Congratulations, you are seven weeks pregnant! You may start to feel a bit “different” now.
Of course, if it is a planned pregnancy and you and your partner have been trying to fall pregnant for a while, you’ll be in the know much sooner.
This is the time when tiny things start to change. You have a bigger appetite (morning-sickness aside), a better sense of smell and even taste, everything just start to feel DIFFERENT. But you can’t really SEE anything yet.
Lo and behold – the magic of the 7 weeks pregnant ultrasound scan! You can hear your baby’s heart beating for the first time! And it is more magical and emotional than you can ever know. Be prepared and take some tissues with, chances are there will be some crying between you and your partner.
This is the most tangible confirmation that you’ve created life, and although still very tiny, your baby is a reality.
The 7 week ultrasound scan is also known as the dating scan. This is when doctors can determine gestational age. They also check whether the baby is the right size for the gestational age and also a check-up of the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes of pregnant mom-to-be. This is also a vital time to check that an ectopic pregnancy is not occurring, that is, to be sure the embryo has implanted within the uterus, and not in the fallopian tubes.
A bigger surprise might be in store, as it can be determined whether there are more than one little heartbeat present.
How big is baby?
At this stage, the embryo can be anywhere between 5 mm and 12 mm, and weighs less than 1 gram.
What to expect at the ultrasound
The 7 weeks pregnant ultrasound can be done in two ways. At this early stage of development, sonographers (or your gyneacologist) might prefer doing it transvaginally. Basically what this means is that a transducer (a hand-held stick-like instrument) is placed in the mom-to-be’s vagina and sound-waves are transmitted directly into the uterus from below through the cervix.
Due to the tiny size of the embryo at this stage, this method is preferred as it gives a clearer picture than the other option of doing the scan transabdominally (through the abdomen).
If you were wondering – it is still way too soon to establish the sex of your little one. You will, however, be able to identify a head and body at 7 weeks pregnant.
Moomie Mom Sarah says it was the most magical moment she experienced that morning in the gynea’s office. “It was all a bit rushed and I didn’t know what to expect, and the transducer freaked me out a bit, it was a bit cold and the screen made a shhhhh sound – and then suddenly, the unmistakably beating of a little heart. Ke-doef, ke-doef, ke-doef, ke-doef. Absolutely MAGICAL!”
Prepare yourself to look at and listen to this clip for a number of times in the coming future. Most gyneacologists will provide the scan on a CD for you to take home. It’ll be better than any other random video clip that you have ever watched on Youtube. Brace yourselves! – Jana Cloete
