Ultrasound Addicted
Posted by realityrounds on June 11, 2009
Nurses are a weird group of individuals, and I just may be the weirdest of the bunch. While I was sperminated with baby #1, I was outed at work when I was about 8 weeks pregnant. So everyone knew early on that I was knocked up. One day at work a sales rep came by with a new fancy shmancy ultrasound machine.
“This ultrasound machine gives the clearest images on the market. We pride ourselves on first trimester images. Do you have any patients on the unit in their first months of pregnancy we can scan?”-said the impeccably coiffed, perfect make-uped, $2000 dollar suit wearing, Manolo Blahnik sporting drug dealer product rep.
“Oh me, me. I’ll do it. Scan me, me. I’m 8 weeks pregnant. I want to see, see. Oh please, please!”- said the hair in scrunchy, no make-uped (does Oil of Olay count?), scrub wearing, Croc sporting, NICU nurse.
Splurt goes the conducting gel on my still flat abdomen. Splatt goes the wand over my pubic bone. I look up at the monitor and see……a lima bean.
“Look, look at that lima bean! It is my cute little lima bean. I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy. Come on, Squishy Come on, little Squishy. (Credit: Finding Nemo-2003).
I’ve Got It Bad
That first look at Squishy was my gateway drug. I could not get enough. I stalked the L&D nurses every chance I got. “Laura, got time for a quick fix scan?” “Nancy, help me out. Can you scan me in room 12?”
The L&D nurses got wise. They avoided all eye contact with me. They ran the other way as I walked down the hall. I was a pariah.
I found easier targets…..Residents. “Hey Dr. Smith. Want to practice your ultrasound skills?” “Dr. Jones, there seems to be something wrong with the new ultrasound machine. We better test it out on my burgeoning belly.”
I became addicted to the weekly scans. Images of a lima bean with a small yolk sac attached. Then small arm buds. Then movement! Squishy is swimming! Then eye sockets, and bones, and OMG, Squishy has my husband’s spine! I could not get enough.
Fifteen scans later (yes, 15) came an intervention. I read an article on the internets (computers should be banned for all pregnant women) that unscientifically stated that ultrasounds caused birth defects, low IQ’s and poor voting habits in infants. I was in a panic.
I confessed to the Director of OB of my ultrasound addicted ways. I got a long, disapproving gaze from the wise one. She reassured me that repeat ultrasounds do NOT cause birth defects, but that I was playing with fire. She told me a story of another nurse she used to work with. That nurse, like me, constantly scanned herself while pregnant. It was thrilling to see the normal development of her growing fetus. But, all was not normal. Her baby ended up having a myelomeningeocele (spina bifida) that went undetected by the amateur scans done by her colleagues.
I stopped, cold turkey. No more scans for me. I lived satisfied with the dreams of how my Squishy would turn out.
I often wonder, how many other medical professionals suffer from ultrasound addiction?
RR
atyourcervix said
Me me me!! I was addicted to scanning myself every week when I was pregnant with my youngest child. I know, bad nurse. I did it in the earlier weeks, before I was showing, and before I really “felt” pregnant. By 20ish weeks, I stopped
You’re right – it’s like an addiction.
realityrounds said
I am a bad nurse too then. Maybe we should start a support group.
rosesdaughter said
I am a BAD BAD BAD nurse!! I didn’t come out at work until about 13 weeks. But I work in Labor and Delivery and in a RE’s office, and I have unlimited access to the ultrasound machines and dopplers. In fact, I just got scanned today. I know it’s bad, but until I feel movement, I WILL get scanned!!!!
realityrounds said
Bad nurses unite! Easy access to an ultrasound is a dangerous thang.
pinky said
Now I know where all the Ultra sound gel is going! lol! I can see the lure. But I had a coworker who we scanned years and years ago. And we diagnosed that the baby did not have a heart beat. THAT sucked! It might be better that she found out amongst her beloved friends. And working L&D most of the places I have worked, the coworkers are pretty good friends. But since that episode I have been pretty ultra sound avoidance. Plus I suck at it! I admit it. Unless other folks point it out, I have no idea what I am looking at.
pinky said
Also I think that is crap about ultra sound causing birth defects. One of the recent woo that has been spreading around is that pitocin causes autism. I asked on of the neos. He just laughed at me.
Kathy said
A friend who used to work in L&D when she was first pregnant is also a “bad nurse” — I forget how many times she said she’d scan herself, but it was at least every week, probably more frequently, perhaps even every shift (unless they were too busy). But she had access to the machine, so didn’t have to have a “dealer” for her “fix”.
