17w2d
Today I feel like I might finally be getting my appetite back. I woke up feeling pretty ill, so I started out with a granola bar and by the time I got to work was hungry again. Since meat hasn't been going down so well I just had fruit and a salad for lunch.
In usual fashion, I couldn't eat very much but did continue to eat on the fruit and then some popcorn and then a twix bar about every hour throughout the afternoon. As I headed home I had a hopeful optimism that MAYBE things were starting to make a turn around.
Since I have been feeling a lot better lately, I have had more time to spend worrying or rather questioning things. For instance, next week I have my 18 week appointment. At this appointment I will ask my doctor about a second ultrasound to possibly find out the sex of the baby. In my doctor's office the only ultrasound that you get is one between 10 and 12 weeks to date the pregnancy. After that, they just assume everything is fine unless you get a bad blood test or you are measuring too big or too small.
Lately this has started to bother me. Originally I just figured that if the doctor's office would not make up a reason to do an ultrasound so insurance would pay for it I would just go to this place that does "elective" ultrasounds. The price is about half and I will still be able to find out the sex of the baby as well as general health. (i.e. the baby does not have two heads)
However, it is the not so general part hat I'm now wondering about. I hear all of these women talking about their 20 week ultrasounds and now I'm really wondering why most insurance carriers in our area won't pay for one. Wouldn't it make sense to do an ultrasound at this point to make sure there are no heart/lung/brain/limb defects? Wouldn't this possibly save the insurance company money because maybe something could be done to correct these things or at least diagnose them sooner so less testing would be needed at birth?
When I go in next week I will discuss this with my doctor. My guess is that his answer will be that they don't do one because insurance won't pay and why they won't pay is anyone's guess. So I guess my biggest grip right now is why do insurance companies have to be such penny pinching @$$'$? Shouldn't my baby's health be first and foremost not their bottom line?
posted by Heather @ 9:00 AM
1 Comments:
Studies have shown that ultrasound is a really poor screening tool for fetal abnormalities which is why the insurance companies are starting to refuse to pay for them. Your physician might still be able to find an excuse to do one but most won't.
Obviously, it’s better to have the U/S done by an experienced tech, but if you can’t get a medical one, don't lose heart. The elective ones give you a MUCH better look at the baby. During a medical U/S, the tech will spend 99% of the time doing close-up measurements and then snap a few quick photos for you. Also, most screening U/S are 2D, whereas the elective ones are 3D or even 4D. The 3D/4D isn't as spectacular as they claim, but still is amazing.
I was in a similar situation with my last pregnancy. I couldn’t have a 20 wk U/S as I did with my first 2. I knew the statistics and knew it was pointless, but I still desperately wanted one. So, I had an elective one done in Northern Iowa. Having had both (medical and elective) I’d go for the elective every time. It seemed like an excessive expense but it was worth every single penny. I can give you the name of the place I went to, but I think I’d recommend the place in Des Moines over it. They are more expensive but their equipment is more current so you’d probably get better 3D views.
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