This is the final ultrasound image we received before the fetus was euthanized with a shot of digoxin. It was a hearbreaking moment looking at the screen, seeing the baby move and being able to make out the profile of her face, and knowing what was to be her fate. My husband and I asked the doctor to see the image of the baby one last time and for us, it was a very helpful “coming to terms” moment that we do not regret. Had it been an earlier abortion or an unwanted pregnancy, I’m sure I would not have wanted to see a final ultrasound like this. More recently, I have learned that legislation is being passed across the country to mandate ultrasound viewing in abortion care, usually as a means to manipulate the women’s decision-making process, which I find both sneaky and scary. To find out more about mandated ultrasound viewing in abortion care, click the link below.
http://www.ansirh.org/research/ultrasound.php
Final ultrasound at 19 weeks. Initially, it was nice to have these tangible mementos, even if it was only to confirm and remind us of the existence of our ill-fated pregnancy.
A week and a half before the final ultrasound above, we received this ultrasound at 17 weeks from the perinatologists, right after they told us there was something catastrophically wrong with the baby’s heart.
Ultrasound at 17 weeks--the appointment that found severe defects in the baby's heart, "incompatible with life". The image is so clear and "normal" looking! If it were so "catastrophic," how could the fetus have survived for so long and look so peaceful like this, we wondered. The news that our baby most likely had a "chromosomal problem" and that we would soon have to terminate the pregnancy, was devastating.
And, here is the first ultrasound our OBGYN took to confirm the pregnancy in the initial weeks of pregnancy. Things were looking peachy back then.
The first ultrasound that brought such excitement and joy, confirming the pregnancy from our OBGYN.
Late-Term Abortion in Wanted Pregnancies 