Ultrasound at 12 weeks gestation: fetal development rates

During pregnancy, the expectant mother should be examined regularly by the doctor. On average, a European woman visits a doctor 10-15 times for the entire prenatal period. Of course, the number of visits varies greatly depending on the individual course of pregnancy.

Most of the appearances in the clinic are very conditional, but on them the couple can ask interesting questions, especially if the pregnancy is the first.

Among the routine procedures there are a few very exciting for those who are going to become parents in the near future. Of course, my mother is very much looking forward to getting to know 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 increasingly informative.

Ultrasound at the 12th week of pregnancy already shows this tiny little man. Further research will allow you to see the development of crumbs and even make up a portrait of a new member of the family.

The safest method

It is believed that this method of diagnosis is the most harmless, and yet experts do not recommend that they abuse it on their own whims, and be sent for examination only for the purpose of an obstetrician-gynecologist.
An emergency ultrasound is prescribed if the doctor suspects the amount or structure of the amniotic fluid, the location or condition of the placenta, the length of the cervix, and the status of the uterine myometrium.
All other inspections are carried out exclusively in accordance with the established calendar.

Ultrasonic examination calendar

The first ultrasound may be scheduled for 5-8 weeks, but more often this examination is skipped. A woman can not always immediately know about what awaits a child. If the study is done, then at this stage, the very fact of the onset of conception, its expected timing and viability of the fetus is established. The photo shows only the presence of an embryo.
In the period from 10 to 13 weeks, another ultrasound should be performed. The photo is used on the 12th week to better examine the collar zone, as well as the placenta attachment and amniotic fluid parameters. At this stage it is already possible to specify the date of birth more accurately with an error of several days.
Between 20 and 24 weeks, another ultrasound examination is performed. Particular attention is paid to matching the activity and size of the baby, the condition of the placenta and amniotic fluid. All indicators are compared with previous results obtained during ultrasound at 12 weeks of gestation.
The fourth study shows development in dynamics in comparison with previous episodes. Immediately evaluate the fetoplacental and uterine-placental blood flow with the help of the so-called Doppler method.
The last sound examination is performed just before the appearance of the already formed baby. The doctor pays attention to the location and condition of the child, the position of the umbilical cord.

Photo to album

Many parents begin to form a photo album of crumbs before birth. Today, getting a card from an ultrasound examination is not difficult. It is worth only warning the doctor about this, and he will gladly provide the pictures. So you can collect a decent collection by the time of birth, with descriptions and annotations about the development, weight, and condition of the child. The most interesting pictures are obtained on the last examination, when the child's features are already formed. Then it will be interesting to compare pictures of ultrasound and a photo after birth.

Control of the course of pregnancy

While external changes are not so noticeable, with the help of modern technology, a doctor can determine the size of the fruit, put the estimated time of delivery. All this is possible already with ultrasound at 12 weeks 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 figure out the image on the screen, so it's worth asking for explanations from the operator.
At this stage, the doctor is guided by tabulated indicators and draws conclusions about the course of gestation, comparing them with the results of ultrasound at 12 weeks. The rates of pregnancy are determined on the basis of observations of the general course of most pregnancies.

Who will the stork bring?

There are a huge number of ways to find out which future child will have sex. On ultrasound for 12 weeks you can already find out. Most parents after this procedure receives an answer to the long-awaited question. However, sometimes the sex can not be established until the child's birthday, although the reproductive system is already formed. People say that the baby will be shy if he constantly hides the bottom of the tummy from the apparatus. How to be in this case?
There is a study that determines who will be born, based on the rhythm of the heart. It is believed that girls have more than 140 beats per minute, boys have less. It can be learned from the ultrasound operator at 12 weeks gestation. However, rather, it is only a speculative observation, 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 the child is to look at the shape of the abdomen. The higher position of the fetus in the womb - it is believed to mean the girl, and the "low" stomach - the boy. However, gynecologists claim that the position of the fetus and, as a consequence, the shape of the stomach is affected by another factor. It is about the width of the thighs, than the thighs already - the sharper the shape of the abdomen.

