Ultrasound is a great way to check on a pregnancy. With an ultrasound, you can see your child before he or she is born. There is no known risk that ultrasounds during pregnancy pose to you or your baby.
Ultrasound machines send high-pitched sound waves through the abdominal wall to make an echo image of your pelvis. These sound waves are 250 times higher in pitch than what the human ear can hear. During pregnancy, your baby and different parts of your pelvis can be seen by moving the transducer, which is the ultrasound transmitter, in the right way.
If you are very early in your pregnancy, the ultrasound tech may put a thin transducer in your vagina to make it easier to see the uterus. When you are further along in your pregnancy, gel that makes ultrasounds work will be put on your lower abdomen.
How much useful information you can get from a pregnancy ultrasound depends on a number of things. For example, foetal scans can only show so much detail depending on how far along the pregnancy is, how big the mother is, and how much amniotic fluid is in the womb. During a pregnancy ultrasound, you can find out if you are having twins or more than one baby, which way the baby is facing in the uterus, where the placenta is, how the baby's heart and limbs are moving, and how much amniotic fluid there is. Also, different parts of the foetus can be measured to figure out how old your baby is and make sure that its growth is normal.
The most amazing things about a pregnancy ultrasound are seeing your baby's heart beat, each hair on her head, her fast movements or kicks, and her profile. You can also find out the gender of your baby, usually between 18 and 20 weeks.
In the past few years, a new type of ultrasound technology has come into being. When you use a 3D ultrasound, which is often done during pregnancy, it makes 3D pictures of your baby. Now you can see what he looks like even before he is born. Whether you know it or not, you probably live near a place where you can get a 3D pregnancy ultrasound. Your doctor may even be able to use a 3D ultrasound in her office to look at your pregnancy.
