There are a lot of parents out there who would prefer to know the sex of their child before birth. Knowing the gender in prior will help them prepare better for the new arrival in their family. This will help you a lot in preparing the nursery, decor, clothes, toys, and everything else that you need to do before welcoming the tiny new person into your home. Ideally, to know the gender of the baby with surety, you’ll need to be further along in the pregnancy. But, with the modern technology with its innovative facilities, you can have a pretty clear idea about the gender of the baby from as early as 12 weeks itself. One thing to know about the 12 week ultrasound is that there is always a possibility of you being wrong. It is not as reliable as a 20 week or 16 week ultrasound.
12 Week Pregnant Ultrasound for Gender Reveal
How does it work?
For the 12 week ultrasound to be of help in determining the sex of baby, the angle of the foetal position needs to be just right. If the baby is not co-operating, it’s not possible for the 12 week ultrasound to reveal the gender. But, if the foetal position is right, you can have a somewhat appropriate idea about the gender.
The abdominal scan usually takes 15-30 minutes. But, if the foetus is in an awkward position, it might take longer. At 12 weeks, the foetus will be 2.1 inches long weighing 0.49 ounce. The angle of the phallus of the baby will help determining the sex. If the phallus, which is scientifically termed “genital tubercle”, is angled at 30 degrees or more up from the baby’s spine, it’s a boy and if it’s parallel to the spine or at an angle lower than 10 degrees, it’s a girl.
Read More: Chinese Gender Predictor: How Accurate Is It?
Procedure
This is a trans-abdominal scan which is usually booked in slots of 30 minutes. Having a partially full bladder is recommended as it will lift your uterus and help get a clearer image. A liberal amount of gel is applied on your stomach to ensure contact between the skin and the handheld transducer producing high-frequency waves. The mother might feel some pressure, but the scanning isn’t painful at all.
So, there’s nothing to be afraid there. The sonographer will adjust the device to get a clear view of the baby, but if you are overweight, or possess abdominal scarring, the image may not be as clear. The most important thing as usual, is the baby itself. For the scan to work as well as it should, the position of the baby needs to be co-operative. If it’s not co-operative at all, they might suggest a trans-vaginal scan which will help see the baby clearly.
Read More: 31 Awesome Gender Reveal Ideas
The Importance of the 12 Week Pregnant Ultrasound Scan
The 12 week ultrasound is not just about gender reveal. In fact, gender reveal is not even the main aspect of the scan. The scan is conducted to examine whether the baby is growing as it should. The foetus length, size of the internal organs and structures, development of skull etcetera are studied to see whether the child is healthy or not. It also reveals the health and position of the placenta which, if not ideal may cause complications further into the pregnancy.
During this scan, the number of babies is also verified and delivery date is estimated according to the foetal growth. The most important aspect of this scan is to see if the child is showing symptoms of Down syndrome – a serious genital disorder, or any other foetal abnormalities. The risk for Down syndrome is calculated by measuring the amount of fluid present at the base of the foetal neck. When compared to the larger picture, gender reveal at 12 weeks is not so big a concern after all.
Read More: 7 Ways to Tell Baby’s Gender from an Early Sonogram
Having a tiny new person growing inside you is a miracle in itself. It is easy to get lost in the excitement of being a parent that you would want to know everything about the baby before delivery so that you can make sure your child will have the best of everything. Sometimes though, parents get lost in these things that having a healthy baby becomes second priority to all the arrangements that you need to make for its arrival. Parents should make sure that this does not happen to them. Your priority should be at having a healthy baby. The best things often come unexpectedly.
That is why nowadays a lot of parents prefer not to know the sex of the baby prior to delivery. They want the baby to surprise them. As explained before, the ultrasounds are concerned with much more important things than knowing the gender of the baby. Gender revelation is but a by-product. So, focus on staying healthy and having a healthy, fully developed baby is what my personal advice would be to all the pregnant mothers out there.
Read More: Pregnancy Ultrasound Accuracy: Know Your Baby’s Gender
