Woohoo! Congratulations, you are halfway through your pregnancy. In addition to your regular check up, you will have an ultrasound to carefully look at your baby’s anatomy. This ultrasound will be done on your abdomen by squirting some cold gel on your belly and using the transducer to take a look.
You will likely be able to find out the gender of your baby if you choose to do so. For many, it’s an exciting point in pregnancy. Make your intentions known to your sonographer about finding out the sex. If you say nothing you might accidentally find out, or you might not be able to find out at all.
The ultrasonographer will measure bones, look at the development of major organs and the placement of the uterus and placenta. During the exam, they will be taking many measurements of your baby and concentrating on the screen. They may or may not talk you through the examination. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Some of the major organs that your technician will be evaluating are the brain, face, heart, spine, stomach, abdominal wall, kidneys, bladder, fingers and toes.
The technician will also be looking at the positioning of your placenta, and specifically looking for placenta previa. Placenta previa is when your placenta completely or partially covers your cervix. The umbilical cord will be checked to determine if it is connected to the placenta normally and that it has three vessels.
The amount of amniotic fluid around the baby as well as the length of your cervix may also be checked.This all may seems like a lot of scary information but it is better to be prepared and informed. Enjoy this special first glimpse of your baby!