At 7 weeks pregnant, your baby is as big as a full sized blueberry. The length of the foetus is approximately 0.50 inches. At this point, as you are a week away from completing two months of carrying, your stomach gradually begins to bulge out while you gain those extra ‘baby’ pounds. You would definitely want to get a glimpse of the little one inside your womb, right? Don’t worry, the doctor will call you for an ultrasound session to check that everything is okay in terms of the foetus’ development. You might be required to fix an appointment prior to the date of the test because this is a time when many other expecting mothers will be present in the doctor’s chamber. Book your slot to avoid disappointment!

Guide for  7 Week Ultrasound

The major reasons to have an ultrasound test at 7 weeks of pregnancy are:

• To detect whether there is just one embryo and gestational sac or more.
• To examine the gestational age through what is commonly called a “dating scan”.
• To check the size of the baby and examine whether it is the correct size for its gestational age.
• To detect the heartbeat of the foetus.
• To make sure that your uterus, ovaries, and the fallopian tubes are functioning properly.
• To make sure that your pregnancy is not of the ectopic kind.
• To assess the source of bleeding, if any.
• To check whether the baby’s blood cell count is on the right track.

Reasons for getting a dating scan at week 7 of pregnancy

At 7 weeks, the doctor might recommend you to go through a “dating scan” in certain cases related to the mother’s condition of pregnancy and health history. The main situations behind getting such a scan done, as noted by doctors, are:

• When you are not sure about the last time you experienced menstrual bleeding.
• When you have an irregular menstrual cycle.
• If you have experienced a miscarriage recently, before conceiving again.
• If you have conceived again while you are still breastfeeding.

What to expect during your 7 weeks ultrasound

In the ultrasound testing room, while the doctor shows you the baby’s development so far, you will see that there have been lots of surprising changes inside your womb as compared to just a couple of weeks ago! You will not believe your eyes for sure! At 7 weeks of pregnancy, both the ways of doing the ultrasound test – abdominally and transvaginally – are viable. However, many doctors insist that the transvaginal scan is better because it gives the most accurate visual result. A transducer will be gently inserted into your vagina, through which the sound waves will pass, via the cervix into the uterus.

3D Ultrasound

In a 3D scan, you will be able to view the overall development of the baby, along with its heart, brain, upper and lower limbs, and even the tiny stomach. You must be wondering how all this is happening inside the body of the foetus that is barely the size of a blueberry! The soft tissues developing inside the baby’s body will be clearly visible on the 3D ultrasound screen. When the transducer is turned around, or twisted, the sounds pass on to your uterus and hence you get a glimpse of the finer features like the fingers and toes, the genitals, the moving mouth, the liver, and appendix.

4D Ultrasound

In a finer situation, if possible, your doctor might also give you the chance to go through a 4D scan in which you can properly view the baby’s face along with its eyes, eyelashes, nose and nostrils, and cheekbones. Another very interesting thing that you might be able to see is that the baby’s brain cell count is increasing extremely rapidly. In approximately one minute, there are about hundred new cells generating inside the foetus’ brain! You will also see that the baby’s kidneys are growing rapidly. Although most doctors do not wish for a 4D ultrasound, you can still ask for one.

After going through the ultrasound scan, the gynaecologist will let you know about your condition as well as the baby’s growth status. You will be determined during this week whether there is any initial danger to you or the baby. If there are any abnormal symptoms or growth signs, the doctor will recommend some tests for detecting blood sugar, blood pressure, the range of your red blood cell count, and the level of your hCG hormone. Based on the results, the doctor might also ask you – in rare cases – to undergo a pap smear to check for the presence of cancerous cells in your cervix.

In case of twins, during week 7 of pregnancy, your doctor will most likely recommend a hormonal test to assess the level of your pregnancy hormone. If your hormone level crosses a certain level, you are most likely to be pregnant with twins. This is usually done when your ultrasound scan is not too clear about the number of gestational sacs. On a different note, another signifier of being pregnant with  twins is experiencing excessive morning sickness.

During your ultrasound during this week, you can, you have the option of getting printed pictures and even video tapes back home, to watch your little one growing over and over again! Just remember to tell the sonographer before they start with the process, so that the printing is done faster. After completing the ultrasound test at 7 weeks of pregnancy, you have come out as a successful to-be mother! All you now have to do is to follow your gynaecologist’s orders, make sure that you eat healthy, exercise, and feel enthusiastic about what’s about to come in the next few months!