I had my 19-week ultrasound today and was relieved to find out that everything looks normal and healthy with the baby! Hooray!
The actual ultrasound experience, however, was a tad dreadful. The technician I had was curt and non-conversational. The screen was turned away from me for the entire scan, except for a whopping two minutes at the end where he showed me some basic parts of the baby’s body. He was just so cold; all he did was stare at the screen and punch buttons on his keyboard. After a couple minutes of my attempting to crack a few jokes or make pleasant small-talk it became quite clear he wasn’t up for that and preferred to do his work while silently scowling.
When he took a listen to the baby’s heart rate and announced it was 143 beats per minute I tested the waters and said, “Hmmm, maybe it’s a boy…” in the hope he’d take the bait and give me a hint on the sex. Instead, he made this face:
Perhaps my expectations were too high; perhaps he hates pregnant women; perhaps he always dreamed of becoming a professional break-dancer but had to become an ultrasound tech instead and is angry at Life; perhaps I was hoping he would understand that this was an exciting day for me with the chance to really take a look at our baby in detail for the first time; perhaps I should have peed out all 40 oz of water I had chugged in preparation for the exam all over the table to teach him a lesson.
What was your ultrasound experience like? Was it warm and inviting and pleasant? Or clinical and cold like mine?
Bill I don’t really see your point, I think he is completely right in this post
I had mostly good experiences. Here in Calgary EFW radiology has offices that specialize in prenatal ultrasound (Maternal Fetal Medicine clinics). They are SO nice, and very understanding. All the rooms have a flatscreen TV mounted on the wall so you can watch the entire US from the table, and they welcome spouses for the entire proceedure. I had several there through both pregnancies, and they were all great experiences. You also meet with their radiologist or perinatologist following the US to discuss the results. Fabulous.
I had one US done at a different clinic as it needed to be booked last minute, and it seemed to be more in line with what you are describing. She was curt, bordering on rude, and it must have been about a zillion degrees in there. It was at around 37 weeks, and I was laying there on my back in the heat for so long I thought I would pass out. She wouldn’t let anyone in the room with me. And the worst of it – she ended up misreading the results of the US as she was OBVIOUSLY not as experienced as the other clinic; she sent a report to my Dr’s office that my son had a major brain deformity. OMG!!! A second US, done at the EFW clinic I mentioned above, quickly confirmed that she was completely wrong. At least my sleepless nights were for nothing!!
hahahahahahahaha! He totally made that face! ahahahahahaha!
Ok, now, granted I’m just a newbie to this with only 2 ultrasounds to my credit, but both times the techs were fantastic. Chatty, helpful and I was given wads of pictures to take home. No couch in the exam room (in fact, the only chair for my husband to sit in was in EXACTLY the wrong spot for someone who wasn’t told it would be a transvaginal scan until five minutes before..hee!) but there is a large flatscreen for us to look at while the tech uses her own, and my last one lasted almost 30 minutes. (Er, partly because the little gremlin takes after mom and was too lazy to move so she could get the measurements for the NT scan.) In fact, my only worry for next month’s exam is that the tech is going to be TOO chatty and spill the beans, sex-wise.
Oh that sucks! Sorry you got stuck with a tool for a tech…
I’ve been waiting for you to post when you found out the sex of the baby!
Did he at least put it in the report?? Will you find out at your next appt?
Our techs are ONLY allowed to tell us the gender and nothing else however I didn’t want to find out until delivery.
I had a good u/s with my first and third babies. My second baby I had kind of a bitchy tech. I realized halfway through the “silent scan” my appt was at 5:30pm and she was anxious to leave. Still. She could have cracked a smile. She just left me in there all covered in the gucky gel. My pics were free though…
I still think you should write a letter of complaint. If everyone did there would be something done. I know he is not allowed to make comments on gender but if he can’t be friendly and pleasant he should be in a different line of work.
Total D-bag. That guys sucks. Ruined your exciting experience. Totally should’ve peed. They’re way nice in Vernon. At least they were seven years ago. GULP…I’m old.
I had three daughters in four years and honestly, the ultrasound experience was always, “Wow, it can’t ever be worse than that!” But it was, i was just always worse. Cold, clinical, judgey, unbearable. That said, 3 beautiful girls and a husband who wisecracked through each ultrasound makes it all worth it.
