During pregnancy, the expectant mother should be regularly examined by a doctor. On average, a European woman visits a doctor 10-15 times over the entire prenatal period. Of course, the number of visits varies greatly depending on the individual course of pregnancy.
Most of the appearances in the clinic are very arbitrary, but a couple can ask questions of interest to them, especially if the first pregnancy.
Among the routine procedures, there are some very exciting for those who are going to become parents in the near future. Of course, mom is really looking forward to getting to know the baby when she can see him for the first time on the monitor during ultrasound. As the embryo develops, the picture on the screen will become more and more informative.
Ultrasound at 12 weeks of gestation already shows a real tiny man. Further research will allow you to see the development of the crumbs and even make a portrait of a new family member.
Safest method
It is believed that this diagnostic method is the most harmless, and yet experts do not recommend that they be abused at their own whim, and sent for examination only on the appointment of an obstetrician-gynecologist.
An extraordinary ultrasound is prescribed if the doctor suspects the amount or structure of the amniotic fluid, the location or condition of the placenta, the length of the cervix, and the status of the uterine myometrium.
All other examinations are carried out exclusively in accordance with the established calendar.
Ultrasound Calendar
The first ultrasound can be prescribed at 5-8 weeks, but more often this examination is skipped. A woman can not always immediately find out what is expecting a baby. If the study is done, then at this stage the fact of the onset of conception, its estimated timing and viability of the fetus are established. The photo shows only the presence of an embryo.
In the period from 10 to 13 weeks, another ultrasound should be performed. The specialist uses the photo at week 12 to better examine the collar zone, as well as the attachment of the placenta and amniotic fluid parameters. At this stage, it is already possible to more accurately set the date of delivery with an error of several days.
Between 20 and 24 weeks, another ultrasound examination is performed. Particular attention is paid to the correspondence of the activity and size of the baby, the condition of the placenta and amniotic fluid. All indicators are compared with previous results obtained during ultrasound at 12 weeks of gestation.
The fourth study shows the development in dynamics compared to previous episodes. Fetoplacental and uteroplacental blood flow are immediately evaluated using the so-called Doppler method.
The last sound examination is performed just before the appearance of an already formed baby. The doctor pays attention to the location and condition of the child, the position of the umbilical cord.
Photo to album
Many parents begin to form a photo album of crumbs before birth. Today, getting an ultrasound card is not difficult.
It is only necessary to warn the doctor about this, and he will gladly provide pictures. So it is possible at the time of birth to collect a decent collection, with descriptions and annotations about the development, weight, condition of the child. The most interesting pictures are obtained at the last inspection, when the baby's facial features are already formed. Then it will be interesting to compare ultrasound images and photos after birth.
Pregnancy Control
While external changes are not so noticeable, with the help of modern technology, the doctor can determine the size of the fetus, set the estimated date of delivery. All this is possible already with ultrasound at 12 weeks of gestation.
The specialist analyzes the condition of the uterus, its tone, studies the location of the placenta, clearly establishes the physiological location of the fetus.
A pregnant woman is unlikely to be able to independently figure out the image on the screen, so it’s worth asking the operator for clarification.
At this stage, the doctor is guided by tabular indicators and draws conclusions about the course of gestation, comparing them with the results of ultrasound at 12 weeks. Pregnancy rates are determined based on observations of the general course of most pregnancies.
Who will the stork bring
There are a huge number of ways to find out what the future child will have sex. On ultrasound 12 weeks you can already find out.
Most parents after this procedure receive the answer to the long-awaited question. However, sometimes it is not possible to establish sex until the child’s birthday, although the reproductive system is already formed. People say that the baby will be shy if he constantly hides the bottom of the tummy from the apparatus. What to do in this case?
There is a study that determines who is born, based on the rhythm of the heart. It is believed that in girls it is more than 140 beats per minute, in boys it is less. This can be obtained from the ultrasound operator at 12 weeks of gestation. However, this is rather a speculative observation rather than a fact confirmed by medicine. The probability of coincidence is 50%, the same as the probability of just guessing.
