Pregnancy

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How many ultrasounds do I need during a pregnancy?

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This varies based on the woman and her pregnancy. If you have a healthy pregnancy, you'll only need two ultrasounds (down syndrome and detailed structural screening). The first one is usually scheduled for late in the first trimester, around the 11 to 14-week mark. The second ultrasound comes around 18 to 20 weeks. Some patients may have their first ultrasound prior to 11 weeks.

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Will an ultrasound harm me or the baby?

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Ultrasound is safe for you and your baby when done by your health care provider. Because ultrasound uses sound waves instead of radiation, it’s safer than X-rays. Providers have used ultrasound for more than 30 years, and they have not found any dangerous risks. If your pregnancy is healthy, ultrasound is good at ruling out problems, but it can’t find every problem. It may miss some birth defects. Sometimes, a routine ultrasound may suggest that there is a birth defect when there really isn’t one. While follow-up tests often show that the baby is healthy, false alarms can cause worry for parents.

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What are the benefits of opting for an ultrasound during pregnancy?

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Some benefits include: To check your baby’s age and growth. This helps your provider figure out your due date. To check your baby’s heartbeat, muscle tone, movement and overall development To check to see if you’re pregnant with twins, triplets or more (also called multiples) To check if your baby is in the heads-first position before birth To examine your ovaries and uterus (womb). Ovaries are where eggs are stored in your body. Ultrasound is also used for screening for birth defects, like spina bifida or heart defects. After an ultrasound, your provider may want to do more tests, called diagnostic tests, to see for sure if your baby has a birth defect. Birth defects are health conditions that a baby has at birth. Birth defects change the shape or function of one or more parts of the body. They can cause problems in overall health, in how the body develops, or in how the body works. To help with other prenatal tests, like chorionic villus sampling (also called CVS) or amniocentesis (also called amnio). CVS is when cells from the placenta are taken for testing. The placenta is tissue that provides nutrients for your baby. Amnio is a test where amniotic fluid and cells are taken from the sac around your baby. Ultrasound is also used in checking for pregnancy complications, including ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy and miscarriage.

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How can I read a pregnancy ultrasound?

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Your doctor will guide you through the various key aspects of your pregnancy ultrasound report as it will have a lot of medical jargon.

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My doctor has suggested a viability scan? What is a viability scan?

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A viability scan is a scan to check the heart beat of the baby.

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Are caesarean births painless?

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You won't feel any pain during the C-section, although you may feel sensations like pulling and pressure. But as with any surgery, there's usually some degree of pain and discomfort after a C-section. The recovery period is also a little longer than for vaginal births. Women who've had C-sections usually stay in the hospital for about 3 or 4 days.

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What are the pros and cons of a c-section?

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The pros of having a c-section is that there are no long hours of painful contractions, you'll have more control over when your baby arrives and there is no damage to your pelvic floor. In terms of control, you can also plan when it happens with your healthcare provider. However, the cons is that there is a longer recovery period and breast feeding may not be possible straight away.

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I'm scared of labour pain. Can I opt for a caesarean section?

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You should discuss with your doctor about your concerns and plan your delivery together, which may include deciding on a c-section.

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I have heard horror stories about vaginal births. Should I consider an elective caesarean?

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Some women prefer to deliver by surgery because it gives them more control in deciding when their baby is born. It can also reduce some anxiety of waiting for labor to start. But just because you’re given the option of an elective cesarean delivery doesn’t mean it comes without risks. There are pros to a scheduled cesarean delivery, but there are also cons.

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What happens during a caesarean?

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Planned C-section If you know in advance that your baby will be born via C-section, you’ll know the date and likely won’t even go into labor. Before the procedure, you’ll get an IV so that you can receive medicine and fluids. You’ll also have a catheter (a thin tube) put into place to keep your bladder empty during the surgery. Most women who have planned C-sections get local anesthesia, either an epidural or a spinal block. This will numb you from the waist down, so you won’t feel any pain. This type of anesthesia lets you still be awake and aware of what’s going on. Your doctor may offer you general anesthesia, which will put you to sleep, but it’s unlikely for most planned C-sections. The doctor will place a screen across your waist, so you won’t be able to see the surgery as it happens. They’ll make one cut in your belly, then another one in your uterus. You won’t feel them because of the anesthesia. But you may feel the doctors pushing or pulling on your middle section as they work to remove your baby from your uterus. You may feel nothing, or it may feel like pressure, but it shouldn’t hurt. You should be able to hear and see your baby once he or she is born. The doctor should let you hold them right after the C-section is finished. If you’re planning to breastfeed, you may also be able to try feeding your baby. But not every new mom gets to hold their baby right after a C-section. Sometimes, babies that are born by C-section have trouble breathing and need help from doctors. If this is the case, you should be able to hold your baby after a doctor decides that she’s healthy and stable. After your baby is born, your doctor will remove your placenta and stitch you up. The entire procedure should take only about 45 minutes to an hour. Emergency C-section During an emergency C-section, a few things will be different, including the speed and urgency of the surgery. The doctor can deliver your baby about 2 minutes after they make the incision in your uterus. (During a planned C-section, this may take 10 or 15 minutes.) The speed may be necessary: If your baby is having trouble breathing or their heartbeat isn’t steady, doctors want to get them out of your uterus quickly and into the hospital, where they can get crucial medical help to get them stable. If you have an emergency C-section, your anesthesiologist may be able to quickly give you medicine through your epidural to make you numb, so you still may be able to be awake during the procedure. If not, you may get general anesthesia andsleep through the entire surgery. You won’t feel pain or pressure, see or hear your baby being born, or be able to hold your baby right after birth. But when the anesthesia wears off, you should be able to see, hold, and feed your baby.

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