Pregnant mum points warning after recognizing ‘offensive’ time period on ultrasound report
A pregnant woman warned other expectant mums after she saw a phrase on her paperwork she didn’t understand.
Jess, who posts online as @jessthetiredmum, is known online for posting content about being a parent and her experiences while pregnant. Recently, when she was looking over her doctor’s notes from her recent ultrasound scan she spotted a phrase she didn’t understand.
She said once she looked it up she “felt cr***y” and decided to let other plus-size women know they could expect to see the same thing on their reports too.
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In the video, which gained more than 2,900 likes, she said: “If you’re plus size and pregnant, be prepared to have maternal habitus – I think that’s how you say it – written on your scan reports.
“It basically means the mum’s got stomach fat. It’s not very pleasant to read. When I first saw it, I thought, ‘what the hell does that mean?’ Googled it. Thought, oh, cheers! As if I didn’t already know I was fat. Now you need to tell me on the scan reports too.
“However, it’s just the NHS covering their backs. Basically, it’s them saying if there’s anything that we’ve missed, it’s because we haven’t had the clearest of images because the mum’s fat.”
TikTok viewers immediately took to the comments to share their experiences. One user said: “That’s me off to check my scan notes.”
One person chimed in: “Never had this on any of my scan reports,” while another shared their shock: “I got it on mine. I was so offended, was a healthy size 10/12.” A fourth piped up: “Yeah I Googled it and balled my eyes out.”
Yet, someone stood up for the sonographers, pointing out: “I mean technically the scan notes aren’t really for you but I’ve never been annoyed about mine saying limited view I’m fat it is what it is they aren’t gonna lie.”
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Jess hit back: “There’s no benefit to it being written, it’s just them covering their backs – I think that’s why it feels cr***y, it’s not necessary!”
However, another countered: “As a nurse and a pregnant woman I can tell you that everything we write on reports has a reason to be there and it’s not covering anyone’s back.”
It comes as research found on PubMed indicates that ultrasound scans struggle to detect fetal anomalies as the mother’s BMI increases.
The study revealed that only half of the ultrasounds performed on obese women could clearly visualise the baby.
