Pregnancy Ultrasounds

There are always fears and joys that go with pregnancy. Even seasoned moms who already have children can not go through pregnancy without worries and questions. Some things are designed to help make sure the baby is growing well, and these things are also helpful to set mom's mind at ease. Pregnancy ultrasounds are great for seeing what is really going on in there, and can also be just for fun. Some good medical questions can be answered with ultrasound, and some things are just for good information about the baby.

If you are not sure when you conceived, your doctor may order pregnancy ultrasounds so that they can see how far along you really are. This is a way they can get an accurate due date and to make sure the pregnancy is still viable. They can measure the size of the baby to see exactly how long ago the egg was fertilized with amazing accuracy. If you fear early trouble, they can look for heartbeat after about 8 weeks. This can be hard to find or hear in some women, but most good with giving pregnancy ultrasounds can find what they need.

When there are signs of trouble early in the pregnancy, these pregnancy ultrasounds can be done a few weeks apart to ensure that the baby is growing, especially if finding the heartbeat early on has been hard. If the baby has not shown any growth, there is a problem with the pregnancy and it is probably no longer viable. This is hard to deal with for any expecting mother, but it is better to know before the body begins to have a miscarriage. It is always extremely hard when this happens, but the ultrasound does not lie and doctors need an early heads up to help you through it.

Pregnancy ultrasounds are done near the middle of the pregnancy for a couple of reasons. One is to make sure the baby is healthy and growing, and to measure heart rate among other things. These pregnancy ultrasounds can also usually tell the sex of the baby if that is something that you want to know. If you do not, make sure you let your ultrasound technician know that you do not want to be told the sex. This ultrasound can also look for signs of Down's Syndrome if you are concerned.

Not all pregnancy ultrasounds have to be about finding out if the baby is okay or not. You can see amazing things today on what is called 3D ultrasound. If done late enough in pregnancy, you can see what your baby looks like. These are sometimes done by your obstetrician, but you can also find commercial stores that do these. The ones done by these stores are not for medical information. They are strictly for fun and to see more of your baby. If there are concerns about health, always ask your OB for an ultrasound. The ones done by third parties should be considered for 'entertainment' purposes only, so to speak.