Jessa Duggar Seewald is Pregnant - Part 3

[veron1que]

Not necessarily. I only had an anatomy ultrasound. Pregnancy confirmed by Doppler, blood test for genetic screening.

Not all doctors and midwives treat the same way. It's fine to only have one ultrasound.

I agree.

While many practices recommend a more frequent ultrasound schedule, it really isn't necessary. I know that in addition to the homebirth trend, many also favor having fewer ultrasounds to limit the exposure of their fetus to radiation.

[eandre31]

When I was pregnant with my son in 2007, my OB/GYN was very much against ultrasounds unless necessary or high risk. The only reason I got an ultrasound with my son was because I went to the ER due to not feeling any movement for a long period of time. They performed an u/s there and that was my only one throughout the pregnancy. If I ever got pregnant again I would like to at least get the anatomy scan, but I was just following my doctor's orders back then.

I think it's a little unfair to assume that a woman isn't getting adequate prenatal care just because she hasn't had many ultrasounds. Many doctor's don't recommend multiple ultrasounds.

[lascuba]

When I was pregnant with my son in 2007, my OB/GYN was very much against ultrasounds unless necessary or high risk. The only reason I got an ultrasound with my son was because I went to the ER due to not feeling any movement for a long period of time. They performed an u/s there and that was my only one throughout the pregnancy. If I ever got pregnant again I would like to at least get the anatomy scan, but I was just following my doctor's orders back then.

I think it's a little unfair to assume that a woman isn't getting adequate prenatal care just because she hasn't had many ultrasounds. Many doctor's don't recommend multiple ultrasounds.

Is it possible your OB was anti-choice? I'm not saying one has to have a lot of ultrasounds but being against routine anatomy scans? In 2007? Something's up. I wouldn't be surprised if they avoided doing anatomy scans precisely because they didn't want to know that something was wrong and that patients might decide to abort.

[eandre31]

Is it possible your OB was anti-choice? I'm not saying one has to have a lot of ultrasounds but being against routine anatomy scans? In 2007? Something's up. I wouldn't be surprised if they avoided doing anatomy scans precisely because they didn't want to know that something was wrong and that patients might decide to abort.

That's actually probably the reason. I was only 16 when I was pregnant and naive. I once asked her for information about amniocentesis and she flat out replied "I don't do abortions if that's why you're asking." She also had a horrible bedside manner and was disrespectful to me throughout the pregnancy. Ugh I do not miss that woman.

[MichellesCrunchyHair]

Knew that guy better than my husband for a while there!

:shock: :lol:

[Full enough quiver]

I only had one ultrasound, around at 20 weeks to make sure everything was where it needed to be, and to find out the sex. I just didn't feel comfortable exposing my baby to so many sound waves. I didn't get a Doppler either. I know it's supposedly safe, but I don't believe it.

[lascuba]

That's actually probably the reason. I was only 16 when I was pregnant and naive. I once asked her for information about amniocentesis and she flat out replied "I don't do abortions if that's why you're asking." She also had a horrible bedside manner and was disrespectful to me throughout the pregnancy. Ugh I do not miss that woman.

Ugh, I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. I've heard so many stories of medical professionals being shitty to pregnant teens and it is inexcusable.

[Arrowoftruth]

Maybe in countries outside of the U.S. Or if you're really poor. But I've never heard of anyone else getting free care here.

Nope both of us were born in the U.S. I wonder if she is just not remembering right or if she lied to me.

[MisUndrstd]

Anyone else think it's weird she tagged the sonogram pic "first ultrasound"? At 19 weeks 3 days she should be on her 3rd ultrasound. The first is at 8 or 9 weeks to confirm baby's heartbeat, the second is at 12 or 13 weeks as part of down syndrome testing, and the third is around 20 weeks where they check for any abnormalities and tell you the gender if you want to know. Is Jessa not getting proper pre natal care? Maybe because she doesn't have health insurance? It's just weird to me that she isn't following standard prenatal care protocol when it comes to ultrasounds. Or, she has had two other ones and is just lying about this being her first.

EDIT for riffles

My first ultrasound was at 20 weeks, the heartbeat they confirmed with a doppler device and I did not have the Down's Syndrome testing, that must be something fairly new. Also, a lot of times it really depends on what your insurance covers. A crappy insurance plan might not cover a lot of ultrasounds. So to me it doesn't seem that odd.

[Feberin]

Nope both of us were born in the U.S. I wonder if she is just not remembering right or if she lied to me.

Is she talking about the specific insurance plan? When I had my son I had awesome insurance and paid $15 total for all my prenatal visits, ultrasounds, bloodwork and the birth. However now because of Obamacare I believe insurance plans are now supposed to cover prenatal visits as preventive care at 100%. At least that's how it's worked with my insurance when I had my two daughters. I didn't have to pay anything for all my midwife appointments but did pay for ultrasounds, bloodwork and the actual birth.

