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Re: OB U/S & LD

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 (at least, this
is my theory). Obviously, analgesia during labor is one of my major buttons.
Happy New Year everyone! Judy Knopf in Beer Sheva, Israel