During pregnancy, the expectant mother shouldregularly examined by a doctor. On average, a European woman visits the 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 occurrences in the clinic are very conditional, but the couple may ask questions of interest to them, especially if the pregnancy is the first.
Among the routine procedures there are some veryexciting for those who are going to become parents in the near future. Of course, the mother is very much looking forward to dating 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.
An ultrasound scan on the 12th week of gestation already shows this tiny little man. Further research will see the development of the crumbs, and even make a portrait of a new family member.
The safest method
It is believed that this method of diagnosis is the mostharmless, and yet experts do not recommend them to abuse at their own whim, and sent for examination only by appointment of an obstetrician-gynecologist.
An extraordinary ultrasound is prescribed if the doctor suspects the amount or structure of amniotic fluid, the location or condition of the placenta, the length of the cervix, and the status of uterine myometrium.
All other inspections are carried out exclusively in accordance with the established calendar.
Ultrasound Calendar
The first ultrasound can be scheduled for 5-8 weeks, butmore often this inspection is skipped. A woman may not always immediately know that she is expecting a child. If research is being done, then at this stage the fact of the onset of conception, its intended time and viability of the fetus are established. The photo shows only the presence of the embryo.
Between 10 and 13 weeks should be heldanother ultrasound. The specialist uses a photo at week 12 to better consider the collar area, as well as the attachment of the placenta and the parameters of amniotic fluid. At this stage, it is already possible to more accurately establish the date of delivery with an error of several days.
Between 20 and 24 weeks spend anotherultrasound examination. Particular attention is paid to the compliance of the activity and size of the baby, the state of the placenta and amniotic fluid. All indicators are compared with previous results obtained during ultrasound in the 12th week of pregnancy.
The fourth study shows the development in the dynamics compared with previous episodes. The placental and uteroplacental blood flow is also 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 cord.
Photo to album
Many parents begin to create a photo album crumbs before birth. Today, getting a card from an ultrasound study is easy.
Control of pregnancy
While external changes are not so noticeable,With the help of modern technology, the doctor can determine the size of the fruit, put the estimated time of delivery. All this is possible already with ultrasound in the 12th week of pregnancy.
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 understand the image on the screen, so you should ask the operator for explanations.
At this stage, the doctor is guided by tabularindicators and draws conclusions about the course of gestation, comparing them with the results of ultrasound at 12 weeks. Pregnancy rates are determined on the basis of observations of the general course of most pregnancies.
Whom will the stork bring
There are many ways to find out what the future child will be like. On 12 weeks ultrasound, you can already find out.
Есть исследование, которое определяет, кто же born on the basis of 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 the 12th week of pregnancy. However, this is rather a mental 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 islook at the shape of the abdomen. A higher position of the fetus in the womb is believed to mean a girl, and a “low” belly means a boy. However, gynecologists say that the position of the fetus and, as a consequence, the shape of the abdomen is influenced by another factor. We are talking about the width of the hips, the narrower the hips - the sharper will be the shape of the abdomen.
Prejudice in the food of the future mother also speaks about the sex of the child. It is believed that the preference for sweets says about the developing girl, and the meat - the boy.
If a pregnant woman seems to fade, yetbears a child, then a daughter will be born. They say that the daughter eats her mother's beauty. At the same time, the boy in the womb reveals the attractiveness and brightness of the woman's appearance.
Internal work
At week 12, at the end of the first trimester, the baby continues to grow rapidly.
At this point, the immune system is actively differentiated. The glands begin to produce their own hormones.
The child actively tumbles, purses his lips, swallows fluid, blinks for centuries, turns his head and sucks his finger.
At this time, you can hear the baby's heartbeat using the Doppler device.
In the position of the future mother
In the future mother increases the uterus. During the moment of pregnancy, the uterus can stretch from 10 ml to 10 liters, from 70 g to 1100 g.
The chest becomes more sensitive, its size increases. The weight gain for this period is 2 - 3, 5 kg. A woman is recommended to undergo an ultrasound at the 12th week of pregnancy of the internal organs.
Red pigment may appear on the skin.spots, itching, indicating overstretching of the skin. It is at this stage it is important to begin to properly moisturize the epidermis with the help of special creams. Do not be afraid and the appearance of a dark strip near the navel, all this will pass after childbirth. The future mother's heart begins to beat more often in order to pump more blood. But urination becomes less in comparison with the first three months.
The woman is already fully accustomed to her new role and more easily tolerates the chores that the intestines can deliver. Flatulence and constipation in most cases are easily regulated with food.
In the case of individual characteristics or pregnancy, twins toxicosis may persist. Multiple pregnancies have other features.
Carrying twins
Just a few generations ago, the appearance of twins was often a big surprise. However, thanks to the use of ultrasound in medicine, multiple pregnancies can be diagnosed already at week 5.
The realization that two children will be born at once is important for the psychological preparation of parents, as well as for the necessary preparations, such as buying cradles and wheelchairs of special design.
In addition, the inspection will help to do everything possible to prevent complications that occur more often during multiple pregnancies.
These include preterm labor andgestational diabetes. It is also important that midwives and delivery doctors know about this. It is more difficult to carry twins, so you need to visit the doctors and do control tests more often.
Thus, the first ultrasound scan of a child at week 12 can give parents very important knowledge and prepare them for the tasks ahead.
More precisely than ultrasound
To get more information aboutduring pregnancy, it is worth referring to a deeper study than ultrasound. Screening at week 12 uses data obtained from blood biochemistry. Two markers are analyzed: free b-hCG and PAPP-A. That is why the procedure is also called double dough.
Doctors recommend testing three times during the entire pregnancy.
УЗИ во время скрининга проводится более детально and provides an opportunity to control the "collar zone" of the fetus, which, in turn, eliminates gross defects or anomalies. The area is between the soft tissues and the skin where the fluid accumulates. During pregnancy, the space is constantly changing, and in order for these temporal markers to provide the necessary information, the screening must be done clearly at the appointed time of the doctor.
Such a study can only be done by a highly qualified operator, since the subjectivity of the data is rather high.
Blood test results are also intended to excludedeviations in the fetus. An increase in b-hCG doubles the suspicion that the fetus has trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), and the decrease is 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, week 8-12 is additional information for the therapist about the exact date of conception and embryo activity. The future mother does all the analyzes on her own, guided by the interests of the baby's health.