I’m with Marie Green, why the hell couldn’t he tell you the baby’s gender?? What a jerk. I am dying laughing at “he made this face” and the accompanying picture, though. Hilarious!
Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry your ultrasounds are so terrible! I live in Oregon down in the states and mine are so wonderful (I don’t mean to sound braggy, but they are really, really great! The actual health-care insurance, not so much … )
For the big insurance-approved ultrasounds (around 12 weeks and another around 20) we go to an actual sonographer located in our clinic’s building. She uses what she calls the “Lamborghini” of ultrasound machines. It’s in a nicely decorated room with a couch for husbands and other guests to sit on, an exam table for me to lie on, and across from us a HUGE screen TV. I don’t have to have a full bladder, which is nice, and she turns the lights down and we all watch the big screen while she looks at the small screen next to me. For $5 we get a DVD of the visit, and for free we get reams of pictures. She’s also a very nice woman and chats and answers questions.
THEN, during regular checkups if we want to see the baby, the midwife has a portable ultrasound machine that she can wheel into the room and use. We haven’t wanted to have too many ultrasounds, so we just asked if she could look during our 19-week visit to see if we could determine the gender. She was more than happy to comply (a girl!), and then we spent 15 minutes just baby-gazing.
So, while our insurance basically bleeds us dry, at least we have good ultrasounds 😛
Oh man! That bites!
It would be awesome if pregnant women could get all pregnancy related US’s done at a centre that is ALL pregnancy. ie BC womens. I know this from professional and from personal experience. I had several US in pregnancy because I’m type 1 diabetic so I got to meet a handful of lovely people and some that resembled a robot. The US I had at BCWH were quite lovely and they made a big deal about printing off a picture. I left the room feeling great.
*The dudes next ultrasound was probably something exciting like a gall bladder scan.
All my untrasounds were exactly like that…I was so sure there was something wrong each time because the technicians were just so COLD and unhelpful. Maybe it’s part of the job description???
I love “the face” so funny!!!!!
We got in trouble for videoing our last ultrasound. No one told us we couldn’t and when the UT threatened to take away our footage I just stuffed the camera down my bra!!! ha ha, no I didn’t but my DH quickly put away the camera and we got away with it. It was really cool. I wonder if I can get a spy camera this time, clip it to my glasses or something….
That’s too bad! Remember when I had my miscarriage and had to go for an ultrasound there. I’m about 99% sure I had that guy. He was so cold when I expected a bit of warmth, especially considering the situation.
On the positive side though, so glad everything looked good with your babe!!
I got this ultrasound once by a really young resident and he couldn’t see anything no matter how hard he pressed or how much gel he used. He finally figured out what was going on when the ultrasound tech came in and asked, “Why are you scanning her belly with the vaginal probe?” Nice…
Now I totally think that we had the same guy! That’s exactly what my first ultrasound with Ben was like. Me attempting to lighten the mood with small talk and semi-funny comments and him frowning and actively ignoring me. Lame.
Sorry that you didn’t get to find out today.
In Vernon, however, we were active participants the whole time and the lady was so friendly and nice. I guess that’s the difference between a private clinic and a hospital?? I’ve heard that now they aren’t even allowed to tell you in Vernon any more.
I bet you he for sure wanted to be a professional break dancer 🙂 Hehe, you are so funny girl!
Oh, Amanda. I’m so sorry!
My experience was different and I hate that yours wasn’t. So, no finding out until the big day?
I’m sorry, but I’m all enraged over here by your experience! First, why wouldn’t he tell you? It seems so wrong that HE could (perhaps) see if you are having boy or girl but would be too clinical to tell you. It’s YOUR FREAKING BABY.
I’ve only had one bad(ish) experience with this, and it was simply b/c the lady pushed too hard with the scanner. But she sucked in lots of ways and ended up having to go get the nicer, gentler woman to finish up.
oh yah, what they show on tv is not at all what happesn IRL.
tech: “you lie steel”
me: “but my husband wants to come in”
tech: “no huzbind. you talk i cant verk. he come later”
then they charge me $15 for an ultrasound picture of MY BABY. have a good lunch…on me…grrrrrrr….
We had many ultrasounds and most of them were pleasant. Except for the one where the lady told me to go pee, “just a little bit”. Seriously? I’m way too pregnant, I pee almost more than I breath and you want me to only pee a little?
Anyways, I would totally have peed everywhere, but I would probably have waited until I stood up. That way, it’s not on just the table, but his shoes also.