I think a 20 week ultrasound (done by a medical professional NOT one of those boutique places) is extremely important but the other ones are much less necessary. I have a friend whose daughter had a heart problem that was diagnosed at that ultrasound. In order to give her daughter the best chance she had to deliver at a specific hospital where they would be able to preform open heart surgery shortly after birth. The idea of never having an ultrasound at all in today's world seems like taking a risk that you'll miss something that with proper care could have been treated immeditally and instead end up with a tragedy.

[Arrowoftruth]

Is she talking about the specific insurance plan? When I had my son I had awesome insurance and paid $15 total for all my prenatal visits, ultrasounds, bloodwork and the birth. However now because of Obamacare I believe insurance plans are now supposed to cover prenatal visits as preventive care at 100%. At least that's how it's worked with my insurance when I had my two daughters. I didn't have to pay anything for all my midwife appointments but did pay for ultrasounds, bloodwork and the actual birth.

I think a 20 week ultrasound (done by a medical professional NOT one of those boutique places) is extremely important but the other ones are much less necessary. I have a friend whose daughter had a heart problem that was diagnosed at that ultrasound. In order to give her daughter the best chance she had to deliver at a specific hospital where they would be able to preform open heart surgery shortly after birth. The idea of never having an ultrasound at all in today's world seems like taking a risk that you'll miss something that with proper care could have been treated immeditally and instead end up with a tragedy.

Perhaps. I just remembered I was one of the last babies born at a teaching hospital or college of medicine before it closed down. That might have been a factor.

[ClaraOswin]

I agree.

While many practices recommend a more frequent ultrasound schedule, it really isn't necessary. I know that in addition to the homebirth trend, many also favor having fewer ultrasounds to limit the exposure of their fetus to radiation.

Ultrasounds aren't really radiation. This is from the fda's website....

Ultrasound imaging has been used for over 20 years and has an excellent safety record. It is based on non-ionizing radiation, so it does not have the same risks as X-rays or other types of imaging systems that use ionizing radiation.

Although ultrasound imaging is generally considered safe when used prudently by appropriately trained health care providers, ultrasound energy has the potential to produce biological effects on the body. Ultrasound waves can heat the tissues slightly. In some cases, it can also produce small pockets of gas in body fluids or tissues (cavitation). The long-term consequences of these effects are still unknown. Because of the particular concern for effects on the fetus, organizations such as the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine disclaimer iconhave advocated prudent use of ultrasound imaging in pregnancy. Furthermore, the use of ultrasound solely for non-medical purposes such as obtaining fetal ‘keepsake’ videos has been discouraged. Keepsake images or videos are reasonable if they are produced during a medically-indicated exam, and if no additional exposure is required.

Experts aren't even sure if excessive use of fetal dopplers are safe. But some people use those a LOT. I actually have a home one but we really limited use because of the possibly safety concerns.

I just find it odd that people who supposedly care so much for human life wouldn't get an anatomy scan to check for possible problems. It doesn't make sense to me.

[ClaraOswin]

Nope both of us were born in the U.S. I wonder if she is just not remembering right or if she lied to me.

Is it possible she meant "free" as in, insurance paid for it? Because I'm sure some insurance plans cover it. Mine didn't though.

ETA - sorry. Didn't see someone else already said this.

[ClaraOswin]

Is she talking about the specific insurance plan? When I had my son I had awesome insurance and paid $15 total for all my prenatal visits, ultrasounds, bloodwork and the birth. However now because of Obamacare I believe insurance plans are now supposed to cover prenatal visits as preventive care at 100%. At least that's how it's worked with my insurance when I had my two daughters. I didn't have to pay anything for all my midwife appointments but did pay for ultrasounds, bloodwork and the actual birth.

I think a 20 week ultrasound (done by a medical professional NOT one of those boutique places) is extremely important but the other ones are much less necessary. I have a friend whose daughter had a heart problem that was diagnosed at that ultrasound. In order to give her daughter the best chance she had to deliver at a specific hospital where they would be able to preform open heart surgery shortly after birth. The idea of never having an ultrasound at all in today's world seems like taking a risk that you'll miss something that with proper care could have been treated immeditally and instead end up with a tragedy.

Exactly. I am actually a bit shocked to hear that many people who go to midwives and have home births don't get this scan down. That is WAY too risky. I also know someone who's son's heart problem was found at the 20 week scan. He had to have surgery pretty much right after he was born. I recall a friend of a friend mentioning something about a bowel problem with her child that required immediately surgery at birth. It was found at the scan so everything was ready to go once he was born.

[fuscia]

Jessa most likely only had one ultrasound because she is young and healthy. If she is not high risk, then she would not need as many ultrasounds. Both my kids were fertility babies. My body treated them as tumors and I had to take heparin shots twice a day before conception up to the 26th week plus doing the fertility shots and the inseminations. I too knew the doctor better than my hubby for the first trimester. :shock: The "cam" came out at every visit to check for any problems and I was seen once a week. Jessa is young and healthy and hopefully will not have any problems.

