A 20-week pregnancy scan is essential for early detection of abnormalities in your baby or pregnant mother. However, you do not need an ultrasound if you are not ready.
Twenty weeks gestation plays a role as a milestone. You will no longer experience the early signs of pregnancy and start moving into mid-pregnancy. Also, this time is also the time for a pregnancy ultrasound. So what does the 20-week pregnancy ultrasound procedure mean for pregnant women? If you are having the same questions, let's find out through the following article.
A 20-week pregnancy scan, also known as an abnormal scan, is intended to:
Check for physical abnormalities in your baby
Check the pregnant mother's uterus, amniotic fluid level and placenta status ...
Even though it's called a 20-week pregnancy ultrasound, most women do it between 18 and 21 weeks.
Preparing for a 20-week pregnancy scan isn't complicated, but there are a few things to consider and follow, such as:
Candlestick
Choose loose, comfortable clothing. Elastic pants or a fluffy skirt are great options because your doctor can easily reach the abdomen and perform an ultrasound.
Go with your husband or loved one so that you can support you when needed.
Should not
Pregnant mothers should not urinate before performing the ultrasound. In order to ensure that the inside of the abdomen is clearly seen on the ultrasound images, pregnant women should have plenty of fluid in the bladder. You may also be advised to drink water about an hour before your visit.
The process of performing a pregnancy ultrasound of 20 weeks includes:
You will lie on the ultrasound bed, pull out your clothes to expose your abdomen
Then, you will lie on your side slightly with your abdomen exposed from your lower ribs to the top of your hips
Your doctor will apply a layer of the clear gel to your abdomen
Next, the transducer begins to travel across the surface of the abdomen to transmit the ultrasonic waves across the abdominal wall. The stream bounces off the baby's organs and bones to create an on-screen image
During this process, the doctor will look at the baby's picture screen, record the measurements and take pictures
There is a lot of information to collect during a 20-week pregnancy ultrasound. Depending on the level of baby's movement and the speed of the ultrasound, the ultrasound time can be long or short
If the doctor does not say anything during the procedure, do not worry too much because they need to focus on finding out the necessary information. On the other hand, you will get to know some details like heart rate, spine and many other factors ...
After the ultrasound is completed, the doctor will take some pictures of the baby to save on your profile.
A 20-week pregnancy scan gives a pretty comprehensive view of what's going on in your uterus:
Your doctor will track your heart rate for the ideal variation and note your heart rate. According to studies, fetal heart rate is considered the most important parameter to evaluate the development of children.
In the relaxed state, the heartbeat variation is quite frequent. In a state of stress, the change is quite low. A high heart rate variation indicates resilience and correlates with overall health.
The doctor will measure the amniotic fluid around the baby to make sure the amount of fluid is just enough, neither too little nor too much, thereby giving indirect signs of the fetal health.
The doctor performs various calculations, such as head circumference, femur length and abdominal circumference, weight to start charting tracking weight and baby indicators continuously with the following months.
After the measurement, the doctor conducts a thorough examination of parts such as the spine, brain, heart, lungs, diaphragm, stomach, intestines, kidneys, and bladder for any abnormalities. During an ultrasound, doctors even counted the baby's fingers and toes.
The next part of a 20-week fetal ultrasound involves locating the placenta to see if the placenta has low attachment. But the affirmation of the low placenta, the striker has to wait until 28 weeks of pregnancy to be valid.
The doctor continues to observe the umbilical cord to see where it attaches to the placenta and the baby. In addition, the umbilical cord and placenta blood flow was also examined. It is also important to see the number of arteries and veins of the umbilical cord, normally 2 arteries and 1 vein.
Finally, the doctor will look at some other features of the pregnant woman, such as:
Check the uterus for fibroids
Check the ovaries for cysts and cervical tumors.
Through this detailed scan, the sonographer will specifically look for signs of 9 rare but serious conditions, including:
Cleft lip
Cracks in the abdomen
Diaphragmatic hernia
Bone dysplasia
Adynamia
Spinal openness
Bilateral kidney constriction
Severe heart abnormalities.
While a 20-week pregnancy ultrasound can give you quite a bit of information about your baby's health and is also a milestone, it's important to remember that your baby is still in its infancy. evolution. Therefore, when you notice an abnormal condition, do not panic but wait for the doctor's conclusion.
Pregnant mothers may confuse mandatory and routine prenatal tests. Although a 20-week pregnancy scan is recommended, it is not strictly required. Not every woman wants or even needs a 20-week pregnancy scan.
Knowing that you are having some problem during your 20-week pregnancy ultrasound, you should not lose your temper, because there are conditions that can go away on their own over time:
Water in the kidneys: Occasionally, imaging tests will show that the mother's kidney is high in water. On the other hand, as the baby continues to grow in the womb, this problem will gradually go away.
Placenta forwards: As mentioned above, 20-week pregnancy is not enough to confirm each other forwards.
Although ultrasound is considered safe for mother and baby, experts also share that almost any medical procedure carries the risk of potentially unforeseen risks. Therefore, do not overdo it, but only follow your doctor's instructions
Since there is still much to learn about the safety of ultrasound, you can try the following to minimize the effects of this process:
Choice of traditional 2D ultrasound and limit 3D fetal ultrasound or 4D fetal ultrasound .
Consider if you can wait until 22 or 23 weeks. This will give your baby a little more time to develop and the placenta has a chance to move.
Do not use a probe and use the bronchoscope instead. Around 20 weeks of pregnancy, you can listen to your baby's heartbeat through the stethoscope. Hand-held probes emit wavelengths at higher temperatures, studies show.
Do not take an ultrasound for too long if you feel it has enough.
A 20-week pregnancy ultrasound is a way for the doctor to identify unusual problems in the early fetus. At that time, you will have enough time to research treatment options and consult a specialist to take care of your baby in the best way after the baby is born.
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