Kinds of Pregnancy Scans ultrasound at different intervals during pregnancy

We have discussed earlier in the blogposts the importance of pregnancy ultrasound and why it is much needed. However, pregnancy scans should be performed depending on purpose at which the pregnancy intervals is highly considered. There are kinds of pregnancy scans and we will discuss them for you to learn the difference of each other.

Fetal Gender (20+ weeks)

Fetal gender scan is a pregnancy scans made for 20 weeks and above to determine the gender of the fetus. This is meticulously performed ultrasound scan examining each system to identify any problems present. The examination includes brain, spine, face, chest including heart and lungs, the liver, stomach and bowel, kidneys and limbs.

Nuchal Scan (11-13 weeks)

The nuchal test is a Baby Ultrasound scan focusing on the thickness of skin at the back of the baby's neck. Thickened skin is commonly associated with Downs syndrome and other chromosome abnormalities.

Cervical Assessment (20-24 weeks)

Ultrasound may help identify women who are likely to miscarry or have a premature labour due to a weak cervix. The weakness is reflected by the shortening of the cervix as measured by ultrasound every 2 or 3 weeks. This examination is usually valuable in women with a history of premature labour or repeated miscarriages after the first trimester, that is, from 13 weeks onwards.


Fetal Wellbeing & Reassurance Scan (22-42 weeks)

Involves assessing the baby's growth by measuring the tummy and head size, the water around the baby, the baby's activity and adequacy of blood flowing around the baby using Doppler.


3D and 4D baby Scans (24-32 Weeks)

This is made to get a three or four dimensional image of the baby in the womb which may help see the gender or recognize fetal problems like malformation of the hand or the limbs.

src: www.pregnancy-and-baby-ultrasoundscan.co.uk

Why is pregnancy ultrasound needed?

With the onset of new technology, pregnancy can never be as simple as it used to be. Today, you can see the baby inside the womb with pregnancy ultrasound. But is that all the importance of ultrasound? Why is ultrasound needed? What is 4d scans ultrasound? We will further answer these questions as we go along in the topic.

Pregnancy ultrasound is a procedure where a moderated frequency is introduce to the external skin of the abdomen. This frequency then generates images resulting into the figure of the baby. In the prior years, ultrasound is recognized as either two-dimensional or 3D. Now you can also have the 4d scans ultrasound.

4d scans ultrasound or 4d scans is like the 3d scan only that the fetal movements could be monitored. Because the procedure rapidly capture the image, it produces the 4d baby ultrasound scans.

Why is pregnancy ultrasound needed?

Some of the reasons why pregnancy ultrasound is performed are :

1. For Diagnosis and confirmation of early pregnancy or expected pregnancy.

2. To confirm the confirm the site of the pregnancy is within the cavity of the uterus.

3. For diagnosis of fetal malformation in the early stage of pregnancy.

4. To determine the presence of more than one fetus.

For you to be sure if you will need a pregnancy ultrasound during your pregnancy period, your doctor will be the best authority who can give you the advise.

Breast Feeding Guide (part 2) : Breasts structural changes

Earlier in the blog posts, we have discussed some topics about breast feeding that concerns young moms. These include simple questions like how to breast feed the baby and when should it be done. I am writing the second part of the topic on Breast feeding guide and we will discuss topics which may have caused some hesitations to women to breast feed like the questions on body structure, the urgency of breast feeding while in public places and related topics.

Breasts structural changes

Breast Firmness

Many women hesitate on breast feeding their babies especially when they are greatly concerned on the breast structure. This may have been a result of their fear that breast feeding can make the breasts sag and less firm. On the contrary, firmness of the breast is affected by the changes that happened during pregnancy as effect of the hormones that are in high concentrations during pregnancy. This means that the factors that cause the change are rather internal than the skin outside.

Inverted Nipples

Women who have inverted nipples can have problems on breast feeding their youngs. While this may be a great dilemma of the past, there are various solutions that can be applied to solve the problem.

A breast pump can be used to relieve nipple inversion and is often successful. Alternatively, dedicated devices like the ‘Nipple enhancer’ can be used to achieve that.

Breast feeding in urgency

You would not know when the baby is hungry until he complains. This can be a problem especially when you are in public places. While bottle feeding can be an alternative, this is not advisable. In some department stores, there are some locations allotted to serve this need.

These are some topics on breast feeding that concerns the body structure. If you aim for the good health of the child, you should be able to breast feed the baby exclusively for 6 months whenever possible.

