Pregnancy: 5 Things You Can Decline

From the moment you see “Pregnant” (or the good ol’ school double line), you’ll most likely be bombarded with a myriad of screens, tests, and interventions, some of which are based on evidence and some that aren’t. 

Here are 5 things you can safely skip during your pregnancy if you wish to:

1. Ultrasound done without a medical reason

For many women, just one ultrasound during pregnancy—the one done around 20 weeks to take a thorough look at your baby’s anatomy—can be more than enough.

Some women may also benefit from a first-trimester ultrasound if they have irregular periods or aren’t quite sure of the pregnancy dating, or if they have a history of miscarriages, have experienced bleeding, or otherwise just need reassurance the pregnancy is progressing normally.

However, ultrasounds that are done just to “check on things” or “have a look”? You can say no thanks to those!

 2. Routine Urine Drug Testing…especially those done without consent

When I moved to the South Jersey area, I was surprised to find that clients had been subjected to a routine urine drug test. In Virginia, routine drug tests were not a part of prenatal care which is why I was taken aback.

While ACOG recommends routine screening for drug use, screening refers to the process of asking women questions regarding possible drug use, not testing urine. In fact, ACOG says, “Routine laboratory testing of biologic samples is not required.” In my humble doula opinion, women should at the very least be consented for a urine drug screen.

3. Cervical exams during pregnancy 

In the absence of a problem such as preterm labor or bleeding, routine cervical exams during pregnancy are completely unnecessary.

Routine cervical exams during pregnancy are completely unnecessary, especially in the absence of a problem such as preterm labor or bleeding. 

The truth is, what your cervix is upon examination is just a little snapshot, not a prediction of where you’ll be a day, week, or month from now. Some women can have a closed cervix and go into labor a day later whereas others may walk around 3 or 4cm dilated for weeks!

4. Glucola – super sweet drink used to screen gestational diabetes

While not all women necessarily need to be screened for gestational diabetes (you may opt out if you fit very strict criteria as defined in this article by Aviva Romm), and with the concerning ingredients in glucola (dextrose derived from GMO corn or yellow #6 and red #40, which both contain benzidene, a human and animal carcinogen-just to name a few) there are a limited amount of alternatives to the glucola for those who choose screening. Unfortunately, not much research has been done on acceptable alternatives, so it’s hard to say if they are as effective as the glucola drink, but thus far, jelly beans, & The Fresh Test (use code MAMANOURISHED to get 50% off your order!!) have been found to be some possible alternatives. 

5. Care under a doctor

Studies show that midwife-led care is associated with better outcomes for mothers and babies…and that women are more satisfied with midwifery care compared to the traditional medical model. 

Choosing a care provider will drastically influence the outcomes for a mother and her baby as well as the options and choices available to her during her pregnancy and birth. 

If you’re a pregnant mama and ever in need of support, guidance, or in search for a midwife, feel free to get in touch!