Anatomy Scan - What for?

Question

I would love your thoughts! I have my anatomy scan in a week and a half. I'm not wild about ultrasounds, and I've already had 3 in this pregnancy. I know we are having a girl and we did the Harmony blood test and she's chromosomally normal. We also did a follow up blood test to check for neural tube defects and she's healthy.

So...what is the rationale for having the anatomy scan? Why is it important to measure all the body parts? I just want to feel like we are doing it for a good reason. I don't want it to feel like it's just going to add unnecessary worry or be an extra ultrasound for no reason. I also see that some people are told at their anatomy scan that something looks wrong, and then they follow up in a couple weeks and the problem corrects itself. It just seems like we should let the baby grow like she knows how to do and leave her alone a little bit.

Answer

They check the heart and brain to make sure they are formed properly. They look at the cord and your placenta. It's about a lot more than just anatomy.

Answer

I got a lot of piece of mind by going to my anatomy scan.  It showed all of the parts forming normally and they measured the baby for an estimated weight to make sure he's right on target.  It was a longer ultrasound than the previous ones with my doctor.  There is always the chance that they could see something wrong during an ultrasound. I'd rather know sooner than later.  Good luck!

Answer

Anatomy scans also explore the womb. Cervix, cervical length, placenta, umbilical cord,amniotic fluid levels, as well as baby growth and development.
If I didn't have my anatomy scan we wouldn't have found out I was high risk from my placenta having issues.

Answer

They measure to make sure baby is growing the way they should be, they also check for abnormalities that may require help once baby is born (ex. They check the lips for cleft palates because if it's seen they'd like to have a team of people to there to work on it as soon as baby is born, they check the heart for defects, they check to make sure blood is flowing properly in and out of the umbilical cord)

Answer

They check the heart, lungs, kidneys, ect to make sure there's no problems... These things wouldn't have been picked up on the other tests you've had

Answer

Anatomy scans check the chambers of the heart, her brain, and her spine, along with her weight and length and your cervical length. They aren't just to check for gender.

Answer

They check for thinks like cleft lip and other defects that the blood test can't pick up. At ours they found something that could be wrong with his heart and that I have placenta marginalis. Nothing besides an ultrasound would have found that before he was born. So personally, I would do it. Now we are being sent to a specialist to do an echo type thing on his heart to see what/if anything is wrong with it. I've known babies who don't have any chromosome abnormalities that have heart defects that require surgery right after birth. This is the ultrasound they would first see that. They measure everything from the size of the stomach, head, limbs, check the face, heart and for some determine gender. It may also be your last if everything is normal. If not, then you will be referred to a specialist  or monitored more closely.

Answer

My anatomy scan is the only ultra sound I know about having. I opted out of all the other test. For me, I said let nature take its course on those. 
So, I assume 20 weeks is just the best time to figure out all of the physical activities of the baby. This will be my first time knowing that my baby is 100% okay and what the gender is.

Answer

They spend a lot of the scan looking at brain, heart, and kidneys. Not just about size and gender. The finding go back to your ob and are discussed at your next appt.

Answer

I dont think its unnecessary...there are way more benefits.in knowing if the baby will need any kind of support when they are born.. If they need support at all...  Its to make sure all the vital organs are present and growing as they should be..

Anatomy Scan - What for?

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