Wellbeing Scan
Most people are offered three scans in pregnancy, one at 12 weeks to screen for Down’s syndrome, another at 20 weeks to look at the baby’s structure and finally at 36 weeks to assess the baby’s position and do one last check before the delivery. But for many it seems a very long time between the 20 week and 36 week scans and an extra scan in between (ideally between 28 and 32 weeks) will provide a lot of reassurance.
At Beard Mill Clinic this scan includes:
- Measuring the baby to make sure that it is the right size for your dates
- Plotting these measurements on a graph and comparing them with the 20 week scan measurements to make sure that the baby is growing well
- Estimating the weight of the baby and using this to predict its birth weight
- Looking at the markers of wellbeing, such as the amount of fluid around the baby and how the baby is moving
- Checking the placenta and measuring the blood flow through the umbilical cord
- Confirmation that the baby’s structure seems to be normal
It can also be a good opportunity to check the baby’s gender if you want to know, but Victoria will keep this a secret if you don’t! And if the baby is in a good position, Victoria will use the 3D/ 4D mode to give you a peek at your baby in 3D too.
As the pregnancy becomes more advanced and the baby gets bigger, it becomes harder to see the structure of the baby in so much detail and it is usually too curled up get good images.
So a scan done later in the pregnancy is more limited and after 35 weeks will only include a growth scan, an estimate of the baby’s weight and a check of the wellbeing markers, as well as making sure that the baby is in the right position. This is known as a “late wellbeing scan” and the lower price reflects the shorter scanning time. Nevertheless this is still a good time to do these important final checks.