Another popular way to guess the sex of a child is to look at the shape of the abdomen. A higher
position of the fetus in the womb - according to legend, means a girl, and a "low" belly - a boy. However, gynecologists argue that another factor affects the position of the fetus and, as a consequence, the shape of the abdomen. It is about the width of the hips, the hips are narrower - the sharper the shape of the abdomen.
Addiction in the food of the expectant mother also speaks of the gender of the child. It is believed that the preference for sweets speaks of a developing girl, and meat - a boy.
If a pregnant woman seems to fade while bearing a child, a daughter will be born. They say that the daughter eats mother's beauty. At the same time, the boy in the womb reveals the attractiveness and brightness of the woman's appearance.
Inner work
At week 12, at the end of the first trimester, the baby continues to grow rapidly.
Legs and arms grow, the abdominal cavity forms, in which the intestines are distributed. The beginnings of fluffy hairs are born: future eyebrows, eyelashes, hairs on the cheeks and above the upper lip are laid. Fingerprints are emerging.
At this moment, the immune system is actively differentiated. The glands begin to produce their own hormones.
The baby actively tumbles, purses lips, swallows fluid, blinks for centuries, turns its head and sucks a finger.
At this time, you can hear the baby's heartbeat using the Doppler device.
In the position of the future mother
The future mother has an enlarged uterus. During pregnancy, the uterus can stretch from 10 ml to 10 liters, from 70 g to 1100 g.
The breast becomes more sensitive, its size increases. Weight gain for this period is 2 - 3, 5 kg. A woman is recommended to have an ultrasound at 12 weeks of pregnancy of internal organs.
Red pigment spots, itching, indicating an overstretching of the skin may appear on the skin. It is at this stage that it is important to begin to properly hydrate the epidermis with the help of special creams. Do not be afraid of the appearance of a dark strip near the navel, all this will pass after childbirth. The heart of the future mother begins to beat more often in order to pump more blood. But urination is becoming less common in comparison with the first three months.
A woman is already completely accustomed to her new role and is easier to bear the chores that the intestines can deliver. Flatulence and constipation in most cases are easily regulated by nutrition.
In the case of individual characteristics or pregnancy with twins, toxicosis may persist. Multiple pregnancy has other features.
Carrying twins
Just a few generations ago, the appearance of twins was often a big surprise. However, due to the use of ultrasound in medicine, multiple pregnancy can be diagnosed as early as 5 weeks.
More often, the fact is established when the first ultrasound is done at 12 weeks.
The realization that two children will be born at once is important for the psychological preparation of the parents, as well as for the necessary preparations, such as the purchase of cradles and strollers of a special design.
In addition, an examination will help to do everything possible to prevent complications that occur more often during multiple pregnancy.
These include preterm birth and gestational diabetes. It is also important that midwives and delivery doctors be aware of this. It is more difficult to bear twins, so you need to visit a doctor and do control tests more often.
Thus, the first ultrasound of a child at week 12 can give parents very important knowledge and prepare for the upcoming tasks.
More precisely than ultrasound
In order to get more information about the course of pregnancy, you should turn to a deeper study than ultrasound. Screening at week 12 uses data from blood biochemistry. Two markers are analyzed: free b-hCG and PAPP-A. That is why the procedure is also called a double test.
Doctors recommend testing three times during the entire pregnancy.
Ultrasound during screening is carried out in more detail and makes it possible to monitor the “collar zone” of the fetus, which, in turn, eliminates gross malformations or anomalies. The area is located between the soft tissues and the skin where fluid accumulates. During pregnancy, the space is constantly changing, and in order for these temporal markers to provide the necessary information, screening should be done clearly at the time prescribed by the doctor.
Such a study can only be done by a highly qualified operator, since the subjectivity of the data is quite high.
The results of a blood test are also designed to exclude abnormalities in the fetus. A double increase in b-hCG causes a suspicion that the fetus has trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), and a decrease - Edwards syndrome. But all this gives only an assumption that, of course, devalues the results.
Pros and cons
Ultrasound for a period of 12 weeks or a little earlier - usually 8-12 weeks - this is additional information for the therapist about the exact date of conception and activity of the embryo. The expectant mother does all the tests of her own free will, guided by the interests of the baby’s health.