A number of ultrasound scans are performed as standard during your pregnancy. This is an examination in which an image of your baby is made using sound waves. This examination does not hurt.

First ultrasound at 7 weeks, not standard

From 5 weeks and 3 days of pregnancy, the baby's heart beats in an intact pregnancy. To ensure that the heart is visible on the ultrasound, the first ultrasound is done at 7 weeks of pregnancy. It is also checked whether the baby is growing in the womb. This ultrasound is not done as standard, but only on medical indication. However, Midwives Lelystad offers this echo for free.

Internal ultrasound

Basically, ultrasounds are done on the outside of your abdomen. The abdomen must be bare for this, but you do not have to take off your bra and pants. Some gel is placed on the abdomen so that the device can look at the uterus and baby. Because the uterus is still very small at 8 weeks and is behind your pubic bone, the sound waves from the ultrasound sometimes cannot pass through it. It is then not possible to see the baby's heart with an ultrasound on the outside of the abdomen. It is important to get a good picture of the baby's heart to tell whether the pregnancy is still intact. That's why this one becomes early ultrasound always done internally through the vagina. An internal ultrasound does not hurt, but it can be a strange feeling. If you have had an unpleasant experience in the past with an internal examination or in the sexual area, an internal ultrasound may be less pleasant. If all else fails, you can take the hand of the person making the ultrasound. This lets us know that we need to take a break and can take you into account.

Location and shape of the uterus

During the ultrasound, it is also checked whether the uterus has a normal shape and whether any other abnormalities can be found. If the pregnancy is not in the uterus but somewhere outside it (for example in the ovary), the pregnancy will not remain intact. Pregnancy outside the womb can be harmful.

Is the heart not beating?

If the heart does not beat during this ultrasound, this may mean that the baby is no longer alive. Sometimes it can also mean that you are less than 8 weeks pregnant and that the ultrasound may have been done too early. The ultrasound is then repeated after a week to make sure the baby is still alive.