Signs of a healthy pregnancy can vary from woman to woman, and not all experience the same pregnancy symptoms. One way to know if your fetus is healthy is to check it regularly. But, do you know how to know if your fetus is healthy without an ultrasound?
Checking pregnancy through ultrasound is necessary to ensure the condition of the baby, amniotic sac, placenta, and ovaries. In addition, fetal health can also be marked by physical examination, weight check, and providing urine samples.
Benefits of Having a Pregnancy Checkup
Having a pregnancy check-up can help prevent complications and inform you about important steps you can take to maintain your baby’s health and ensure a healthy pregnancy. By having regular pregnancy check-ups, you can experience the following benefits:
1. Reduce the risk of pregnancy complications
By routinely conducting pregnancy check-ups, mothers can reduce the risk of pregnancy complications early. In addition, pregnancy check-ups need to be accompanied by a healthy lifestyle, such as consuming healthy and safe foods, regular exercise, can help reduce the risk of problems during pregnancy and improve the health and development of the fetus.
2. Controlling Health Conditions
If you have certain health conditions before getting pregnant, prenatal checkups can help control existing conditions. For example, such as high blood pressure and diabetes , it is important to prevent serious complications and their effects.
3. Reduces the risk of complications in the fetus
If you live in a highly polluted environment, or are frequently exposed to cigarette smoke, a pregnancy check-up is essential to ensure that your baby is healthy. Tobacco smoke during pregnancy has been shown to increase the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Performing Pregnancy Checks Through Ultrasound
To check the pregnancy thoroughly, doctors will generally examine it through an ultrasound. This examination is done using high-frequency sound waves, inaudible to the human ear, but transmitted through the abdomen with a tool called a transducer to see the inside of the abdomen. With a prenatal ultrasound , the echo is recorded and converted into a video or photographic image of the baby.
Ultrasound can be used during pregnancy to show images of the baby, amniotic sac, placenta, and ovaries. Major anatomical abnormalities or birth defects can be seen on ultrasound.
While transvaginal ultrasound is an alternative procedure where a tubular probe is inserted into the vaginal canal. This ultrasound method produces greatly improved image quality. It can be used early in pregnancy to get a clearer view of the uterus or ovaries if a problem is suspected.
It can also be used to determine how far along you are in your pregnancy (gestational age). Transvaginal ultrasound is also used to evaluate the cervix for problems such as shortening that can increase the risk of premature labor .
How Does an Ultrasound Work to Check Pregnancy?
You will be asked to lie on a soft examination table during the test. Then the doctor will apply a small amount of water-soluble gel to your abdomen. This gel does not harm your skin.
Then a small device, called a transducer, is gently placed on the skin on your belly. The transducer sends high-frequency sound waves into your body, which bounce off internal structures, including your baby.
The reflected sound waves or echoes are received by the transducer and converted into images on a screen. These images can be printed or sometimes recorded. Typically, an ultrasound test takes about 30 minutes to complete.
Benefits of Performing Pregnancy Check-ups with Ultrasound
Ultrasounds can be done for a variety of reasons during pregnancy. Your doctor may suggest more frequent ultrasounds if they detect a problem.
An ultrasound can also be done to see the baby’s sex. During the first trimester of pregnancy or around the first to 12th week, an ultrasound can be useful for:
- pregnancy confirmation
- check fetal heartbeat
- determine the gestational age of the baby and estimate the due date
- check for multiple pregnancy
- examine the placenta, uterus, ovaries, and cervix
- diagnose an ectopic pregnancy (when the embryo does not attach to the uterus) or miscarriage
- looking for abnormal growth in the fetus
Meanwhile, during the second (12 to 24 weeks) and third (24 to 40 weeks) trimester of pregnancy, ultrasound is useful for:
- monitor fetal growth and position (breech, transverse, cephalic, or optimal)
- determine the sex of the baby
- multiple pregnancy confirmation
- look at the placenta to check for problems, such as placenta previa (when the placenta covers the cervix) and placental abruption (when the placenta separates from the uterus before delivery)
- check for Down syndrome characteristics (usually done between 13 and 14 weeks)
- check for congenital abnormalities or birth defects
- check the fetus for structural abnormalities or blood flow problems
- monitor amniotic fluid levels
- determine whether the fetus is getting enough oxygen
- diagnose problems with the ovaries or uterus, such as pregnancy tumors
- measuring the length of the cervix
- guide other tests, such as amniocentesis
- confirm intrauterine death
Can You Know a Healthy Fetus Without an Ultrasound?
Currently, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that pregnant women have at least one ultrasound examination during pregnancy, usually between 18 and 22 weeks of pregnancy.
This scan is done to check for abnormal fetal development or other problems with the placenta, uterus, or amniotic fluid.
However, some doctors consider this fetal ultrasound mandatory, and ask all pregnant women to do it to control their baby’s health.
Actually, knowing a healthy fetus can be done without having to do an ultrasound, as long as at least you have done an ultrasound before. If you decide not to do an ultrasound every month, you can still ensure the health of the fetus by continuing to ensure your health. Because a healthy and happy mother will develop a healthy and happy fetus.
