An ultrasound scan involves sending sound waves through your uterus. These waves will return as echoes after getting in touch with your baby. These echoes create images on a screen that indicates your baby's movements and position. An ultrasound may help confirm if your pregnancy is progressing in a healthy way, and 23 weeks pregnant ultrasoundis even more useful and essential.

What Can an Ultrasound Tell?

In an ultrasound the doctor confirms the placenta is healthy and your baby's growth is up to the mark. It is also possible to see a baby's heartbeat as well as the movement of its body, legs and arms. Your doctor can also look at your ultrasound scan and tell the gender of your baby. You should, however, inform your doctor if you want to know the baby's gender or not. Even though it helps check the gender of your baby, it is not a reliable way to do it.Your doctor may perform an ultrasound earlier in your pregnancy to identify the number offetus, the gestational age or due date.

Wondering how the baby is developing at 23 weeks pregnant? Click HERE to get all the information you are looking for.

What Can a 23 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound Tell?

With knowing the fetal development at 23 weeks, you will naturally want to find out what you can see on the ultrasound.The pregnant ultrasound at 23 weeks provides information about theposition of the baby, placenta location, baby's expected weight, and amount of amniotic fluid around the baby.

When you are 23 weeks pregnant, your doctor will also keep a close eye on your blood pressure level because it can fluctuate and increases the risk of preeclampsia. They may even ask for a blood test to ensure your blood sugar levels are normal.

In 23 weeks pregnant ultrasound, you will see your baby sucking on his thumb and moving arms and legs slowly. You can find more details about your baby if you opt for a 3D or 4D ultrasound – they may be expensive and give better results only if your baby is in a favorable position at the time of scan.

Expected Results of the Ultrasound

There are several test items you can refer to after a pregnant ultrasound, including biparietal diameter, femur length, head circumference and abdominal circumference.

• The biparietal diameter or BPD can measure the diameter between both sides of the head. When you process to the 23 weeks of pregnancy the BPD is expected to be 58mm, which may continue to increase and becomes 94 mm by 38 weeks.
• Head circumference should be 210mm when you get yourultrasound at 23 weeks pregnant. And the head circumference also continues to grow to 335 mm at 38 weeks.
• Femur length measures the longest bone of the fetus, reflecting the longitudinal development. At 23 weeks, the baby's femur length can be 42mm.
• Abdominal circumference can be essential at this stage, which can indicate the weight and size of the fetus. Usually, the baby will have an abdominal circumference of 186mm at 23 weeks pregnant ultrasound.

A 23 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound Images

The image shows spots, which is mainly due to the umbilical cord being in front of the face of the baby. The cord is moving that has produced spots as well as some of the shadowing. As you can see, the baby's face can be seen clearly—the tiny nose, the cute mouth and even the eyebrows. The parents of the baby have said that the picture is similar to their daughter who has already born. Isn’t it amazing?

For further understading, here is a video showing an 4D illustration of the 23 week ultrasound:

What to Do If a Problem Is Present

If your 23 weeks pregnant ultrasound shows problems, your healthcare provider will ask for a repeat ultrasound, but that doesn't mean the problem is serious. There are 15% of ultrasounds are repeated for one reason or another.

In some cases, you will have to go for a repeat scan because the sonographer finds it difficult to see everything they need to see. This usually happens when your baby is not in a perfect position or you're overweight. If your doctor suspects that your baby may have developed a heart problem, they will recommend a fetal echo ultrasound that will help them have a detailed look at your baby's heart.

You do require plenty of support to if there is a problem present via the ultrasound test, which is quite rare to occur, but you may have to take some serious decisions after your ultrasound reveals serious issues, sometimes you even have to think about ending the pregnancy.

Your 23 weeks pregnant ultrasound will also help to the doctor to decide if your baby would need surgery after birth. In some cases, they may decide to perform a surgery while your baby is still in the uterus. Under such situations, you will need to work with professionals like pediatricians, obstetricians, physiotherapists, midwives, and even the hospital chaplain to sail through the tough times.

Care Tips for 23 Weeks Pregnancy

Whether your ultrasound reveals any serious issue or it doesn't, it is important to take special care of yourself after 23 weeks of pregnancy. You need to remain as cheerful as possible to ensure your baby grows in a healthy way. You also need to keep yourself from stress because stress can affect your baby's health. If something negative comes up in your ultrasound report, seek support from family members, friends, and even support groups.

It is also important to bear in mind that the weights and lengths mentioned here are the average figures. It means you and your baby may be completely healthy even if your baby has been underweight or you have seen some issues in ultrasound. Just work closely with your healthcare provider to ensure you deliver a healthy baby.