Pregnancy Ultrasounds: What You Need to Know

Ultrasound is a tool used for visualizing muscles, internal organs, tendons and other things for capturing the structure, size and other pathological lesions. It is also used for visualizing fetuses during emergency prenatal care and routine. This also works as a cyclic sound pressure which can not be heard by the humans.

Not much information is available for sonograms at 6 weeks, however, with the help of an 8th week ultrasound pregnancy, things start shaping up for the first time. The mother does not need to feel any movement until the 20th week. The embryo develops in a fetus and measures about ¾ inch with noticeable hands, fingers, feet and elbows.

This is still not how you are able to distinguish the baby’s sex, as the external genitals are not developed yet. However, the baby’s tiny head takes shape and looks more human than anything else. At this point, the eyes are seen as small hollow dots on each side of the head. This is when the mouth and the nostrils start developing.  When the abdominal area forms, the stomach is filled with fluid. At this point, the baby has its own blood type with the generation of blood cells by liver.

Prenatal visit will happen this week. It is upto your obstetrician to determine the health status and inquire about family’s medical history to find any patterns to foresee possible complication. It is a good idea to bring medical records to your first prenatal visit.

Make sure to share all the accurate information such a health conditions, pregnancies and miscarriages etc. Do not forget the date of your last period as it is used for determining the baby’s estimated due date. The doctor needs to perform a physical exam and recommend moderate physical activity during  pregnancy. When it comes to scheduling your first prenatal visit, the doctor needs to perform the additional routine prenatal tests.

Your present health condition and characteristics such as weight, height and blood pressure are recorded on your medical records. Some information is used as an orientation to monitor progress and to detect the abrupt changes and physic through pregnancy.  An NT ultrasound is scheduled by the tenth and fourteenth week.