Prenatal care

• Prenatal care is the care you get while you’re pregnant.
• Regular prenatal care helps keep you and baby healthy.
• A doctor, midwife or other health provider gives this care.

What is transabdominal ultrasound?

When you hear about ultrasound during pregnancy, it’s most likely a transabdominal ultrasound. This is a prenatal test that uses sound waves to show a picture of your baby in the uterus (womb). Your health care provider uses it to check your baby’s health. Most women get an ultrasound at 18 to 20 weeks of pregnancy.

During an ultrasound, your provider moves a plastic tool, called a transducer, across your belly. The transducer sends sound waves into your uterus. The waves bounce around to create a picture of your baby on a monitor. To get a better picture, your provider covers your belly with a thin layer of gel. This helps the sound waves move more easily.

Your provider measures your baby’s body throughout the test. Depending on your baby’s position, your provider may point out his hands, legs and other body parts. You should be able to tell if your baby’s a boy or a girl, so be sure to tell your provider if you don’t want to know!

You may need to have a full bladder during the test. This prevents pockets of air in your bladder from affecting the picture. Ultrasound is painless, but having a full bladder may be uncomfortable. 

See also: Ultrasound