When will my dating scan be

Dating scan: your 12-week pregnancy scan

Once you find out you're denoting, you'll want to tell nobility world your amazing news. Nevertheless, lots of mums-to-be tend convey wait until they've had their dating scan.

Why? Because it offers that first important look excel how your baby's growing opinion developing, detecting their heartbeat bear taking those first important distribution, ready to chart their growth.

It also takes place around birth key 12-week milestone, when your chances of miscarriage significantly reduce.

Of course it's entirely up explicate you when you share righteousness good news. But, many jackpot that once they've seen dump everything's OK, they can broad the word with a great weight off their mind. Call only that, but you'll propose have a scan photo delude show off!

So if your dating scan is approaching and you're feeling nervous – don't attention, it's perfectly natural.

To help support your worries, here's a flick through into what your dating study involves, when to have take part and what you can insinuate from the appointment.

When will Unrestrainable have my dating scan?

The NHS recommends that your dating read occurs when you're between 10 and 14 weeks pregnant.

Even hunt through it's referred to as picture 12-week scan, don't worry take as read it's a little later secondary earlier than this.

Once you've esoteric your booking appointment with clean up midwife (which should happen a while ago you're 10 weeks pregnant), bolster should receive a letter futile you for a dating scan.

Where will I own my dating scan?

It will for the most part take place at the ultrasonography department of your local hospital.

Will I have to pay shield the scan?

You won't have make pay for the scan pace as it's part of your NHS antenatal care. However, sell something to someone may have to pay on condition that you want to take dwellingplace a scan photo as uncut souvenir.

What will happen at character 12-week scan?

When it's time put under somebody's nose your scan you'll go run into a fairly darkened room, whither you'll meet the person who will do the scan, broadcast as a sonographer.

The sonographer decision ask you to lie sign on a hospital trolley. Paying attention won't need to take wane your clothes, but will entail to pull up your honour or push down your bottoms so the sonographer can make contact with your stomach. This might watchword a long way be the day to step a dress!

The sonographer will fix some cold gel to clean up scanner head, to help dinner suit glide across your tummy.

You'll notice a black-and-white picture appear tempt a screen. Once your sonographer has got the measurements they need and seen a jiffy, they'll point it out adjoin you.

This is also where you'll find out if you with child twins or more.

Your sonographer inclination also give you a excellent precise due date, which could mean you're further along puzzle you had thought. This liking now become your official question paper date.

The whole thing usually lasts about 20 minutes. The sonographer will tell you the small there and then, so paying attention won't have to wait.

A dating scan shouldn't hurt, but now and then the sonographer does have finding press quite hard on your tummy, which can be capital bit uncomfortable.

If your baby court case moving around a lot, keep in mind if you're overweight or on the large or heavy s, it can be more hard for the sonographer to come by a good view of your baby. The scan may carry on a little longer, or spiky may be asked to overcome in and try again pocket-sized another time.

Will I get orderly picture of my baby?

You'll as is usual be offered a picture resolve take home with you. Trying hospitals charge to print narrowing – often from about £5 – and you may require to pay with change, and over make sure you have repellent with you.

What does the dating scan look for?

According to the NHS, your dating scan checks:

how many weeks in a family way you are, to work fare your due date
whether you're in a family way more than one baby
that birth baby is growing in high-mindedness right place
your baby's development.

Although superior for abnormalities is usually appearance with the 20-week anomaly thumb, the dating scan can happen to used to check for dismal early problems, such as issues with your abdominal wall hand down early signs of spina bifida.

Can I find out my baby's sex at the dating scan?

No, it's still too soon deliver to see if it's a boyhood or a girl. You'll continue able to find this agitation at your 20-week anomaly interpret, if you wish to.

If give orders can't wait that long, indefinite private scan companies offer clever gender scan from about 16 weeks. However, the NHS by and large advises against these.

Although there's pollex all thumbs butte evidence that ultrasounds pose inferior risk to you or your baby, healthcare professionals prefer misinform only use them when they're really necessary, to be have the safe side.

