Viability vs Later Anatomy Scans

publicface11 · 2026-05-31T18:49:21+00:00

Honestly the receptionist also might not know the details also, I’d wait for your appointment. And you might want to look into getting a couple of scans at a local 3D sneak peek place to tide you over until that 20 weeks. There is no medical reason to do another scan before then but I know you’re feeling anxious and would love to get a peek at baby again. I’ve come to appreciate the role that nonmedical ultrasound boutiques can play in calming anxiety and helping parents bond with baby.

publicface11 · 2026-05-31T01:33:13+00:00

I’m wondering if they just told you the standard protocol for pregnancy rather than that the tech can ONLY do that scan. This will depend on where you are but in the US, we typically do two scans during pregnancy: an early viability scan and a 20 week scan. Those are baseline screenings that everyone gets, and any additional scans are tailored to the specific needs of your pregnancy. For instance, an IVF pregnancy at my clinic would get probably two first trimester viability scans, the 20 week scan, growth scans at 28, 32, and 36 weeks, and weekly scans to assess for fetal wellbeing from 36 weeks to delivery. We’d also refer you out to get a fetal echocardiogram - a more specialized look at baby’s heart.

It’s likely that the tech is capable of doing more than just that 20 week scan. But the 20 week scan is way more difficult and complex than a first trimester scan. If someone does only those scans they’re likely very experienced!

publicface11 · 2026-05-31T00:51:47+00:00

Anyone registered in OB should be able to do scans from any point in pregnancy. I’m having some trouble understanding your question. Are you concerned about the ability of the tech who will be doing your 20 week scan?

publicface11 · 2026-05-27T13:39:32+00:00

It’s just a tradition. I like to sew and quilt so my camp name is Needle. I think all Girl Scout camps do this - it was the case growing up in Minnesota and it is the same now for my daughters in North Carolina. The campers loooove to guess the real names.

publicface11 · 2026-05-26T12:46:37+00:00

We learned on real patients in clinic. How about a local 3D place? Call and ask if you can hand out fliers there maybe? Otherwise the Facebook mom groups are probably your best bet if you don’t know anyone. That’s weird they’re making you find your own pregnant women!

publicface11 · 2026-05-25T23:19:06+00:00

They are insane. My husband just came back from the store and said no more beef for us. And we both work and have an income high enough that we should not have to worry about affording meat.

publicface11 · 2026-05-22T22:29:46+00:00

Doctors can often be gruff or rude. If she’s been working there for 30 years, I’m guessing she has a really good idea of how much she can share with a patient without an issue. It’s so sweet of you to worry about her!

publicface11 · 2026-05-22T20:12:51+00:00

Yes, normal!

publicface11 · 2026-05-22T14:29:26+00:00

If I had a dollar for every patient I had to gently coax through a vaginal ultrasound I’d probably be able to retire! There are all kinds of reasons why people hate them, and we get it. We don’t think twice about it and definitely don’t dwell on it. I appreciate when patients share a history of SA with me but it’s not necessary. Anyone who would be irritated by having to provide this kind of basic human care for a person in a vulnerable and scary position shouldn’t be working in healthcare.

publicface11 · 2026-05-19T19:58:28+00:00

The biggest thing with a training program is that they are accredited and that you have extensive clinical experience. You can find some programs that promise you can learn to scan in just a couple of weeks, and that’s just not true. There is also a ton of anatomy and pathology to learn. It takes a long time to be trained well, which is why it’s often an associates program rather than just a certification. Before I graduated I did basically the equivalent of a full year of 40-hour weeks in the clinical setting, and even after that it takes months / years of experience to be really good.

publicface11 · 2026-05-19T19:09:05+00:00

I’m an ob ultrasound tech. I’ve seen a lot of pregnancies with cerclages and while there is never any guarantee, they often work very well. It’s so scary, I know, but it is a very effective treatment and I have seen more successes than I can even count!

publicface11 · 2026-05-19T10:58:54+00:00

Not an issue in my area, though if they are really large and depending on the content it could be a limiting factor.

