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Early pregnancy and ultrasound scans |
Some
women start to suspect they may be pregnant soon after they conceive,
while for others the suspicion starts when their period doesn't
arrive.
You
may experience all, some, or none of these early signs:
- Prickling, tingling nipples
- Spotting and cramping
- Feeling sick
- Tender, swollen breasts
- Fatigue
- Needing to pee frequently
- Darkening of your nipples
- Altered sense of taste
- A missed period
- The proof, a positive pregnancy test.
So
now you're pregnant, congratulations! There are, of course, many
decisions to make along the way, for example:
- which
ultrasound scans do you want?
- do
you want to know the sex of your baby
- do
you want to breastfeed?
The
main points of contact for advice and the most up-to-date information
are your gynaecologist, doctor or midwife.
Important
scans in early pregnancy
You
can have the first pregnancy scan, called the viability or dating
scan,
at 6 to 11 weeks gestation. It confirms the pregnancy, checks whether
it is one child or more and calculates the date when the baby is due.
It is especially important to have this done if bleeding or pain has
occurred, or if the likelihood of an ectopic pregnancy exists. This
scan can show the gestation sac, (indicating a healthy pregnancy) and
the embryo. The fetal heartbeat is normally visible from 6 weeks
onwards. This scan is usually done vaginally to allow a clearer
picture of the baby.
The
second scan you can have, from 11 weeks and 2 days to 14 weeks
gestation, is the nuchal
translucency (NT) scan.
The NT scan is a part of Down's syndrome screening. This is the
first chance to examine the baby in detail. To get a more accurate
risk calculation of whether the baby may have Down's syndrome, the
NT scan measurements are combined with a blood test and maternal age.
At this stage, the head, chest, heart, abdomen, stomach, bladder,
arms, hands, legs as well spine can be seen.
Between
14 weeks and 20 weeks you can have a reassurance
scan
if you experience any bleeding and/or pain. This scan will check the
fetal heartbeat and measure the head, tummy and leg length and the
amount of amniotic fluid.
From
17 weeks you can have a gender
scan
to check the baby's sex, if you wish.
From
20 to 23 weeks you can have an anomaly
scan.
By this stage the baby's organs are well developed. This detailed
scan checks for a normal body structure. The checklist includes the
brain, face, heart, lungs, bowels, stomach, kidneys, bladder, arms,
hands, legs, feet, spine, the placental position, cord insertion and
the amount of amniotic fluid.
Richmond
Practice provide all of these scans.
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Appointments
Guaranteed 10 min response
(in business hours)
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Roseneath