Meet Shelley, one of our ultrasound technicians!

1st Way in Eugene offers free ultrasound, provided by four registered nurses trained in ultrasound. 

To find out more about what it's like to do ultrasound, we interviewed one of our nurse techs, Shelley Nelson, R.N.

-How early is it possible to do an ultrasound?

It is possible to do an ultrasound as early as five weeks. 

-What information can a woman find out from an ultrasound?

A woman can find out how many weeks she is in her pregnancy and how fast the baby's heart is beating.

-How reliable is ultrasound?

Ultrasound technology gives very reliable information in determining how many weeks pregnant a woman is.

-What does an unborn baby look like at 10-12 weeks?

An unborn baby at 10 weeks is completely formed and just needs time to grow.  On ultrasound you will see the heart beating, the head, body, arms and legs are clearly defined.  The baby will often move around a lot as well.

-What do you like most about your job?

The thing I like most about my job is meeting new women and talking with them about their pregnancies.  I also like taking lots of ultrasound pictures!

To schedule your free ultrasound:

1st Way
1667 High Street
Eugene, Oregon 97401

Call  541.687.8651 
or  1-800-848-LOVE 

E-mail: firstwayeugene@gmail.com

Why get ultrasound in early pregnancy?

What can you actually see in early pregnancy? Cells and tissue? Why look at that?

Well, as early as six weeks, you can see a tiny beating heart. You can see whether or not the developing baby is attached well in the uterus. You can see if the placenta is normal and whether implantation is even in the uterus. You can also tell (within a range of about four days) exactly how far along in your pregnancy you are. Keep in mind that when you first miss your period, your baby has already developed a few weeks and sometimes it's tough to know how much.

Still, is there any other point to having it done?

Yes, it's important to know if your developing baby is viable or not- meaning that it cannot be successfully carried through pregnancy. For example, if the tiny baby is not actually in your uterus, he will not survive. Some conditions are dangerous when the embryo has implanted in the wrong place, such as in a fallopian tube. That's called ectopic pregnancy and that requires emergency medical treatment. Other times, you can see that there is an abnormal placenta and know that you will naturally miscarry. The nurse can also tell how far along you are in pregnancy and whether the developing baby is normal. Sometimes, it's not and the nurse can tell that it will not survive.

Many women schedule abortions without seeing an ultrasound, so they pay for a procedure that didn't need to be done to begin with, since they would have miscarried anyway. Ultrasound can save you a lot of expense, trouble and possible trauma.

If you are pregnant and the pregnancy is proceeding normally, the nurse will write a referral for you to get on the Oregon Health Plan, which you will be eligible for, due to pregnancy.

Look at ultrasounds from 4 weeks onward

Our reference source for this article

(Note: The picture above is of a twelve week old developing baby.)

If you're interested in a free ultrasound, call or come by 1st Way. We have four registered nurses certified in ultrasound who work various shifts, and if you pass a pregnancy test at our clinic, you can be scheduled for your sonogram.

Call, email or visit

1st Way is a nonprofit, nonpolitical and nonreligious voluntary service organization. We offer help to any woman distressed by an unplanned pregnancy regardless of circumstances. All services are free and confidential.

1st Way
1667 High Street
Eugene, Oregon 97401
Call 541.687.8651
or 1-800-848-LOVE

E-mail: firstwayeugene@gmail.com