Hi, all. Some time ago, Marie Davis asked something about
obstetric ultrasound and learning disabilities. Because of my
childbirth-activist big mouth, I got in my possession (would
rather not say how) a copy of a proposal by a group in a
Scandinavian country with this connection as its working
hypothesis. This was 7-8 years ago, and I don't know what
actually happened. There must be some evidence of a connection
between the two, because the FDA recommends no U/S in the first
trimester unless there is a sound medical reason. I have also
seen some WHO documents of meetings where the concensus seems to
be that obstetric U/S is recommended to be limited to valid
medical reasons. Add to this a study that seemed to show that OB
U/S could lead to intrauterine growth retardation (and
ironically, *screening for* IUGR is the supposed "medical reason"
for 2 U/S exams done routinely in Israel!). The reasoning for a
connection with LDs probably is that the fetal brain develops
most rapidly in the 1st 20 weeks of gestation. I have a very
unprofessional gut feeling that exposure to U/S in utero may lead
to learning disabilities, which may be "witnessed" for the first
time by difficulty in learning how to breastfeed. I have
suspected this in a few clients of mine, but it is impossible to
prove.....unless some whiz kid out there has some bright idea....
My LD daughter was not exposed to U/S in utero. She had to be
resuscitated at birth, Apgar of 6/8, was blue for 24+ hrs because
of shot of Demerol I was given 1.5 hours before delivery.
Obviously, analgesia during labor is one of my major buttons.
Happy New Year everyone! Judy Knopf in Beer Sheva, Israel