Since the news that a woman is pregnant is confirmed, a mixture of sensations is created both in her and in her partner or relatives, everything revolves around a nine of joy and uncertainty. Luckily, to know if a pregnancy is going well there are ultrasound scans, one of the best inventions in medicine to know how a pregnancy is going.
They are simple and harmless tests that will allow you to connect with your baby, you will see it and even hear it through the sound of its heart. Pregnancy is counted by weeks, so medical monitoring is governed by it. Next, we explain how the ultrasound process is to know if your pregnancy is progressing correctly.
Key moments to know if a pregnancy is going well
To know if a pregnancy is going well, three important moments can be differentiated during the nine months of gestation. All of them will coincide with three routine ultrasounds, which we will then explain to you what each of them consists of.
Ultrasound nº1 – 12 weeks
In this first ultrasound what is valued is the length of the baby and knowing the completed weeks of gestation. In addition, in this ultrasound you can know if you are expecting more than one baby. Something very important that is also checked is that the embryo is well implanted and if there may be a risk of any anomaly.
There are those who call it screening ultrasound since what we have just discussed can be corroborated by performing different parameters such as an analysis of the blood level of certain hormones, the age of the pregnant woman, or other values to consult.
Ultrasound nº2 – 20 weeks
We are talking about a key ultrasound to know if the pregnancy is going well and if fundamental structures and organs are developing correctly in the baby, such as the brain, the nervous system, the heart, the extremities, etc. It is a morphological ultrasound that is performed at 20 weeks of pregnancy, since, as we have just mentioned, it is when the organs are formed, and also because this phase is within the time frame to be able to interrupt the pregnancy in case that any malformation is detected.
Ultrasound nº3 – 32 or 34 weeks
The pregnancy is already very advanced, and it is time to check both the growth of the baby and the position in the uterus. This is done to find out if there may be any type of complication at the time of giving birth. Not only will this be verified by the gynecologist, but also that the placenta works correctly, that the blood circulates completely normally and, above all, the amount of amniotic fluid that the pregnant woman has.
The baby's weight is controlled by percentile tables, which can vary a lot. The most important thing is that the step is the one indicated for the weeks of pregnancy. If your baby's growth is below that indicated, a more continuous follow-up will be carried out to know if the pregnancy is going well.
Monitors – 38 or 40 weeks
In this last phase of exploration, the recording of the baby's heart rate and how it responds to contractions is sought. The objective of this last test is to know the health status of the child and to remedy possible problems that may arise during the birth process. There are those who call this test "the straps" due to the bands that are located on the belly of the pregnant woman.
In case you have a private center where they monitor your pregnancy, they will surely do some more tests, we have told you about the fundamental ones.
The most important thing to know if a pregnancy is going well is that the baby is in perfect condition. Always, small curiosities can remain unsolved. If you want to know the sex of the baby, you can ask it in the ultrasound nº1, you will not see anything but the medical staff will. And the kicks for when? Some babies are more active than others, but noticing it will be from the second trimester of pregnancy. Don't worry because the medical staff and all their technology are specialized in following your pregnancy and knowing if everything is going well.