What Happens at the First Ultrasound?
Early in pregnancy, your uterus is still way down behind your pelvic bone, so you can’t see much with an external ultrasound machine. That means your practitioner needs a more direct route. A transvaginal ultrasound probe (it looks kind of like a dildo and will even wear a condom) is inserted into your vagina (sounds freaky but doesn’t hurt). The sound waves it emits form an image of your insides which appears on the screen for you to see. At this point, baby will look like a small, white jelly bean. Ask the technician to point out the gestational sac, yolk sac and fetal pole (the first evidence of an embryo). And the best part: You may even be able to see the bright, fast flutter of a heart. Oh, and don’t forget to ask for a photo or two to take home!
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