At the end of this week, you will have completed three months of pregnancy! At this stage the baby is the size of a plum, about 2.1 inches long and approximately 0.49 ounces heavy. The rate at which the baby is now growing, is much higher than it was even last week. Hence, you baby bump is also becoming more prominent!
Read More: Week 10 of Pregnancy – Pregnancy Week by Week
Reasons for an ultrasound during week 12 of pregnancy
By the end of the third month, there are many reasons to have an ultrasound, but the most common and major reasons are:
- To test the possibilities of congenital chromosomal abnormalities
- To check whether the foetus is at a risk of developing physical deformities
- Test the possibilities of gestational diabetes
- To test whether the baby’s heart functioning and blood pressure
- To check whether you might be carrying potential STDs that might affect both of you
- Track the growth rate of the foetus
What to expect during your 12 weeks ultrasound
At 12 weeks, this might be the very first time you that you will see the baby almost in its tiny human form! This week is indeed a surprising one for you! This is officially the first trimester screening test for you. This is essentially conducted abdominally.
3D Ultrasound: On the 3D screen, you can see that the foetus is developing most of its body parts. The human tissues are also forming rapidly. The baby’s fingers and toes have already developed and taken their respective shapes. The baby is now opening and closing its fingers and toes from time to time! The ultrasound will give you a glimpse of the growth taking place in the baby’s brain. Based on your health situation, your gynaecologist may recommend a prenatal check before the first trimester ends, to check the baby’s development and the hormones that are flowing within your body at this moment. During these tests, the doctor will also measure the length of the foetus, which is known as the ‘Crown Rump’ length. This length will partly determine the baby’s growth rate.
4D Ultrasound: At this stage, you will see that the baby is also developing strong reflexes! While you are watching the baby on the 4D screen, you may gently poke your belly to see the movements based on their reflexes to your voice! Overall, the moving picture of the foetus this week is even clearer than it was last week.
The doctor will conduct some genetic tests to check the baby’s internal organs and your overall health conditions. A common blood test will be conducted on you, in which the doctor will test your blood pressure, possibilities of STDs, diabetes, and other virus that might affect the baby. If you have not already had a biochemistry blood test in the 10th week, the sonographer will make you have one this week. This test will determine the baby’s genetic status and the potential risk of birth defects. This is a crucial phase to encounter. If this results in A-OK, you are out of the initial danger.
During the ultrasound this week, you can get a good amount of wonderful views and pictures of the baby! You can take some print outs and even a video CD to play at home!
If you are pregnant with twins, you will see that both your babies are growing equally and at the same rate as a single baby. However, their growth track will slow down and one baby will grow a little faster than the other one.
Once you have completed this first trimester screening and the ultrasound at 12 weeks, and have received positive results for it, you are all set to go! Sit back, follow the doctor’s advice, and enjoy the moment!
