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There’s so much excitement when you are having your first child. And so much trepidation. A primary source of concern is the first ultrasound. Is it safe for me and my baby?
Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to view the muscles and internal organs in real-time, allowing the doctor to see movement and blood flow in the fetus. They have been used for over 20 years in a myriad of medical circumstances including to help athletes, check your heart or monitor the health of your baby boy or girl. There are no known risks associated with ultrasound imaging except for minimal effects including heating of body tissue heating.
While there are no long-term effects of ultrasound, it’s good practice to only receive ultrasounds at recommended times during the pregnancy. It is discouraged to receive ultrasounds for memorabilia purposes.
If you have experienced issues during the first few weeks of the pregnancy, your doctor may refer you for an early ultrasound. This would take place within the first six to nine weeks of the pregnancy. Normally, you will have two ultrasounds during your pregnancy.
The first ultrasound is called the dating ultrasound and usually takes place in the first trimester. This could happen anywhere between week ten and week thirteen of your pregnancy. It will give you a more accurate picture of when your baby is due, reveal the number of babies you are carrying (twins, you say), and check your baby’s heartbeat. The next ultrasound takes place at sixteen to twenty weeks. This time the obstetrician will check for any abnormalities, determine the baby’s sex (if you want to know), and to measure his or her size.
Ultrasounds aren’t perfect. An ultrasound may not detect all birth defects or falsely detect a birth defect. Either way, the pros of having ultrasounds during your pregnancy far outweigh any negatives. It’s about the health of your new baby.
Of course, each pregnancy is unique and your medical history may deem it necessary to have additional ultrasounds. Whether you have two ultrasounds or more, ultrasounds are a safe and easy way to check your baby’s progress and health. Your baby’s health is paramount and this is a critical tool for monitoring their health.
This post was written for ialwaysbelieveinfutures.com by Glenn Josephik. Glenn is an account representative and the marketing coordinator at MedCorp LLC, the industry leader and premier business source for used portable ultrasound systems. You can follow Glenn Josephik on Google+.
