Expectant parents must be quite excited at the moment they find out there is a little one in the womb. Will the little one be healthy? Who will they look like? Will it be a girl or a boy? Only an ultrasound can help speed up the answers for you.
What is an ultrasound?
Ultrasound for examining the little one in the womb uses sound waves at a frequency of 3.5 megahertz (the same type of sound waves used in muscle physical therapy, so it has no effect on the baby or the mother). Many mothers may be afraid of the examination, but rest assured there is nothing to fear. Ultrasound is simply used to observe the changes in the little one to see how complete and strong they are, whether there are any abnormalities, and also to determine the gender that many parents want to know.
The examination process is divided into 3 steps
- First step: After registering the pregnancy with the doctor, the doctor will perform an ultrasound to check whether the pregnancy is in the uterus or outside the uterus and to determine the gestational age.
- Second step: The doctor will check the completeness of the baby’s body both internally and externally. At this stage, you can ask the doctor to know the gender, usually from 12-16 weeks of gestation onwards.
- Third step: The doctor will check the completeness of the baby’s body both internally and externally again and confirm the baby’s gender, as well as inform the mother of the baby’s weight and length.
Which type of ultrasound is best?
- 3D ultrasound, which is a still image with a shallow relief appearance, is used to check whether internal organs are functioning normally, whether there is a heart valve leak, whether the stomach is normal, and the brain structure. This is for pregnancies of 28 weeks and above.
- 4D ultrasound captures moving images, such as facial movements, arm raising, finger movements, and mouth movements. This type of ultrasound shows the organs most clearly and can analyze and assess whether the little one in the womb is growing and developing appropriately. This is for pregnancies of 28 weeks and above.
Is frequent ultrasound harmful?
Frequent ultrasounds are “definitely not harmful” because they use low frequencies for examination and have no impact on physical, mental, or brain development before or after birth. Mothers can rest assured. Now that you know this, expectant parents probably can hardly wait to see their little one’s face. Hurry and bring the mother and little one for a check-up to assess the completeness of the body.
