Head of a fetus, aged 29 weeks, in a “3D ultrasound” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Someone I vaguely know, posted a picture of their baby’s ultrasound on Facebook. This isn’t the first time this has happened. The ones that really creep me out are the three-dimensional pictures. I think it’s very Science Fiction like, and kind of odd. Should you be looking at the kid before it comes out of the womb? It seems like you’re invading the embryo’s privacy in some way.
It was bad enough when your parents showed you naked on a blanket. Now, they can show you actually developing.
It’s mind boggling to know that we all start out looking like something from another dimension. It’s one thing to be pregnant and know there’s something going on. It’s another thing to actually watch it. This whole process reminds me of a “Twilight Zone” episode. (For all you baby boomers out there!)
Along with showing the parent’s monthly ultrasounds, the doctors also draw comparisons between pieces of fruit. The little embryos are compared to naval oranges, avocados, bananas, and a variety of foods.
Maybe it helps the parents get used to the idea of having a baby, and it is a good conceptual tool. What do we usually do with pieces of fruit? We eat them. Now, that’s creepy.
Baby boomers did experience this a little bit
When I’d go to the doctor every month, he would put me on the scale and take my urine to check out if I had some kind of disorder or other. I still hear my doctor saying, “you’re not eating for three are you?” They did do one ultrasound per pregnancy. Once in a while it revealed the sex. In my case, it never revealed anything to me except the fetus was developing normally. That was a reassuring thing to know. It seemed like Science Fiction to me, even back then. (I recently found one of these pictures, but I couldn’t remember which kid it was.)
I didn’t know whether any of my kids was a boy or girl before they arrived. The only tooI I had in those days was the Drano test which really didn’t work. You mixed Drano with urine and it either turned blue or brown. Blue was a boy, and brown was a girl. My husband and I tried it each time and it was highly inaccurate. But it did bubble, make a sizzling noise and stink to high heaven. You had to make sure you weren’t near it when it bubbled.
What’s next?
Twenty-four hour surveillance of all the potential baby’s movements which you can play for all your friends and relatives, and a soundtrack to go along with it? Maybe a prenatal beauty contest awards ceremony?
I do think all of this is really cool, but I’m wondering how necessary it all is. How much does the extra technology cost? Am I being overly skeptical?
What do you think?
My Life in my 60's 