An ultrasound is very exciting for the parents-to-be. It is one of the first few pictures of your baby. At this stage of your pregnancy, your doctor will ask you to have 3D 4D ultrasound to make sure everything is alright with the mother and the child.

Why an 8 week Ultrasound is needed?

8 weeks is the most common time for the mothers to have their first ultrasound. Following are the common reasons why an 8 week ultrasound might be needed:

• To determine the gestational age
• To determine the cause of vaginal bleeding
• To determine of the pregnancy is singular or multiple
• Size and heartbeat of the embryo
• General health of the mother’s organs
• To rule out the risk of ectopic pregnancy

 

How it is done?

Usually an 8 week ultrasound is done with moving the probe across your belly. But sometimes if the things are difficult to see, the practitioner might ask you for a transvaginal scan. This helps to get a clearer picture of the womb and ovaries. Just like a regular ultrasound, it is safe and painless but it can be slightly uncomfortable.

What do you see in the sonogram?

This first ultrasound provides great deal of information. The parents get to see their baby for the first time. IT is a very exciting and emotional time.

The practitioner is looking for other information. Their concern is the size of the embryo which helps determine the gestational age of the baby as well. They make sure the umbilical cord and placenta are functioning perfectly. The practitioner might also tell you if you are expecting twins or not. All of this can be seen on the screen. You can ask the technician to show you the baby and you might even get to see the beating heart of your little one.

 

Development of the fetus at 8 weeks

At 8 weeks ultrasound, every organ that an adult human has, is now present in the embryo. Although a lot of development is needed, but all the organs are now present in your baby. At this point the baby has tiny limbs and even small buds where the hands and feet will be. The facial features are starting to form (ears, nostrils, mouth and buds for teeth and even the eyes are starting to take shape). Although the mother won’t be able to detect it, but the baby is also moving a lot now.

A strong fetal heartbeat can be detected at this stage of the gestation. It can be a red flag and require follow up scans, if the heartbeat is slow or undetectable. In this case, the fetus might not be viable. There are two options, either to miscarry naturally or go under a procedure called D&C (dilation and curettage). This might be a very hard time and the parents might need a lot of support.