Yahoo Lifestyle When should I have my first ultrasound?
Surprised as I was to find out that I was pregnant with my fourth child, I had to admit to my GP I had really no idea when the baby had been conceived.
When she suggested an ultrasound scan to nail the due date a little better, I briefly wondered if exposing my recently-conceived bub to ultrasound waves was safe, but went ahead after being reassured that it was quite okay.
A dating scan may be the first pregnancy ultrasound you experience, or you may choose to skip the earlier tests and have your first ultrasound at the routine 18 to 20 week mark.
Either way, the soundwave imaging technology gives you a remarkable opportunity to check out the little person that is going to be such a huge part of your life from now on.
When to scan
“The first ultrasound a pregnant woman has really depends on the type of pregnancy she is having,” says Dr Nayana Parange, who lectures in medical sonography at the University of South Australia.
“For a high-risk pregnancy, there’s usually a lot more scanning than for a routine pregnancy. But I think every pregnant woman should have a morphology scan at 18 to 20 weeks.”
At this time, conditions like spina bifida and abnormalities of the heart and other organs can be picked up. Sometimes, early awareness can allow intervention that can save babies’ lives.
The 18-20 week scan also gives an indication of where the placenta is lying, which is an important factor as mum Keri discovered when her scan revealed her placenta to be covering the opening to the birth canal. Monitored with regular ultrasounds throughout her pregnancy, Keri was warned of potential complications and ended up having an emergency caesarean.
“We were prepared for the worst and when it all happened, we were ready to handle it. Before the times of ultrasound, I probably would have died in this situation,” she says.
Safe and sound
Ultrasound scanning has been around for more than 50 years and is considered safe, but prolonged use is not a great idea, says Dr Parange.
“There’s no set number of scans that are harmful and a skilled operator will minimise the exposure by using low-level scans and operating quickly. But we try to minimise the amount of scanning and balance out the low risk of scans versus the risk of perhaps not knowing what is happening with a pregnancy. In a high-risk pregnancy, there is a medical advantage in keeping track of the progress.”
The big moment
Many fathers-to-be find the experience of going along to an ultrasound scan a profound one, says Troy Jones, dad to Matilda and Charlie and co-creator of the Being Dad DVD series.
“For most dads, despite weeks of observing morning sickness and having books and magazines thrust in their faces, the ultrasound is the very first moment that they realise they are going to be a dad,” he says.
“It’s a huge revelation.”
The bonding experience is such a big part of the ultrasound scan that clinics offering non-medical scans are popping up all over Australia following a huge craze in the US.
While most medical scanning clinics will provide a 2-D photo and perhaps a movie for the parents to take home, non-medical clinics tend to specialise in 3-D images and 4-D movies (moving 3-D scans), which for many parents can appear more impressive.
Dr Parange remains wary of such ‘entertainment scanning’ clinics, but sonographer Ray Jordan says that they can offer real benefits.
Ray owns A Peek of U ‘bonding ultrasound’ clinic and day spa and has 20 years of experience in ultrasound scanning. He says that couples come to his clinic for a spa experience that includes a 4-D ultrasound of their baby and photos and DVDs to take away.
“It’s quite amazing how seeing their baby’s face in a 3-D scan will improve the psychosocial bond between families and their new baby,” he says.
He believes it can be particularly helpful for parents who have experienced hardship, like recurrent miscarriage or prolonged infertility. “Sometimes this is what will make the pregnancy finally real to them,” he says.
Ultrasound dates for your diary
When | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
5-11 weeks | Dating scan | To check size and likely age of the foetus |
11-14 weeks | Nuchal translucency scan | To check your baby for signs of Down syndrome |
15-18 weeks | Amniocentesis | Ultrasound is used to guide a needle in the sampling of amniotic fluid to check for various conditions |
18-20 weeks | Anomaly/morphology scan | To check your baby’s growth and look for structural or placental problems |
32-37 weeks | Positioning scan | To check if your baby is in breech position and assess potential for him to turn |
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