Christine said
While only a former NICU nurse, my BFF found out she was pregnant in December. She (and my hubby) were my life support for my pregnancy so I was bound and determined I was going to be hers. We PAID for ultrasounds in the mall (non-diagnostic) every two weeks (at $75/ea) and took turns paying.
We saw him grow from 8 weeks forward, every two weeks (plus whatever her OB did). It was so amazing.
Then, she went to her OB @ 29 weeks, and there was no heartbeat. Subsequently, she delivered the baby 3 days later with all of us with her (and her husband). Death occurred because of issues with the umbilical cord. I am still on the fence about the ultrasounds. I think it was great to see him grow, and am happy that she had pictures of him alive on the inside, but it also gave her a very false sense of security that everything was alright.
realityrounds said
Christine,
So sorry for you and your friend. Just like the director of OB told me, I was playing with fire with those ultrasounds. It is a false sense of security. Had no clue you could pay for ultrasounds in a mall. Crazy.
Rose said
I am a labor and delivery nurse, who had a baby 22 months ago. I scanned myself maybe twice. Once when a friend of mine who liked to scan ppl wanted to scan me (17 weeks or so) and once before that. Never after.
We can’t prove they are safe, and, I felt the baby moving, so no need to make sure he was still alive. Next time around, i wont scan myself at work at all-i wouldn’t be able to handle it if i saw the baby was dead while i was at work.
most of our pregnant nurses want to be scanned at one time or another, and i’ll usually oblige. i scanned a 7 week preg coworker b/c she didnt want to tell her daughter she was pregnant until she saw the HB. another coworker did a vaginal u/s on herself b/c she thought she might be pregnant and wanted to see. (she wasn’t). that, i’d never do.
another coworker was 5 weeks preg when her own ob was on call at the hosp-asked for a vag u/s b/c she wanted to see the baby’s HB and she hadn’t had her first appt yet. doc did it, then offered to do a vag u/s on another 5 week pregnant nurse who wasn’t even her patient!
a coworker and i did have a scare when a nurse from m/b unit was 14 weeks preg she wanted to be scanned. so we said we’d do it. we put the scanner on her and saw nothing but a grey/black screen. it was on….but we saw nothing. it was like, “oh crap, maybe she’s not pregnant and she thinks she is!”. thank goodness, no, the transducer wasn’t pointed the right way! lol.
most aren’t that ultrasound happy. just occasionally, ya know. one refused all ultrasounds, from us or her doctors. docs are more u/s happy-lets scan you at 30 weeks, lets scan you at 38 weeks just to see the baby’s size (yeah, right, like thats accurate) or whatever reason.
realityrounds said
Rose,
Congrats on your baby! Thanks for commenting.
I was admittedly addicted to that darn ultrasound. It was just so fascinating to watch the baby develop.
courtney said
I’m not a nurse or any kind of health care worker, but where I lived I was considered “rich” and therefore my doctor did an ultrasound every time I went to see him because I could afford to pay for it. I loved it! You can’t beat an ultrasound for $2, the 4D was a bit more expensive…$60.
Akiko said
I actually lied to get a scan done early. I had to know the sex of the baby before I lost my mind so I told the tech I was 2 weeks further along. I went to a lady who does them with a video for a keepsake but she was adamant not to come before 20 weeks. Then 36 weeks into the pregnancy my OB and his WWII era clunker U/S thoguth he saw a scrotum! I was horrified. We saw the “hot dog bun” clear as day at 18 weeks were was this scrotum? The tech said “He saw the umbilical cord, calm down!” when I called her in a panic. Nevertheless, when my child was born, I herad the baby cry and the first thing I shouted was “Is it a girl?” The doc said “Oh yeah!” and they all laughed because she was peeing all over him! Hahaha! That’s what he gets for keeping me in suspense for 4 weeks.
Before that pregnancy I lost two babies and found out during my regular U/S that there was no heart beat. Terrible, terrible. I just wanted to die. I am so glad I have my kids today.
maha said
Haven’t been pregnant but we get Starbucks gift cards if we let med students practice their ultrasounding skills on us. It’s always such a thrill to find out that a) I do NOT have any DVTs and b) my caffeine addiction is subsidized by the medical school
Now, there’s a venti latte and espresso brownie calling out my name!
realityrounds said
Just don’t fall for the free Starbucks gift card to let the med students practice pelvic exams on you. Trust me. Don’t do it.
Home Fetal Heart Monitors: A Hoax? « Reality Rounds said
[...] I fell into this same trap with my first pregnancy. I wrote a post awhile back about how I was ultrasound addicted with my first pregnancy, and would scan myself at work every chance I could get. But really, [...]
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