The Smithsonian National Zoo will be on baby watch for the next few months after veterinarians and scientists artificially inseminated Mei Xiang, one of the zoo's giant pandas.

Nicole MacCorkle is the zoo's giant panda keeper.

(SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) NICOLE MacCORKLE, ANIMAL KEEPER AT GIANT PANDA EXHIBIT, SAYING: "We'll have to wait and see.

Certainly we'll continue to follow her behaviors and we will do ultrasounds as the time gets near." The team performed the procedure Thursday night in Washington after Mei Xiang's behavior and hormone reports indicated she was ovulating.

They had to act quickly - since breeding windows for giant pandas only last 24 to 72 hours each year.

But the difficulty doesn't end there, zoo officials won't know right away whether the procedure succeeded, since a female panda can sometimes act as if she's pregnant, even if she isn't.

(SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) NICOLE MacCORKLE, ANIMAL KEEPER AT GIANT PANDA EXHIBIT, SAYING: "We'll look to see if she's doing some nesting behaviors that she'll probably do either way whether it's her pregnancy or a false pregnancy, but hopefully we'll have some clues as we get toward the end of the summer." The only way to know whether she's pregnant is to see a fetus on an ultrasound.

But because the cub is so tiny compared to its mother, officials said it can be difficult to detect even with the technology.

But there's reason to be optimistic, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian - her sperm donor - have already parented three cubs.