Early Pregnancy Scans

As an expectant mother you may feel a degree of worry or concern during the early months of your pregnancy. This is especially likely to be the case if you have noticed any vaginal bleeding or felt any abdominal pain during that time. If you have noticed any of these symptoms yourself then it is important to know you are not alone. In fact these symptoms are surprisingly common.

Even so you may be looking for a way to check everything out to reassure yourself that your pregnancy is progressing as it should and is perfectly healthy. Peace of mind at this early stage is very important to any expectant mum as reducing stress throughout pregnancy will not only help you enjoy your pregnancy more, but also contributes to your baby's general well being.

In order to get that feeling of reassurance many women opt to have an early pregnancy scan.

When Can You Have an Early Pregnancy Scan?

An early pregnancy scan is performed between 7 and 11 weeks gestation. This is the earliest time that a pregnancy scan is recommended. This is because before that date your pregnancy sac may be too small to show up on the scan. The heartbeat is normally not strong enough to be heard before 8 weeks. So this is a further point to take into consideration when deciding at what stage you would like to undergo your pregnancy scan.

The exact timing of when you opt to have a scan is a personal choice. The later you leave it the more chance you have of seeing arms and legs in the scan. These normally start to appear towards the end of the 11 week early pregnancy scan period.

What Can the Scan Tell You?

The scan is carried out by ultrascan and is a simple procedure. In addition to reassuring you that your pregnancy is on track, the results include an early pregnancy measurement of your baby as well as thermal black and white prints. It should be noted that a scan at this point in your pregnancy is too early to determine the sex of your baby. You should though be able to get a good indication of your due date by the time you have your scan performed.

Owing to time and resource pressures early pregnancy scans are not widely available on the NHS. Therefore private pregnancy scans may be an option you would like to consider. In most aspects these scans are the same as you would receive if your scan was being carried out at an NHS hospital. It is just a case of the results being made available to you at an early date.

Preparing for Your Scan

In order to enhance the quality of the images produced by your scan it is important to ensure your bladder is full when the scan is performed. This can be achieved by drinking between one and two pints of water around one hour before you are due to have your ultrasound scan. This helps to improve contrast and overall picture quality.

Once your scan has been completed a report will be provided. It is recommended that the report is passed on to your GP or whoever is looking after your pregnancy.

Your Early Pregnancy Scans Can Help With Bonding

In addition to the general benefits of confirmation that you have a healthy pregnancy many expectant mums also find an early scan helps to develop maternal bonds between you and your baby. This can have long term beneficial effects for both of you.

For more information and to decide whether an early pregnancy scan can help to give you reassure that your pregnancy is progressing well and your baby is healthy then try checking out Ultra Sound Direct.com. All of their scans are performed by a qualified Sonographer with diagnostic obstetric scanning experience.

NOTE: The health section of Parenting.co.uk is not to be used as a substitute for your GP; if your child is ill or you need medical help please seek the advice of a qualified doctor or other health professional without delay.

What do you think?
Login or Register to add a comment or ask a question.

FURTHER PARENTING HELP

Parenting.co.uk offers a range of options tailored to your individual parenting needs. Help options include both telephone and email based support. Please note there are charges for these services. If you would like to find out more about how we can help you lead a more fulfilling life as a parent or overcome specific problems you are having email andy@parenting.co.uk with details of the areas you would like help, support and guidance.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING? TRY THE PARENTING.CO.UK DIRECTORY

The Parenting.co.uk Directory covers the entire range of parenting subjects from health to activities, shopping to education and sports to days out. You can also search your local area for everything from drama lessons to babysitters and sports clubs to baby photographers.

Check out the directory here: Parenting Directory

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN THE PARENTING.CO.UK DIRECTORY

If you are looking to reach thousands of parents and families to boost your business then advertising in our directory is a simple way for you to do it.

Join our directory here: Join the Directory