How to Know a Healthy Fetus Without Ultrasound
As mentioned above, a healthy mother is more likely to have a healthy baby and taking good care of your body is the best way to give birth to a healthy baby.
Some ways to know if a fetus is healthy without an ultrasound are to routinely ensure the following things.
1. Checking Fetal Movement
Fetal movements can usually be felt from around 5 months or 20 weeks and after some time you will start to see the pattern of movements. The first movements of the baby are medically referred to as fetal acceleration.
At six months, a baby will respond to sound with movement and by seven months, he will respond to other stimuli such as light, pain, or sound.
Then when the baby is eight months old, he will change position and will kick more actively. When the pregnancy is nearing the time of birth and the space in the womb is more limited, the baby will move less.
2. Monitor the Weight and Stomach Size of Pregnant Women
Weight gain during pregnancy is a sure sign of a healthy pregnancy. So, it is recommended that you gain weight around 12-15 weeks of pregnancy.
You can also ask your doctor to check your weight regularly and give you information about whether your pregnancy is going normally or not. Your belly size should also increase over time, as this indicates that the fetus is getting bigger.
3. Heart Rate
The baby’s heart begins beating around the fifth week of pregnancy. However, it is much easier to detect towards the end of the first trimester through ultrasound monitoring. To ensure the health of the baby’s heart, the doctor may perform a non-stress test. This test will monitor the fetal heart rate and provide insight into potential threats, if any.
Or, some doctors may even count your heart rate by simply touching your belly. A healthy heart rate ranges from 110 to 160 beats per minute.
4. Get Enough Sleep and Rest
It’s especially important to get enough sleep during pregnancy because you’ll likely feel more tired than usual. And as your baby gets bigger, it can be harder to find a comfortable position when you’re trying to sleep.
Lying on your side with your knees bent is probably the most comfortable position as your belly grows. It also makes your heart work easier. This position keeps the weight of your baby off the large veins that carry blood to and from your heart and legs. Lying on your side can also help prevent or reduce varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and swelling in your legs.
Some doctors specifically recommend that pregnant women sleep on their left side. Since one of the major blood vessels is on the right side of your abdomen, lying on your left side helps keep your uterus off of it. Lying on your left side helps blood flow to the placenta
5. Balancing Nutrition and Supplement Intake
This is not the time to cut calories or go on a diet. In fact, you need about 300 extra calories a day, especially as your baby starts growing rapidly.
If you are very thin, very active, you will need even more calories. However, if you are overweight, your doctor may recommend that you consume fewer extra calories.
However, make sure your calories come from nutritious foods that will contribute to your baby’s growth and development. Try to maintain a balanced diet that incorporates dietary guidelines including:
- lean meat
- fruits
- Vegetables
- whole wheat bread
- low fat dairy products
By eating a healthy, balanced diet, you are more likely to get the nutrients you need. You will also need more of the essential nutrients (especially calcium, iron, and folate) than you did before you were pregnant. Your doctor will prescribe a prenatal vitamin to make sure you and your baby are getting enough.
It’s important to remember that you still need to eat well while you’re pregnant. Prenatal vitamins are meant to supplement your daily intake, and are not meant to be your sole source of the nutrients you need.
6. Do regular exercise
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes (2 hours 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week if you are not already very active or do vigorous-intensity activity.
If you were very active or did intense aerobic activity before you got pregnant, you may be able to continue exercising, as long as your doctor says it’s safe. Before starting — or continuing — any exercise routine, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor.
Exercising during pregnancy has been shown to be very beneficial. Regular exercise can help ensure a healthy pregnancy and:
- prevent excess weight
- reduce pregnancy-related problems, such as back pain, swelling, and constipation.
- improve sleep quality
- increase energy
- improve mood
- prepare your body for labor
- shorten recovery time after childbirth
Moderate-intensity, low-impact exercise activities (such as walking and swimming) are great options. You can also try yoga or Pilates classes , videos, or pregnancy-specific exercise apps. These are low-impact and work on strength, flexibility, and relaxation.
Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Pregnancy
Before you can care for your new baby, you need to care for yourself and your unborn baby. Your first tip, as soon as you suspect you are pregnant, see your doctor to confirm the pregnancy. Then do the following tips:
- Take prenatal vitamins
- Exercise regularly
- Write a birth plan
- Look after and care for yourself
- Change heavy routines (avoid doing heavy and dangerous activities)
- Regularly check your weight gain (normal weight gain is 11-15 kg)
- Eat folate-rich foods (lentils, asparagus, oranges, fortified cereals)
- Consume foods rich in calcium (milk, canned fish, soybeans)
- Eat more fish (except those high in mercury)
- Eat foods that contain fiber
- Avoid unpasteurized dairy products as they may contain bacteria that can cause fever, miscarriage, or pregnancy complications.
- Eat lots of vegetables and fruit
- Eat five or six balanced meals every day
- Don’t overeat. You only need 300-500 extra calories per day. Keep a food diary.
- Limit caffeine
- Drink plenty of fluids (six 8-ounce glasses of water per day)
- Avoid alcohol and cigarette smoke
- Wear sunscreen
- Get enough sleep
- Do not take over-the-counter or herbal medicines without medical consultation.
Hopefully this information about how to know if a fetus is healthy without an ultrasound is useful.Parents!
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