12 weeks pregnant – what to expect at your first ultrasound

After 12 weeks of waiting, the time has finally arrived for your first pregnancy ultrasound and with it, your first real glimpse of your new baby.

This monumental moment brings with it a huge mix of emotions; from excitement and anticipation at finally having confirmation that all is well, to fear and anxiety at what the scan might reveal.

Here’s what happened to us…

As protocol dictates, we’d been instructed that in order for the scan to work properly, my pregnant other needed a full bladder and so had been ordered to slowly drink a half litre of fluid (non fizzy) 30 minutes before the appointment.

No problem, I hear you say. But asking a women at the 12 weeks stage of pregnancy, who goes to the bathroom at least 10 times a day, ‘holding it in’ for extended periods of time is a potentially hazardous request.

Needless to say, on arrival at the hospital my pregnant wife was bursting for the loo.

After an uncomfortable and extended wait in the hospital reception, it was finally our turn to be seen. Walking gingerly down the corridor into the scanning room, she carefully hopped onto the bed and lifted up her shirt before the ultrasound technician squirted the customary jelly onto her tiny bump and kicked off proceedings.

Before we knew it, our tiny human was suddenly in the room with us (on screen at least) jumping around, stretching out its tiny limbs and generally looking very pleased with itself.

Problem was, the naughty baby was moving around so much that the nurse struggled to get the viewpoint she needed.

So to get a better look, she started massaging my wife’s stomach, pushing the ultrasound scanner harder into her swollen bladder…over and over and over again.

I think it was at this point that my wife regretted that large mug of tea and half pint of orange juice she insisted on having for breakfast.

Yet still the baby didn’t want to play ball.

“Could you just hop off the bed and jump around for me, jiggling your belly while you do it?”

The look on my wife’s face was a picture – a mix of extreme happiness mixed with a hint of unease given the high risk that she very well might wet herself at any moment.

But of course she complied and luckily it did the trick! Through brute force and a few star jumps the baby was finally correctly positioned so the nurse could see a strong heartbeat, with early indications of a stomach, bladder,  developing spine and brain – all as it should be at 12 weeks of pregnancy. Phew!

“Would you like a copy of your scan?” the nurse enquired.

But my wife didn’t hear her –  she’d already fled for the bathroom, leaving a trail of tissue paper and KY jelly in her wake, for what must have been the longest pee on record.

Well deserved, I say…

Just 27 weeks left to go!

Was your 12 week scan as eventful as ours? As always, would love to hear about your experiences too, so please do share your stories with he group via the comments section below.

And for more daily updates from YOUTHEDADDY, you can keep in touch with me as well via Instagram, Twitter and now Pinterest!