How to tell radiologist/parent I'm pregnant

January 20, 2019 11:47 PM

My parent is a radiologist. I want to tell him that I'm pregnant by getting a sonogram done in his office without telling him details beforehand.

Please give your ideas for making this epic. I can get the rest of the staff in on the secret, but don't recommend telling them too far in advance otherwise they'll spoil the surprise.

It's his own practice so I don't have to worry about access, staff, scheduling, bills. We've been asking him to test us for different things lately so this won't be so unusual.

Is there something else I can ask to be tested for that'll get me in there as a cover? Or do I need to get in there, be set up for the sonogram by a tech, and then have someone call him in to check the sonogram personally and then surprise I'm the patient? What week should I do this at?

How do I justify getting my mom to come to the office too?

Please help me create some joyful family theater.

posted by anonymous to Human Relations (6 answers total)

I like this idea—it’s fun! One thing in terms of logistics is to get a sonogram done first somewhere else or wth someone else in his practice. The last thing you want is for the sonogram to show something scary or medically amiss. Anyway, I’m sure you’ve got that covered but just in case!
posted by whitewall at 12:37 AM on January 21, 2019 [19 favorites]

Is there another member of the practice (partner, nurse, receptionist, etc) who you know? You might reach out to them for help. They might have ideas on how and when to pull this off for the best effect and would probably love to help conspire with you.

Also -- congratulations! I wish you and your new family much health and happiness!
posted by nalyd at 3:29 AM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

You could tell them your doc wants a look at a fibroid. That would obviously get a sonogram of your uterus. ANd your mom could go for support because you're weirdly nervous about the sonogram?

There are two things I would worry about:

First, how early in the pregnancy is this? Because very early pregnancy sonograms (like the 6 week sonogram) are done intravaginally. Embryo is too small to see via abdomen, so presumably an abdominal ultrasound of your uterus might not tip them off. Talk to clinic staff. I'm assuming you don't want your dad to do an intravaginal sonogram.

Second I would worry about is if he sees that you're pregnant, he might thing YOU don't know that you're pregnant, not that you're delivering the news to them. Not sure how that would play out.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:26 AM on January 21, 2019 [14 favorites]

Getting a medically-unnecessary fetal ultrasound may not be such a good idea for your future baby (NHS). Also, I don't know whether the equipment and ultrasound intensity would be different for a fetal ultrasound than for other diagnostic abdominal ultrasounds; high intensity can cause tissue heating and microcavitation.
posted by heatherlogan at 6:40 AM on January 21, 2019 [3 favorites]

Or, you could:

1. Get a sonogram at your regular hospital as directed by your ob
2. Bring the sonogram to a family dinner
3. Mention to your parent that you got a sonogram recently and you wanted their opinion on the reading
4. Show them the sonogram to their surprise and delight
5. Celebrate as directed
posted by mochapickle at 9:10 AM on January 21, 2019 [48 favorites]

Just wanted to say that my parent is a radiologist and I wish we did this!
posted by melodykramer at 2:46 PM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]