Chorevia

Day 84 of 280 · 12 weeks

The scan that sets the date

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 10 sources · Plain-text version

Twelve weeks. The dating scan can confirm the pregnancy, count how many, check the heart rate and move your due date. Three questions to take in with you.

Size this week
about the size of a plum
Length this week
5.4 cm from head to bottom
A couple in a clinic waiting room, she in a loose cardigan holding a folded note, he reading the appointment letter, soft daylight from a high window, a nurse passing in the corridor.

Twelve weeks. If the dating scan hasn't happened yet, it's close, and today you write the three questions to take into the room, because nobody remembers to ask them once the screen lights up.

Your baby

A single dark plum on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Now 5.4cm long from head to bottom, about the size of a plum (NHS). The organs and muscles have grown, a heartbeat can be seen on an ultrasound, and the skeleton is starting to harden into bone (NHS).

Your body

The placenta has taken over feeding the baby from the yolk sac, so hormone levels should begin to settle (NHS). The NHS's dating scan falls between weeks 8 and 14 (NHS), and in the US a first-trimester ultrasound, usually vaginal, is recommended to estimate the due date (MedlinePlus).

What it can tell you: in the first 12 weeks, ultrasound can confirm a normal pregnancy, determine the baby's age, check the heart rate, and look for a multiple pregnancy, an ectopic pregnancy or a risk of miscarriage (MedlinePlus). On safety, MedlinePlus says current ultrasound techniques appear to be safe and that ultrasound does not involve radiation (MedlinePlus). On the practical side, you may be asked to drink 2 to 3 glasses of liquid an hour before and not pee, because a full bladder gives the best image (MedlinePlus). Doctors advise against extra scans with no medical need, the keepsake kind (OWH).

Try today

  1. The dating-scan questions

    Time: 5 minutes

    1. Write "How many?" The scan looks for a multiple pregnancy (MedlinePlus).

    2. Write "Does this change my due date?" The scan determines the baby's age, and the date can move (MedlinePlus).

    3. Write "What did you measure, and what was the heart rate?" Both are things the scan checks (MedlinePlus).

    4. Put the note in the pocket you'll reach for, and write the answers on it before you leave the building.

    Make it work:

    Follow the bladder instructions you're given; if it's "drink and don't pee," do exactly that, since a full bladder gives the clearest picture (MedlinePlus).

Watch for

  • Normal

    nerves before the scan.

    Call your provider

    the day you first see any spotting once an ultrasound has confirmed a normal pregnancy, and right away if you haven't had one yet (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    heartburn and bloating, still on this week's NHS list (NHS).

    Call your provider

    for severe belly pain that doesn't go away (CDC).

  • Normal

    a word on the scan report you don't recognize.

    Call your provider

    to go through it; MedlinePlus's line is to talk to your provider to work out the right scanning schedule for you (MedlinePlus).

For you

The date may move. A due date is only an estimate (MedlinePlus), and a normal pregnancy lasts anywhere from 37 to 42 weeks (MedlinePlus). If the scan shifts yours by a few days, the baby hasn't changed; the calendar has. Write the new date over the old one and let the old one go.

If the answer to "how many?" is two, your care changes rather than your luck: twins carry a higher risk of preeclampsia, premature labor and preterm birth, which is why they get a closer eye (NICHD).

If you're the partner: hold the note, ask the questions, write the answers. She'll be watching the screen.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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