- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- pregnancy today articles
- pregnancy today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Picture Day
A Guide to Ultrasounds
By Shel Franco
If you are pregnant and haven't had an ultrasound, you're probably wondering, "When will mine be?" If you've already had one, you probably can't wait for the next. Why are ultrasounds so exciting? After all, most people will tell you that your unborn child is pretty much unrecognizable.
But it's magic, nonetheless. You hear a heartbeat. You see movement, and if you are lucky, you recognize fingers, a hand or even a tiny nose. It's your baby's first photo session and with answers to your questions and concerns, you'll enjoy it even more.
"The term ultrasound refers to high frequency sound waves far beyond the range of human hearing," says Nikki Nazeri, a registered diagnostic medical sonographer in Los Angeles, Calif., and the author of Your Baby's Ultrasound for the Sex and Beyond.
During the ultrasound, the ultrasonic probe passes over the mother's abdomen. Inside the probe there is vibration, and sound waves are produced. Those sound waves pass through the mother's abdomen and into the baby's body where they encounter different tissue densities. Some of these sound waves bounce back and the ultrasound computer interprets the waves into images of Baby's body parts.
"Vaginal ultrasound provides a better view of the fetus in the first trimester of pregnancy when it is relatively smaller in size," Nazeri explains.
When Carrie Wingerter of Provo, Utah was 9 weeks pregnant, her obstetrician scheduled an ultrasound to help date the pregnancy. She was a little surprised to be confronted with a vaginal ultrasound on her big day. "I never knew that existed," she says. "I was sort of sad and nervous, but the minute I saw my peanut-shaped baby, everything was okay."
Want to see more?
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to 
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||
