Throughout your pregnancy, ultrasound baby scans will become incredibly important to you. Not only will your scan be the first time that you will be able to actually see baby, but it is also vital to your medical team in ensuring that both you and baby are healthy throughout the pregnancy.
So what is an ultrasound scan and what does it do? An ultrasound scan is a device which uses high frequency sound waves to create an image of some part of the inside of the body, whether that be your liver, stomach, or even the beginnings of a new life growing within you. Theses scans are used for many different reasons but often times, to detect or monitor any medical concerns that can’t be seen by the naked eye. Ultrasounds are the first tool used in further investigating as it is non- invasive, painless and doesn’t expose you to any radiation, unlike a CT scan.
There are different types of images that you can get using ultrasounds which are 2D, 3D or 4D. 2D ultrasound is the more traditional method used in all hospitals. 2D scans provide flat, black and white images. 2D scanning will be used in your 12 weeks scan and your 20 week anomaly scan with the hospital. If you would like to know whether you will be having a baby boy or girl, 2D images will also be used to detect the different body parts!
3D ultrasound scans are becoming increasingly popular, especially amongst those families who are expecting a new baby as the images are incredibly detailed. 3D ultrasound provides a 3D colour image of baby which allows you to see facial features such as the nose and pouty lips, not just the profile of baby’s face which is what you see in 2D. Furthermore, 4D ultrasound adds time, which means that you see a moving, real time 3D image of baby which can pick up baby yawning, smiling, and moving their fingers!
These scans can add so much to the pregnancy journey. Although you can already feel every move and kick, being able to actually see baby makes that bond so much stronger. Being able to include other family members and big brothers and sisters to watch the scan adds to being able to include them in the pregnancy. We have had such special moments with so many families and feel honoured to be chosen to share in such a life changing moment in your lives.