[SassyPants]

Exactly. I am actually a bit shocked to hear that many people who go to midwives and have home births don't get this scan down. That is WAY too risky. I also know someone who's son's heart problem was found at the 20 week scan. He had to have surgery pretty much right after he was born. I recall a friend of a friend mentioning something about a bowel problem with her child that required immediately surgery at birth. It was found at the scan so everything was ready to go once he was born.

I purposely picked a level three facility for delivery, with an in-house NICU, even though this meant that my child would not have been admitted to or cared for in the NICU where I worked. WHY? I worked in a Children's Hospital where all the babies were transported in. I did not want that transport if my child happened to need NICU services. I actually drove out of my way to deliver at this facility....In fact, I had to drive right by the hospital where I worked.

[ClaraOswin]

Jessa most likely only had one ultrasound because she is young and healthy. If she is not high risk, then she would not need as many ultrasounds. Both my kids were fertility babies. My body treated them as tumors and I had to take heparin shots twice a day before conception up to the 26th week plus doing the fertility shots and the inseminations. I too knew the doctor better than my hubby for the first trimester. :shock: The "cam" came out at every visit to check for any problems and I was seen once a week. Jessa is young and healthy and hopefully will not have any problems.

I still wonder if she'll even have one REAL ultrasound. The important one for diagnosing things. Because the one from the photo is from one of those boutique places. babyfaceandmore.com/

[SassyPants]

I still wonder if she'll even have one REAL ultrasound. The important one for diagnosing things. Because the one from the photo is from one of those boutique places. babyfaceandmore.com/

Depends. Is Jill her medical provider?

[VelociRapture]

Depends. Is Jill her medical provider?

I'm guessing that it wouldn't exactly be legal for Jill to deliver Jessa's baby since she her apprenticeship license thing was yanked by the state.

Then again, the Duggars seem to consider pesky things like laws to be more of guidelines. . .

[nst]

I'm guessing that it wouldn't exactly be legal for Jill to deliver Jessa's baby since she her apprenticeship license thing was yanked by the state.

Then again, the Duggars seem to consider pesky things like laws to be more of guidelines. . .

omg - I thought Sassy was kidding about Jill delivering Jessa's daughter :D

I think it's a girl

I sure as hell hope Jill is not Jessa's medical provider

Do we know for sure that jessa doesn't have an actual doctor

[ClaraOswin]

I'm guessing that it wouldn't exactly be legal for Jill to deliver Jessa's baby since she her apprenticeship license thing was yanked by the state.

Then again, the Duggars seem to consider pesky things like laws to be more of guidelines. . .

I don't think there is anything illegal about having an unassisted birth at home with your sister. Kind of scary really.

[VelociRapture]

I don't think there is anything illegal about having an unassisted birth at home with your sister. Kind of scary really.

If she were assisting somehow or offering emotional support, then no. If she were acting as lead Midwife during the delivery, then I doubt that would be legal.

[Evilbad]

Granted it was almost 15 years ago, but I literally had one ultrasound with my son, right before I delivered, just to make sure he was positioned ok.

I had no indications of anything else, and he and I were both healthy (aside from my bp issues) so I don't get the ZOMG ULTRASOUNDS FOR EVERYBODY mindset. He had meconium in his waters and they still let me labor normally and just monitored him closely, so I sort of rolled my eyes when everybody claimed that Jill LIED about her birth story lol.

A friend of mine had a daughter born with some fairly severe birth defects in her legs/feet, and they had regular ultrasounds and never caught it.

[VelociRapture]

omg - I thought Sassy was kidding about Jill delivering Jessa's daughter :D

I think it's a girl

I sure as hell hope Jill is not Jessa's medical provider

Do we know for sure that jessa doesn't have an actual doctor

Oh I'm sure Sassy was joking. Thats why I put the part about Duggars thinking laws are just guidelines. :)

And yes, I think everyone hopes Jill isn't helping anyone with anything related to labor or pregnancy at this point. :lol:

[twinmama]

I purposely picked a level three facility for delivery, with an in-house NICU, even though this meant that my child would not have been admitted to or cared for in the NICU where I worked. WHY? I worked in a Children's Hospital where all the babies were transported in. I did not want that transport if my child happened to need NICU services. I actually drove out of my way to deliver at this facility....In fact, I had to drive right by the hospital where I worked.

Also chose my OB based on where the practice delivered, so I would be delivering at a hospital with a level 3 NICU all because I was having twins. Turns out, I needed it as they came 11 weeks early and spent 9 weeks in the NICU! Best pregnancy related decision I made!!!! And that is the one piece of advice I give every mom expecting twins. You probably won't need it, but deliver at a hospital with a good NICU or you risk your babies being at a different hospital than you.