I would be voicing my concerns to your OB and see if it can be changed to every 2 months or something. Ive never heard of anything like that.. unreal.

I've been having them every 4 weeks since I was 8 weeks pg and after the next one we'll be on fortnightly visits and scans. I thought it was because I'm having twins but the OB said its just the way they do things up here - the hospital and private OBs apparently all operate the same way. It helps with prevention and research into miscarriage and loss if they know whats going on at regular intervals during the pregnancy, and they can nip any problems in the bud nice and early. Tbh, if I wasn't having them that regularly I'd be freaking out not knowing how things were progressing!

I don't see how its a bad thing, he's probably being over cautious but then what if he wasn't and did miss something? I do think it was very rude of him to say its because of your weight when he could've just said thats the new policy for everyone, very, very tactless indeed! Can you get him to agree to just a doppler or something if you're concerned about exposure?

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I've been having them every 4 weeks since I was 8 weeks pg and after the next one we'll be on fortnightly visits and scans. I thought it was because I'm having twins but the OB said its just the way they do things up here - the hospital and private OBs apparently all operate the same way. It helps with prevention and research into miscarriage and loss if they know whats going on at regular intervals during the pregnancy, and they can nip any problems in the bud nice and early. Tbh, if I wasn't having them that regularly I'd be freaking out not knowing how things were progressing!

I don't see how its a bad thing, he's probably being over cautious but then what if he wasn't and did miss something? I do think it was very rude of him to say its because of your weight when he could've just said thats the new policy for everyone, very, very tactless indeed! Can you get him to agree to just a doppler or something if you're concerned about exposure?

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Must be a new thing for townsville because both private OB's I saw there didn't scan me every 4 weeks.

Tms - Yeah he said its only been a new change this year, I think its a trial type thing to see how people go with it, like how many people take issue etc. But one of the other army wives who's pg at the moment said the TGH let her opt for dopplers instead because she wasn't comfortable with the exposure, so its not something they're being super strict about.

My ob (private) hasn't said anything to me about having to be scanned every time I see him - he usually offers though if I want one, we skipped the NT test and have been advised an additional detailed scan will be needed at 30 weeks due to bub showing signs of possible pyloric stenosis on my 19 week scan.

All he's said about my weight (and I am pretty big) is that he doesn't want me to gain any and it would be good for me and bub if I can try and lose a little but not to go crazy. He really doesn't seem that fazed by it.

Hi all,

Thanks for your responses. I have thought alot about it today and I have decided I will only have the 34 week one and thats it.

I want as minimal interventions as possible and just don't see the point in all these scans...

This whole experience has made me feel like a fat old whale to be honest and I am embarrassed to even have DH come to the appointments with me because I am scared they are going to talk about my weight all the time...Maybe its just pg hormones but the whole situatoion has got me feeling down :cry:

Thanks for your responses guys :hug:

Aw Delph :hug: I'm so sorry you are feeling like this. I'm with Yeddi - print out the WHO recommendations and take it from there.

:comfort: You are not a fat old whale, you are a gorgeous pregnant mumma who has a beautiful girl at home and another precious bundle on the way. As long as new bubs is ok, that's the main thing. Xx

:hug:

really sucks you've been made to feel this way. But I know what you mean, it's one thing I'm dreading about being pregnant again (when it happens) is that they will go on and on about it again!

At the moment "they" are going on and on about it as a reason why I am not getting pregnant :(

I know it makes it harder but I also know lots of fat chicks like me get utd. Even old fat chicks like me :(

N2L- U made me laugh. Yes us fat chicks definatly get UTD...

If now was 200 hundred years ago us fatties would be worshipped as goddesses because of our curves....I want those days...I want to be a fat goddess!!!! :ROFL:

And thanks OP :hug:

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N2L- U made me laugh. Yes us fat chicks definatly get UTD...

If now was 200 hundred years ago us fatties would be worshipped as goddesses because of our curves....I want those days...I want to be a fat goddess!!!! :ROFL:

And thanks OP :hug:

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I never said anything about me not being a goddess ;) :rofl:

As in the words of Homer Simpson. "I am famine and drought resistant" we are built to survive. :)

Just not reproduce apparently....

you can 'accidentally' miss your scan appointments if you don't want to do them. ;) Personally, I loved any chance to meet my baby again, but every 4 weeks seems a bit OTT.

As for weight & conception, I'm not small either. I know that weight (and the typical diet that goes with it) has some big implications for hormone ratios. The month I cut out sugar was the month Jack's transfer worked. I wish I could say with certainty if that was the cause, but I can't. I can say that for the first time in months, I didn't have multiple follicles. I know for making baby #2, my diet is going to be significantly changed (and hopefully some weight loss too...).

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Tms - Yeah he said its only been a new change this year, I think its a trial type thing to see how people go with it, like how many people take issue etc. But one of the other army wives who's pg at the moment said the TGH let her opt for dopplers instead because she wasn't comfortable with the exposure, so its not something they're being super strict about.

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Hi , I would be questioning the whole 'new policy' thing for Townsville. I am in my 18th week of pregnancy with my 4th child in Townsville and have had a 6 week dating scan, the 12 week downs scan and am due to get my last (19 week scan) next week. I have always had two or three scans in all of my pregnancies in Townsville too :lol:

I met with my midwife today and told her I would be refusing the 28, 32 and 40 week scan- but I will do the 36 week one.

I also refused to be weighed and have my BMI calculated and recalculated everytime I visit as I find it demeaning and embarrassing when all they want to do is refer to me as bariatric and obese and talk about BMI etc ALL THE TIME :wall: I don't want to be humiliated in front of my husband.

I am the same size as I was when pg with DD. No diabetes...fit and healthy.

Anyway- they can shove their policies. I'm not an idiot. Pfft to them!!! ;)

Good on ya!!!

Good on you hun!!!!!!! Tell them to bugger off :)

Woohooo, well done hunni :) I tried to give you rep points for that but im not allowed just yet.


I had a conversation with a good mate of mine and his wife is going through the same thing!! Shes in Geelong. Ive told him he doesnt need to do that etc but its their first kid, so they are kind of doing what they are told. I feel for them :(