Written by Beata Anderson, Advanced Practitioner Sonographer
If you are visiting us for a Growth Scan with 4D, you may have one or more of the common questions we are asked. Here we provide the answers, preparing you in advance about what to expect from your booking.
Our Growth with 4D scans are performed by our two experienced Sonographers, Victoria, and Bea. They are trained to perform scans at every stage of your pregnancy as well as Gynaecology Scans.
How do I prepare for my scan appointment?
Please drink around one pint of water an hour before your appointment. This can help the quality of your scan. Please bring all your maternity notes with you along to your appointment. This is to make sure our Sonographer is completely informed about you and your pregnancy.
What do I do when I arrive at the clinic?
When you arrive at our clinic please remain in your car and wait for our colleagues to ring you or come and find you in the car park. This will avoid you sitting in busy waiting rooms and enable social distancing for you and your companions.
When is the best time to book my 4D scan?
We recommend you booking with us around 27-29 weeks. This is because baby has a bit more fat on them, but also enough room to move around if they’re in a difficult position.
What’s included in my appointment?
The primary purpose of the scan is obtaining diagnostic images of your baby. First, we will look at your baby in 2D, checking and showing you your baby’s heartbeat and position. Then we will measure your baby’s head and abdominal circumference and their femur (thigh bone) length. This should provide us with an estimated weight of your baby. Please note this is an estimated fetal weight and there is a +/- 20% error margin. This assessment, however, can confidently pick up very little babies or babies over the 95th centile. This part of the scan is called the growth scan and it is very similar to the growth scan that is provided by the NHS. After looking at your baby’s measurements we will check the liquor (amniotic fluid) volume, placental position (depending on your baby’s position) and an umbilical artery Doppler (which is a measurement of pressure in the umbilical cord that provides nutrients to your baby).
How will I remember all the information you provide me?
All the information will be discussed with you, and you will receive a scan report written by your Sonographer.
What if I need ongoing care?
If findings during your scan with us determine the requirement for additional care in your pregnancy, we have relationships with local NHS hospitals, should you need our help. We will contact the hospital for you and try to make all arrangements, to ensure you receive the follow-up care from the obstetrics team.
What happens in the 3/4D part of the scan?
Following the growth scan, your Sonographer will move onto showing you your baby in 3D and 4D. A 3D scan is a still image of your baby, a 4D scan is a moving image video of your baby in real time. Pictures of your baby are included in your scan. You are welcome to purchase a USB stick or extra sets of pictures of your baby, just let our lovely team know.
What happens if you can’t get good enough images of my baby?
Your Sonographer will try at least twice to obtain good images of your baby. If baby isn’t playing ball, we may ask you to take a short walk or offer you a cold drink/ small bag of sweets (as long as you have no medical conditions to contraindicate sugary sweets) to try to get baby moving. If your baby does not change position following that, and we are unable to obtain images we will rebook you another, shorter appointment, as part of the price. Please note during the follow-up appointment we will not send you for a walk again.
Please see the booking section on our website to book you scan with us!
Booking – Somerset Early Scans