Read more about pregnancy and childbirth and let us aim for the better health of the child and the mother.

Still birth and miscarriage : keeping you and your baby safe

Knowing that you are pregnant can bring bliss and joy not only to you but to your family. For this reason, pregnancy is taken in the utmost care through preventive measures and regular consultation with a doctor. Any failure to provide the care and result to pregnancy complications can be disheartening and tragic especially to moms whose bonding with her baby in the womb has been strongly established. One of these failures is stillbirth which can cause emotional troubles and deep anguish to couple. Let us understand what is still birth and if there are some things that mothers could do to keep away from its causes.

Most often stillbirth and miscarriage are often interchanged one from the other. However, while some people may think that there is a thin line that distinguishes both, differences can be clearly outlined with the right knowledge.

Stillbirth happens when a fetus which has died in the uterus or during labor or delivery exits a woman's body. The term is often used in distinction to live birth or miscarriage. Most stillbirths occur in full term pregnancies.

Miscarriage on the other hand, is death of a baby before birth after 24 complleted weeks, or after weight of 500 gms or more.

Prevalence of stillbirth

"In developed countries of Western Europe, stillbirth occurs in three to four in 1000 live births. This merely means that for every 1000 babies born alive, there will be three or four stillborn babies. In the USA, where the gestational cut-off point is lower, the rate is seven in 1000. In developing countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia, the rate is estimated to be significantly higher at 32 per 1000." (src: pregnancybliss.com)

When the gestation is not known, the weight of the fetus will determine whether it is to be classified as a late miscarriage or a stillbirth. If the fetus weight is more than 500 grams (1.1 lb), this will be a stillbirth and be registered as such. If it is below this weight, it will be classified as a miscarriage (500 grams is the average weight at 24 weeks of gestation).(src: pregnancybliss.com)

In the next blog post, we will continue what causes stillbirth and how can it be recognized in early stages.

Breast feeding guide

Breast feeding can be one of the most challenging experiences for new mothers. Aside from the fact that this can be the first-time experience, this can also be awkward for some, while others may worry changes in breast shapes, or may doubt if they can supply the milk needed by their baby. In this topic, we will discuss some taboos, and FAQs that will clear all doubts and questions of the start of motherhood.

When should breast feeding be introduced?

The body does not produce milk while pregnant. When the baby is delivered, the breasts can already be sucked to feed the baby. It is suggested that suckling should be introduced to the child in the soonest time possible. Shortly after delivery, the breasts produce a protein-rich fluid called colostrum. The baby can be put on the breast within minutes or hours of delivery and can feed on this.

When will you know that you need to breast feed the baby?

Like adults, the baby has the natural instinct to complain when he is hungry. the doubt of overfeeding should never be thought of as babies will not suck milk when they are not hungry.

Which breast should the baby feed on?

Suggestedly, breast feeding should be done alternately. However, the mother should ensure that the breast is emptied before she switches the child to another breasts. This is because there are differences on the fore-milk and the hind-milk. The fore-milk is rich in protein and water, while the hind-milk is rich in fat. Moving the baby from one breast to the other before one is empty means he or she is likely to miss out on the fat-rich hind-milk which is so crucial at this stage of life. Complete emptying is also important in maintaining lactation. Incomplete emptying has a long-term effect of reducing the amount of milk produced.

to be continued...

Breast feeding is the best for babies

The health of a child is considered to the utmost importance especially by the mothers. This is for the very reason that the feeding of the child has a great effect on the development of the child. This lead to the birth of many baby foods and milk supplements however, breast feeding has been recognized as the best for the growth and health of the baby.

Here are some of the benefits of breast feeding:

• Human milk is natural and tailor-made for the human baby, so it has all the necessary ingredients in the right proportions.
• The act of suckling promotes contraction of the uterus and promotes its rapid reduction of size.
• In addition, and most importantly, this milk is safe and virtually free. It is also convenient because it is readily available, clean and at the ideal temperature, thus avoiding the hassles of preparing a feed which characterize bottle ­feeding.
• There is increasing evidence that, on average, breast-fed babies attain higher Iqs and therefore perform better academically than their bottle-fed counterparts.

Another factor to consider is the capability of the breast milk to give protection to the child. Colostrum and breast-milk are rich in antibodies which give the baby with passive immunity, thus protecting him or her against a variety of infections. There is evidence also that breast-fed babies are less prone to develop allergies.

In the next discussions we will discuss how can busy moms can do breast feeding despite of hectic schedule of their work.