Months before you deliver your new little baby your doctor will want to do one or two ultrasounds. This will give the doctor the opportunity to evaluate and study your babys physical development. Although you may find the snapshots and video to be thrilling it is actually a diagnostic tool for your doctor.
Prenatal ultrasounds are done for most healthy women with healthy pregnancies. They are routine and dont affect the outcome of the pregnancy. They are most often done with the intent of confirming the pregnancy and the location.
Sometimes the doctor may suspect an ectopic pregnancy, or a baby developing outside of the uterus. A fetal ultrasound will help your doctor to detect the possible presence of a tubal or ectopic pregnancy before it becomes dangerous to your health.
Doctors also do a prenatal ultrasound to determine the babys gestational age. This age will help your doctor track the babys growth and development and determine an accurate due date. When your doctor has an accurate due date they are better able to watch your babys growth and determine if it is going on track.
Doctors will also have a better way to study the placenta that provides the baby with nutrients and blood, possible abnormalities and confirm the number of babies that are present. Although finding out the sex of your baby is a bonus it isnt a reason to do an ultrasound test.
A fetal ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves that are directed at the tissues of the baby. These bounce off of the curves and variations and are translated into a pattern of light and dark areas on a computer screen. Your doctor has the ability to translate to a VHS or DVD so you can take the film home or take still shots.
There are several different types of prenatal ultrasound. A transvaginal ultrasound is done with a slender wand placed into your vagina to gather the reflections. These are done when the baby is very young. A standard ultrasound provides the most common two dimensional image that you are used to seeing.
An advanced fetal ultrasound is similar to the standard but the exam targets a suspected problem and uses more sophisticated equipment. The Doppler ultrasound imaging will image details about circulation and fetal echocardiography will have pictures of your babys heart. The most recent type of fetal ultrasound is a three-dimensional 3-D ultrasound that delivers photo-quality details.
When you are early in your pregnancy and your doctor orders a prenatal ultrasound you will be asked to arrive with a full bladder. This will eliminate the space between your uterus and bladder so the ultrasound can create a more clear image. You will have a clear gel on your stomach and a small transducer a plastic device will send sound waves and receive those sound waves back.
Depending upon the age and position of your baby you may be able to see the hands, fingers, arms or legs. Often it is difficult for an untrained eye to make out the pictures in an ultrasound so if you cant see your baby just ask the technician to explain on the screen.
During both the conception process and throughout pregnancy it is important that hopeful moms maintain their physical well-being and as well as their psychological health.
This broad field of women’s health includes psychological issues surrounding mood, stress and relaxation, as well as physical areas such as infertility, nutrition, morning sickness, labor and delivery and more.
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