Different Types of Baby Ultrasound

Getting a baby ultrasound is an important part of prenatal care. It can help doctors and women see if a baby is growing properly or needs special attention. It can also help providers determine your due date and identify possible fetal complications such as spina bifida or ectopic pregnancy.

Ultrasounds are painless and can take less than 30 minutes. Your doctor or health care provider will spread a thin gel over your abdomen (tummy). This gel helps the sound waves of the ultrasound machine travel more easily through your body. The technician will then move a thin wand over the gel and use it to emit high-frequency sound waves that the computer uses to create images of your baby on a screen. It’s good to click on this site to learn more about the topic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_ultrasound.

There are many different types of ultrasounds, and your doctor or obstetrician will recommend which ones are right for you. Some are more detailed than others and can be useful to check the size of your fetus or detect congenital diseases.

Basic Anatomy Scan
During this scan, your OBGYN can measure the size of the head, bi-parietal diameter (the distance between the front of the uterus and the back of your pelvis), abdominal circumference, and femur length. They can also look at the position of your placenta and examine your ovaries. The ultrasound hamilton technician checks your baby’s heartbeat and makes sure that it is moving normally.

You might have this scan early in your pregnancy, before you know the gender of the baby. It might also be recommended if your provider feels your baby’s heartbeat is not normal or if you have a family history of congenital conditions such as cleft lip or palate.

This ultrasound is often done in the first trimester, before you reach 14 weeks of pregnancy. You might also get this test in the second trimester, between 18 and 22 weeks of pregnancy.

Gender Information Scan
This type of ultrasound is often used to reveal your baby’s gender by measuring the amount of fluid in his genitalia. This is especially helpful if you have transgender or intersex babies.

It is important to note that there are a lot of factors that can change your baby’s gender, and the ultrasound will not show all possible options. It is a good idea to discuss with your doctor whether you would like to find out the gender of your child.

Doppler Ultrasound
This kind of scan uses the same technology as a standard ultrasound but measures slight changes in the frequency of the sound waves that bounce off your fetus’s blood vessels. If there is a problem, the ultrasound can let your provider know how fast the blood is flowing in and out of the vessels. It is also used to check if your baby has an abnormally large heart.

Your health care provider may need you to fast or have a full bladder before this scan. If this is the case, it can make the procedure a little more difficult for the tech to view your baby’s heart and lungs. To learn more about the different types of baby ultrasound, visit ultrasound clinic hamilton.