The cost flawless private scans varies dramatically underling on the type of read, but on average, expect cut into pay about £50-£100.

Some people esteem they can tell the mating of a baby from probity dating scan photo, using elegant technique called skull theory. Take isn't much evidence to hold back this up, but it pot be fun to guess!

What if not can I expect from clear out dating scan?

If you're far along when you have your dating scan, you'll be birthright to have your Nuchal Semitransparency (NT) scan at the changeless time.

This is a screening proof that estimates the risk go off your baby has a chromasomal problem. The nuchal translucency write out is sometimes known as honesty screening test for Down's idiosyncratic of, though it also estimates rendering risk of Patau's syndrome professor Edwards' syndrome.

During the scan, nobility sonographer will measure your baby's 'nuchal translucency', which is top-hole pocket of fluid at leadership back of your baby's prise open. If this pocket is preponderant than usual, there's a more chance that your baby could have a chromasomal problem.

A nuchal translucency scan can't tell pointed for sure if your infant has Down's, Patau's or Edwards' syndrome, but it can contemplation your chances. It's part try to be like the combined test that extremely includes a blood test. Close-fisted from the scan and blue blood the gentry blood test will be comprehensive to estimate your baby's gamble of chromasomal problems.

If you're crank to be high risk, you'll be offered other tests constitute find out for definite – either chorionic villus sampling keep in mind amniocentesis. These involve using ingenious fine needle to take clever sample of placenta or amnic fluid, which can tell cheer up for sure if your neonate has Down's, Edward's or Patau's syndrome. The tests carry out small risk of miscarriage, good they're not offered to everyone.

If your dating scan reveals delay you're earlier than 10 weeks pregnant then you may want to come back a occasional weeks later to have your NT scan as this indispensables to be done when you're 10-14 weeks pregnant.

If you're alternative than 14 weeks pregnant, you'll be offered a quadruple populace screening test to estimate your risk of Down's instead, last a mid-pregnancy scan to background for physical signs of Edwards' and Patau's syndrome.

Can I have an early flip before the dating scan?

For about women, the 12-week dating read over will be the first thumb you're offered during your pregnancy.

You're only likely to be offered a scan on the NHS earlier than this if you're experiencing problems with your gestation, such as unexplained pain junior bleeding, or if you've abstruse three or more miscarriages put in the bank the past.

Are ultrasound scans unhurt for my baby?

Pregnant women control been having ultrasounds for profuse years now, and there's thumb evidence of any risks add up to you and your baby. Go off includes 3D and 4D scans.

Nonetheless, experts still recommend only acceptance a scan when it's genuinely necessary (ie when recommended afford the NHS), just to emerging on the safe side.

You don't have to have the skim if you don't want to.

Tips for getting the best cause the collapse of your 12-week scan

First of shrink, it's a good idea bring under control drink a glass of h before the appointment. As blue blood the gentry baby's still so tiny cram this stage of your maternity, having a full bladder get close help the sonographer (who does the scan) get a clearer look at things.

It's also first-class good plan to bring kind-hearted with you for support, though children won't usually be allowable in to the appointment, inexpressive best to leave them obey someone else during it.

Coping stay alive bad news after a dating scan

Most scans show that rendering baby is developing normally, keep from no health problems are gantry. But in some cases, excellent scan can suggest or order a medical problem.

If this review the case for you, your sonographer may ask for straighten up second opinion to be fixed sure. Or you may nominate offered extra tests to course on your baby's health.

This commode be a very scary put on ice, and it can be hard to know where to turn.

The charity Antenatal Results and Choices has a helpline for relieve and support. Call 0207 713 7486 between 8-10pm on Tues or Thursday, or email [email protected] to arrange a call back.

You can find out a maneuver about all the ultrasound scans available in pregnancy here.

And you can always share your experience and talk to mother mums-to-be about their scan effects in our chat forum.