The predilection in the food of the expectant mother also speaks of the child's field. It is believed that the preference for sweets refers to a developing girl, and meat to a boy.

If a pregnant woman fades as long as she carries a baby, then the daughter will be born. It is said that the daughter eats 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 intensively. The legs and arms grow, the abdominal cavity is formed, in which the intestine is distributed. The beginnings of gun voleskas are born: future eyebrows, eyelashes, hairs on the cheeks and over the upper lip are laid. Fingerprints appear.
At this time, the immune system is actively differentiated. The glands begin to produce their own hormones.
The baby actively tumbles, wrinkles her lips, swallows the liquid, blinks for centuries, turns the head and sucks her finger.
At this time, you can hear the baby's heartbeat with the Doppler device.

In the position of the future mother

In the future mother increases the uterus. At the time of pregnancy, the uterus can stretch from 10 ml to 10 liters, from 70 g to 1100 g.
The breast becomes more sensitive, its size increases. Weight gain for this period is 2 - 3, 5 kg. A woman is recommended to have an ultrasound scan at 12 weeks gestation of internal organs.

On the skin may appear red pigment spots, itching, indicating the overextension of the skin. It is at this stage that it is important to start properly moisturizing the epidermis with special creams. Do not be afraid and the appearance of a dark strip near the navel, all this will pass after childbirth. The heart of the future mother begins to beat more often, in order to pump more blood. But the urination becomes less frequent in comparison with the first three months.
The woman is already fully accustomed to her new role and more easily tolerates the hassle that the intestines can deliver. Flatulence and constipation in most cases are easily regulated by nutrition.
In case of individual traits or pregnancy, toxemia may persist. Multiple pregnancy has other characteristics.

Bearing twins

Just a few generations ago, the appearance of twins was often a big surprise. However, due to the use of ultrasound in medicine, a multiple pregnancy can be diagnosed as early as week 5. More often the fact is established when the first ultrasound is done at week 12.
The realization that two children will be born immediately is important for the psychological preparation of parents, as well as for the necessary preparations, such as the purchase of cradles and carriages of special design.

In addition, the examination will help to do everything possible to prevent complications that occur more often during multiple pregnancies.

These include premature birth and gestational diabetes. It is also important that midwives and doctors who receive delivery know about this. Bearing twins is more difficult, so you need to visit a doctor and do control tests more often.
Thus, the first son ultrasound at week 12 can give parents very important knowledge and prepare for the upcoming tasks.

More precisely, than ultrasound

In order to get more information about the course of pregnancy, it is worth looking at a deeper study than ultrasound. Screening at week 12 uses data obtained from blood biochemistry. Two markers are analyzed: free b-hCG and RAPP-A. That is why the procedure is also called a double test.
Doctors recommend to conduct a survey three times during the entire pregnancy.
Ultrasound during screening is carried out in more detail and makes it possible to control the "collar zone" of the fetus, which, in turn, eliminates gross defects or anomalies. The zone is between soft tissues and skin where liquid accumulates. In the course of pregnancy, space is constantly changing, and in order for these temporal markers to provide the necessary information, screening should be done clearly at the doctor's appointed time.
Such a study can only be done by a highly skilled operator, since the subjectivity of the data is quite high.

The results of the blood test are also designed to exclude deviations from the fetus. An increase in b-hCG doubles the suspicion that the fetus has trisomy 21 (Down's syndrome), and the decline is Edwards syndrome. But all this gives only an assumption that, of course, devalues the results.

Pros and cons

Ultrasound at a period of 12 weeks or a little earlier - usually 8-12 weeks - is additional information for the therapist about the exact date of conception and embryo activity. All the analyzes the future mother does on her own, guided by the interests of the health of the baby.