Early pregnancy 1-16weeks Congratulations, you’ve had those 2 pink lines and you’re pregnant. But how many weeks are you?
So everyone is different, different cycles, different ovulation date, difference conception dates. A regular cycle is 28 days, and you should ovulate around day 14. If you have tracked your ovulation you should have a good idea of conception. If you didn’t then we have to go off the first date of your last period.
Day 1, your lining should be sheading, up to around day 6 when your bleeding should stop. Day 14 is when your egg is released from one of your ovaries, making its way down the fallopian tube into your womb. If there is a sperm then this is where the magic happens and they join together for the start of something amazing. It first becomes a ball of cells, morula and then a blastocyst after around 4-5 days. After around 9 days this will then implant into the lining of your uterus. So when you get your missed period we say you are around 4 weeks pregnant, but in theory only a few days have passed since your egg implanted into your womb lining. From here the egg and sperm are doubling in size every day. You may find yourself tired and exhausted. Your body is working so hard creating new life. You may find early pregnancy symptoms like sore breasts, be very emotional, and the dreaded sickness. You may also feel nothing, every pregnant and every body is different. Your pregnancy is around the size of a poppy seed at this stage which is around 2mm. Its still far too early to be seen on ultrasound.
As your energy may be really low, and its hard to keep food down whilst youre feeling so sick, its really important to take a multivitamin, like pregnacare, which is full of all the goodness your body needs. Fruit and vegetables are a great source of vitamins and energy. Red meats and green veg will help with your iron, and vitamin C is a great way to absorb those goodies.
What can I expect from an early reassurance scan? We can scan from around 5 weeks pregnant, which is 5 weeks from your last period. As I said earlier, your implantation only happened 2-3 weeks ago so its really important to remember that when you're booking your early reassurance scan, that we aren’t really going to see much at this stage. We can check that the gestational sac has implanted in the right place, in the womb, and measure it. From here we can check the shape too.
Around 6 weeks we should be able to start to see the yolk sac, which is where the fetus will get its nutrients from and this will eventually develop into the placenta.
We recommend coming for your first scan no earlier than 7 weeks, the fetus will be around 5-9mm which is around the size of your little finger nail. That little jelly bean should now be visible on ultrasound and we should just be able to see a little flicker of a heartbeat. This can be measured (not heard) and we would expect this to be around 100bpm. Although there isn’t much to see, the fact that it is there, doing its little thing, is the most important factor.
You should expect to see your midwife between 7-10 weeks for a booking in appointment. This is where she will take bloods, go through your family history, and speak to you about any pre natal testing you may wish to have. You can get more information around testing here, Screening tests in pregnancy - NHS (www.nhs.uk) This is a good opportunity to meet your midwife, and speak to her about any concerns you may have. Speak to your family and see if there is any medical history you might need to make your midwife aware of. It might not be important but any information you can give will help with yours and babies care during your pregnancy.
Your dating scan at the hospital, should be around 10-14 weeks depending on your area. This is where they will measure baby to give you an estimated due date. This is based on babies measurement from head to bum (CRL – Crown Rump Length). We all know babies have a mind of their own and this doesn’t change when they are here and get older, but an EDD is a good way of tracking how many weeks you are and when to expect baby to arrive. At this scan, you should now be able to see babies head, body, arms and legs. Watch them kick and wriggle on the screen. You may opt for something called Nuchal translucently when the sonographer will measure the fold at the back of babies neck, this is another screen you can have a look into.
Here at Your Baby Scan we can scan your baby to find out if they are a boy or a girl from 16 weeks. This is following guidance from BMUS as this is when the genitals finish forming. This means that our accuracy is the best it can be too. We can also have a sneaky peek at baby in 3D/4D at this stage too and of course finally be able to listen to babies heartbeat. Your midwife may not do this until 20 weeks, as baby is still small and it is hard to find using a dopler, but as we can see the heartbeat, our machine and staff are very capable. You may decide not to find out the gender in the room with our neon lights, but make it a family occasion at home with a confetti filled balloon or cannon, or what about a smoke display? The possibilities are endless and can be a perfect way to bond with family, friends and of course older siblings. Ask our receptionist for more information.
5 weeks pregnant and the gestational sac is visible
6 Weeks pregnant
7 weeks pregnant and both the yolk sac and fetus are visible
