8 Week Ultrasound

Especially for a first pregnancy, there are few things more exciting in life than experiencing your first early ultrasound. This is often the 8 week ultrasound. Now your baby's limbs are becoming recognisable: the elbows are actually present and the arms and legs extend forwards and have grown longer. You may, if you look carefully, also be able to see the baby's fingers and toes!

Going for a scan at this early stage of pregnancy, and seeing for the first time the small, tadpole-like creature who is growing inside you, is a memorable and very moving event. At the time of the 8 week ultrasound the fetus is about the size of a kidney bean and your uterus will have already grown from its original size - about the size of a lemon - to something that your doctor can now feel, more like a grapefruit in size. The fruit imagery used at this time seems somehow very appropriate too, as this is often when a woman first starts to feel as if she is doing just that - bearing fruit!

Around 8 to 9 weeks pregnant your breasts may start to feel tender and engorged and you may become aware that your waistline is feeling thicker. It's unlikely anyone will notice you are pregnant just yet.

Many parents-to-be tend to be a little reticent about telling the world until the 3 month mark is past and the main risk of losing the pregnancy is over. Make sure you get plenty of rest and good nutrition and teach yourself relaxation techniques.

Below is a heartwarming insight into one couple's experience of their 8-week sonogram:

Threatened Miscarriage: How Can You Tell?

If you experience any symptoms that worry you at this stage, don't hesitate to contact your medical practitioner. If you should get excessive spotting or severe abdominal pains, put your feet up right away and call to get advice. It's estimated that between 10-25% of all diagnosed pregnancies end in miscarriage, most of them early, so in the unfortunate event that you or anyone you know should be faced with this, it's good to have some information at your fingertips. Good advice can be found on the American Pregnancy Association website.

If you're a slightly older mum-to-be (or what the medical profession rather depressingly call an 'elderly primapara'), another good website is Mothers 35 Plus.

In fact, whatever age you are or stage you're at, try here if you want to learn plenty about miscarriage from this very sympathetically-written site.

Once you're past the first 12 weeks of pregnancy the risks lessen considerably and you can look forward to that bloom of health that characterises so many expectant mothers. Enjoy this time and look after yourself!

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