Ultrasound scans

Depending on the progress of your pregnancy, generally in most cases where there are no complications, you'll have two ultrasound scans throughout the duration of your pregnancy.

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Pregnancy

10-13 week dating scans

Between 10-13 weeks you will receive a Dating Scan which establishes your due date. During this scan, the sonographer will use gel on your stomach to move a hand-held transducer device over your skin to view an image of your baby. This scan will provide the following information:

Measure your baby's length from head to bottom which is called the crown rump length (CRL).
Reveal if you are carrying one baby, twins or more.
Check your baby's heartbeat.

What to expect at your 20 week scan

Time for your 20 week scan, this is the last time you will get to see your baby before you have your little one in your arms. At this scan the sonographer will be seeing how your baby is doing, I.e. that they are at a healthy size and they will be counting all fingers and toes and even checking out their brain! They will also be checking to see where the umbilical cord and placenta are positioned and this is also the time where you can find out the sex of your baby depending on the position they are in and the hospitals policy. Apart from the above, the ultrasound will be very similar to your first scan. The only thing to remember is that you need to have a full bladder again, so it can act like a balloon to push your uterus up to help you and the sonographer see how your baby is doing! An ultrasound works by using high frequency sound waves to create an image of your baby in your belly. It may look like a black and white blur to you but your sonographer will be trained and able to guide you to where your baby is on the screen.

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