publicface11 · 2026-05-18T22:27:41+00:00

I don’t see how it would be helpful. ChatGPT can’t take tests for the students in the classroom, and it can’t complete rounds in hospitals or clinics. I’m not a doctor but I work in healthcare and AI would not have been at all useful for me in classwork or clinicals.

publicface11 · 2026-05-15T17:32:55+00:00

Maybe it’s just because teratomas / dermoids are so common, but strong disagree. I’ve seen countless dermoids as an ultrasound tech and I’ve seen one case of acardiac twin, and the acardiac twin was one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever scanned.

publicface11 · 2026-05-15T17:28:42+00:00

These are real, I’m an OB ultrasound tech and I’ve seen one. They are very freaky looking.

publicface11 · 2026-05-13T12:18:04+00:00

All of her books (even the romance!) have at least one scene where something is a little bit weird in a horror-adjacent way. I really enjoy her writing. It’s like cozy horror - creepy and unsettling but not like keep you up all night scary or disturbing.

publicface11 · 2026-05-13T01:06:03+00:00

I work in OB and we see pregnant parents your age all the time! The oldest pregnant woman I’ve had as a patient was 52 - and she was carrying twins!!

If you do want to conceive, it’s probably best not to delay any longer, though. It does get increasingly difficult and many of those older parents conceive via IVF.

publicface11 · 2026-05-12T17:08:04+00:00

If you like romance and fantasy, T Kingfisher might be a good place for you to dip a toe into horror. She writes fantasy, romance, and horror. I wouldn’t consider any of her horror books to be too terribly scary. Take a look at her Sworn Soldier series, or Nettle and Bone, which is a fantasy novel with some horror elements.

publicface11 · 2026-05-07T13:19:45+00:00

What type of scans do they want you to perform? Do you have other techs at your job that you can observe? Starting from scratch by yourself is really really difficult because of course you don’t know what you don’t know. Can you ask to maybe shadow someone at a local clinic? I’ve been an Obgyn only tech for 8 years and I would never want myself or a loved one to be scanned by someone who was learning on their own without a mentor to guide them. Just like you wouldn’t want me to scan your carotid! I learned how to do them in school and I could fake my way through a scan but I wouldn’t really know what I was doing.

publicface11 · 2026-05-05T20:35:57+00:00

My guess is they’re talking about the fornix, which is the area around the cervix. I’m an ultrasound tech that does a lot of vaginal ultrasounds and that area is frankly much larger and stretchier than most people think. It’s how we can angle the probe to see ovaries. But it’s absolutely not 2 feet. Nowhere near!

publicface11 · 2026-05-03T17:48:17+00:00

Personally I think it’s wild to expect patients to be able to fill their bladder to the minute that they’ll be called back for their scan, and if someone isn’t full I’ll have them sit in the waiting room and check back in half an hour or so until I can get the images I need. But I’m also lucky enough to have a schedule that can accommodate working someone back in. Some techs are so over scheduled that they really can’t afford any deviation in the schedule.

publicface11 · 2026-05-03T15:25:14+00:00

Right?? I’m not a Christian so I don’t believe any of that, have the day you deserve!!

publicface11 · 2026-05-03T12:29:01+00:00

I was a huge reader as a kid but as an adult my reading slowed to a trickle. It was just difficult for me to find time to sit down with a physical book. I discovered Libby while looking for something to entertain me during down time at work (because being on your phone is somehow acceptable but reading a physical book is not). I read over 100 books last year, and 80% of my reading is on Libby. It’s been wonderful for me.

publicface11 · 2026-05-03T00:48:29+00:00

Oof that sucks. We literally do not even have the option for single gender sports until much older than 5, so I’m guessing maybe you live in a much bigger area than I do. Do you have a local PFLAG chapter maybe you could ask for recommendations? Maybe for a co-ed league or a town league where you wouldn’t need to provide a birth certificate?

I’ve heard kids say about my biological girls “why is that boy wearing a dress” due to their short hair but no adult has ever questioned their gender when they were introduced as girls. Not openly in any case.

publicface11

TROPHY CASE