Ultrasound clinics – tips for a better pregnancy after loss experience
Pregnancy after infertility or loss can be filled with a lot of fear and anxiety. For many of us, it is re-walking a path of grief, and attending ultrasound appointments can bring up a lot of mixed emotions.
If you haven’t already read my blog with tips on how to survive ultrasound appointments, you can HERE.
But it shouldn’t always be on the person who is feeling most vulnerable, to advocate for themselves. It is also the responsibility of the provider, to ensure they’re doing all they can too.
If you’re an ultrasound clinic, and you’re wondering how to do that, this is for you.
In order to provide an environment and a service that can help women feel a little more relaxed and supported in their appointments, here are some of the challenges faced, and how they can potentially be mitigated.
While a pregnancy may look “normal” on the outside, for a lot of women, pregnancy after infertility or loss is anything but normal. Please be mindful that your patient’s pregnancy may be filled with more fear than excitement. Communication is key here, so keep checking in on their emotional state during appointments. Show empathy and acknowledge how hard this can be, and keep checking in on their emotional state.
Pregnancy after infertility or loss can be so isolating. So ensuring your patient has sufficient emotional support through their journey is important. Whether it’s offering counselling services, or introducing them to a community support program, like Your Pregnancy Haven this will ensure they have a better pregnancy experience, and a calmer ultrasound appointment.
There is so much uncertainty during pregnancy after loss, and the wait in between scans can be really tough. As women, we usually don’t want to bother our providers to ask for extra scans, but this can mean the difference between feeling anxious for another 4 weeks, or getting some reassurance. Offering more frequent scans, or letting your patients know that they can call and book in an extra scan whenever they need to, will provide them with so much relief.
When you’re sitting in the waiting room, listening for your name to be called, time can feel it’s going backward. The longer we wait, the more anxious we become. If you know your sonographer is running late, feel free to give your patient a call to let them know to come in a little later. If this isn’t possible, you could encourage them to call beforehand, so they can go for a walk or sit in the coffee shop outside if there’s a delay.
Waiting rooms can be a source of anxiety, so creating an environment that is calm and inviting, is really important. Having baby photos on the wall, while cute for those who aren’t experiencing any fear in their pregnancy, can be a huge trigger for someone who is pregnant after loss. A waiting room filled with heavily pregnant women can also be a trigger, so offering them a separate space to sit in while they wait, can be helpful too.
Going into the same room or having the same sonographer as a previous loss, may bring up a whole lot of anxiety. When booking the appointment, or before taking your patient into the room, consider their history, and ask if they have a preference.
When we go into scans, we’re usually expecting the worst (because it has happened before). In these circumstances, silence can be a killer. So when you’re performing the scan, please let your patient know upfront what you’re doing and looking for. Try to provide as much information and clarification as possible before they leave the clinic. If you need to rescan because you couldn’t get the right angle, or have found something that needs further investigation, provide clear information. This will also save them from googling as soon as they walk out the door (and getting even more anxious as a result).
Receiving bad news at a scan can be devastating. Ensuring your staff are sufficiently trained to deliver this news, and having protocols around this can mean the difference between this being traumatic or a supportive experience. Having a separate space, that is comfortable and calming, for them to process this news, can help. Allow them as much time as they need to stay there, and provide them empathy and support, including helpful resources to get them through the coming weeks.
Pregnancy loss can be isolating, so if you’ve had to deliver bad news, please offer follow up support. Giving them a call and checking in every couple of weeks can be invaluable in helping someone heal from a loss. Your compassion will not be forgotten, I promise.
It is hard to go through loss, but it’s also hard to deliver the bad news. And going from happy appointments to hard appointments can be overwhelming. Supporting your staff by providing them emotional support and tools they can use to process this heavy load and offload it, is important. This can be done through continued education, regular check-in’s and somatic practices.
If you know of an ultrasound clinic who would benefit from this information, feel free to forward this to them. And if you’re an ultrasound clinic and would like this as a PDF resource you can provide to your technicians, please contact me via email for a copy at jennifer@yourpregnancyhaven.co.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO REDUCE YOUR PREGNANCY ANXIETY?
Join us inside Your Pregnancy Haven, our support program and community for women who are currently pregnant after infertility or loss.
✔ Receive 24/7 encouragement, love and understanding, in our community chat groups.
✔ Find support, knowledge and relief through our weekly group coaching calls, our in-house doula, and interviews with 30+ qualified experts.
✔ Experience hope and inspiration with our weekly emails, challenges and monthly magazine.
✔ Learn strategies and tools to help you take back control of your mindset, so you can reduce your fear, and feel moments of joy in your pregnancy.