Week 18: First kicks and the big scan

Your baby — around the size of a capsicum — is busy yawning, hiccupping, and moving with more coordination as the nervous system matures. Their fingerprints are now fully formed, utterly unique, and they may already be settling into a rough sleep-and-wake rhythm.

If this is your first pregnancy, you might feel those first definite kicks around now (second-time mums often notice earlier). Your belly button may start to push outward, and backache is common as your spine adjusts to the growing bump.

The big one this fortnight is the morphology scan — usually between weeks 18 and 20, and Medicare-covered. It checks more than thirty aspects of your baby’s anatomy, from heart and brain to limbs and the position of the placenta. For many parents it’s also a chance to see their baby properly, and to find out the sex if they’d like.

The morphology scan is the most detailed look you’ll get at your baby before birth. Over roughly 30 to 45 minutes, the sonographer measures your baby’s growth and works methodically through their anatomy — brain, face, heart, spine, stomach, kidneys, bladder and limbs — and checks the position of your placenta and the amount of amniotic fluid. Most scans are happily reassuring; occasionally something needs a closer look or a follow-up, which doesn’t necessarily mean a problem, just a wish for the clearest picture.

It’s also, for many, the loveliest milestone yet — a proper view of your baby moving, yawning and wriggling. You can usually find out the sex if you’d like, or ask the sonographer to keep it a surprise (it helps to note your choice on the referral). Bring your partner along if you can; it’s a special one to share.

And if the scan does pick something up, try not to panic — your care team will explain what they’ve seen, arrange any further tests, and support you through the options. Many “soft markers” turn out to be nothing at all.

It can be a strangely emotional appointment, especially if you’ve been anxious — relief, joy, and sometimes a wobble at how real it all suddenly feels. Whatever comes up is okay. If you’re finding out the sex, decide in advance how you’d like to be told (out loud, in a sealed envelope, or kept a surprise), and whether you want to share it widely or keep it close. And if the scan does flag something to follow up, lean on your care team and try to resist filling the wait with worst-case searching — most follow-ups are reassuring.

For everyday aches, prenatal yoga or Pilates with a qualified instructor can work wonders, and compression stockings help if your legs feel heavy.