“Is everything okay? On your 7 Week Ultrasound?”
My husband asked me. I just looked at him and took a deep breath but said nothing. I was scared and my eyes were filled with tears.
My husband held my hand and said, ‘Don’t worry, everything will be alright.’ I was pregnant and my 7th week was going on.
I was going for my 7th week ultrasound in pregnancy. This was my first baby and I was very happy but there was a fear in my happiness.
And the fear was that whether my baby was growing good in my womb or not. For this, I was in the hospital with my husband. After the ultrasound, I was so relaxed because my reports were normal.
In every stage of pregnancy, ultrasound plays a very important role to know about the health of your baby. Every pregnant woman wants a good ultrasound report about her baby. A good report of ultrasound will always increase the strength of a lady for facing the pregnancy.
Those moments are very precious when you are waiting for your baby. I am sharing my experience of 7 week ultrasound of pregnancy.
Why was I in the hospital for a 7 week Ultrasound?
Ultrasound reports are the most awaited thing in pregnancy till the delivery of the baby. There are some reasons which make it mandatory for you to go for an ultrasound during the 7th week of pregnancy.
If you are also enjoying your pregnancy period, then you should be well aware of these reasons.
Reasons behind 7 week Ultrasound
- To make sure that the heartbeat is present.
- To check the ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes.
- To ensure that the embryo is implanted in the uterus.
- When the mother is not sure about the exact date of her LNMP i.e. last normal menstrual period.
- To check the growth of the embryo in accordance to the history of her menstruation.
- In the case of any blood loss in the lady, ultrasound tells us about the cause of bleeding.
- For the dating scan, this is also called as the gestational age.
- To confirm the presence of one or two embryos and gestational sac.
- To confirm that baby is on right side or not.
Did you Notice that I Used the Word “Dating Scan”?
Confused? Well, let me give you an insight.
This is the scan that will tell you about the EDC that is the expected date of confinement on the basis of the development of an embryo.
So, this scan is done for the females who are facing some problems in the 7th week of pregnancy.
The problems are:
- For the female who has a history of irregular menstruation.
- For those who are unsure about the last date of her normal menstrual cycle.
- For those who had gone through a miscarriage (recently).
- If any accident occurred during her pregnancy period.
- For the women who had taken a lot of contraceptive pills in their life and have recently stopped using them.
How does Ultrasound Work?
Let me explain to you.
The system makes use of sonography and sound waves to construct the ultrasound images inside the body. The transducer emits a very low sound which can not be listened by the human ear.
The information is transmitted back to the machine and creates the images of organs, tissues, and growing baby. As a parent, or soon to be a parent, you will be able to see this information on a computer screen.
If you’re lucky, you’ll even be able to catch a glimpse of your child’s initial movements while you are undergoing a 7 week ultrasound.
Once the process is over, the parent will be able to acquire photographs of the ultrasound data, which can then be shown off to their friends and family members.
How was my 7 Week Ultrasound Done?
Thank God, I was not facing this kind of troubles in my pregnancy.
When I was called for the ultrasound, my doctor did my ultrasound in two ways. One was transabdominal and the other one was transvaginal.
Don’t get confused! I’ll explain you both.
Transabdominal is via abdomen and transvaginal is via vagina. Transvaginal ultrasound gives you an accurate visualization.
When this transvaginal ultrasound is to be done at the seventh week of pregnancy, the transducer is placed inside the female’s vagina. The sound waves are then transmitted through her cervix and directly inside the uterus.
During this scan, it is not essential for the expecting lady to have a full bladder. During a transabdominal ultrasound, the female should make sure that her bladder is full.
This is important to see the embryo clearly by lifting up the uterus and also out of the pelvis. But it is not essential to have a full bladder as the pregnancy advances. This is because the enlarged uterus will no longer be present in the pelvic rim.
How Big my Baby was?
I was so excited to see my baby.
An average length of an embryo is between 5mm-12mm and the average weight is one gram in the 7th week. The embryo will be measured from the top of its head, the “crown” and the “rump.”
This is the longest portion of an embryo body. And thank God, my baby was 6mm long.
I wanted to listen to the heartbeat of my baby.
I asked my doctor,’ Can I listen to the heartbeat of my baby?’
He told me I can.
Well, yes you can also listen to the heartbeat of your baby by transvaginal ultrasound. During the 6th-7th week of pregnancy, the mean number of beats per minute will be somewhere around 90-110.
But this rate rises to 150-160 Beats Per Minute once the fetus has matured to the full term.
The main reason behind this is the extra work that the heart has to put in to efficiently pump the oxygenated blood to the brain and the rest of the body.
What Happens with the Baby in the 7th Week?
My doctor told me and my husband that our baby is fine. I asked him what had he seen on the ultrasound.
He said that the 7th week is so advanced that the baby develops at an amazingly fast speed. A little heart which consists of the right and the left atrium beats like a watch. The heart gets stronger. It pumps blood throughout the body.
The child’s inner organs develop during this time. The intestine length increases and the appendix get placed at an end. Kidneys, endocrine glands, lungs and bronchial tubes are formed during the 7th week.
The activity of the brain increases due to increase of the size of the head. Auricle, internal ear, retina and eyelashes, and retina become perceptible. The process of formation of jaws, nose and upper lips begin. Tooth buds also appear.
The Nervous system actively improves. Active bend of elbow joint and wrist is formed. Bone tissue and epidermis develop. Shoulders and forearms are allocated. The embryo begins its first movements during this period but these are not yet felt during the mother.
My Scan was 100% Accurate!
I was very lucky because my all reports were normal and my scan was 100% accurate. That was a very relaxed moment for me and my husband.
Because even the most advanced technologies and the best sonographers cannot guarantee you that ultrasound will give you the exact information.
Ultrasounds do not give you the exact proof of gender, size, date, or the status of the unborn baby. If the mother is facing some abdomen problem, then the reports might not give the exact results.
Ultrasound may not give you an exact result in the following situations:
- If the health of placenta is not fine, ultrasound machine will create a problem.
- If there is any genetic problem, then right reports should not be expected.
- The fetus may be curled up, stretched out, or is lying in a position that makes it hard to estimate its size completely.
Diet in a 7 week of Pregnancy
My doctor said you need more protein. Pick up protein from more palatable sources including cheese, yogurt, beans and soy products.
Leafy green vegetables and carrots are very important. Dry cereals, rice cakes, and roasted-breads are also suitable for you. Some expectant moms love sweets and some love salts, eat them but according to your health.
I am Winding-Up: My Experience with my Baby Girl!
Yes, I have a baby Girl. I feel blessed to have her in my life.
My friend came to me one day and she was 7 weeks pregnant. She was also going through the same emotions. She said, ‘Today I am going for the ultrasound.’ So I told her not to worry and shared my experience with her.
Many of you must be going through their 7th week of pregnancy. I hope the information I shared might be helpful.
I am enjoying the best time of my life and I wish the same for you.
Because a baby fills a place in your heart that you never know was empty.
