- With Mayo Clinic certified nurse-midwife
Mary M. Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Mary M. Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
Mary M. Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
Mary Murry is a certified nurse-midwife in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
Murry, a Cincinnati native, has been a nurse-midwife practitioner for more than 20 years and is an instructor at the College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic. She was a contributing reviewer and writer of the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book.
Her research interests include adult female survivors of sexual abuse, women's perception of pain in labor, and obesity in pregnancy.
Latest entries
- You're pregnant! How will you share the news?
March 26, 2013
- Prenatal visits: Do you bring support?
March 12, 2013
- Tdap vaccine: Now recommended during pregnancy
Feb. 26, 2013
- Dad-to-be? Take center stage!
Feb. 12, 2013
- Infertility: An invitation to share your story
Jan. 29, 2013
Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Pregnancy and you blog
-
April 20, 2011
Ultrasound in pregnancy: A cultural phenomenon?
By Mary M. Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
When I first started working as a labor and delivery nurse, fetal ultrasounds didn't exist. Just imagine — no pictures of your developing baby, and no way to determine your baby's sex until birth. Twins were sometimes a surprise in the delivery room!
Today, of course, the situation is quite different. Ultrasound in pregnancy is considered a normal part of prenatal care. Sometimes ultrasound offers reassurance, such as a strong heartbeat or evidence of normal growth and development. You might enjoy the added benefit of learning your baby's sex ahead of time. In other cases ultrasound detects the heartbreaking loss of pregnancy or the possible presence of a birth defect.
The availability of commercial ultrasound packages takes ultrasound in pregnancy to a new level. Businesses offering fetal ultrasounds for keepsake photos or videos — some available in 3D — have popped up in malls and shopping centers across the country. As tempting as it might be to seek this sort of memento, remember that ultrasound isn't quite like snapping a photo. It's a medical procedure and isn't recommended solely for fun. If you decide to proceed with commercial ultrasound, do your homework. Check on training and credentials for the staff members. Ask what happens if the technician detects an abnormality on the ultrasound. Make sure you're comfortable with any disclaimers or legal waivers.
It's also important to remember that ultrasound in pregnancy is fallible. Sometimes birth defects are missed — or incorrectly identified — with ultrasound. Sometimes a baby's sex is obvious, and sometimes a bit of guesswork or uncertainty is involved.
Still, ultrasound in pregnancy is woven into our culture. Do you suppose there will ever be a fetal Facebook where in utero babies will send out friend requests along with their ultrasound pictures?
13 comments posted
Share on:
13 comments posted