What to expect when you visit for a baby ultrasound scan Stirling and Edinburgh

Our 3D scan from Babes in the WombI can remember the first time headed through to Babes in the Womb in Stirling for my baby’s 3D/4D scan. My husband and I had ordered a video of our little one (and wanted to double check that we had the correct sex from an ultrasound we’d had at the hospital). I was pretty nervous, even though I knew it wasn’t an invasive procedure to go through. I’d already had a few 2D ultrasounds at the hospital as we thought we were farther along than we were.

I had asked the lovely man at reception over the phone what I needed to take with me and what I needed to do to make the scan work best. His response really depends on how far along you are. But taking your maternity notes along to your ultrasound appointment is a really good idea.That way, if you need anything or to go to the doctors/hospital, you already have your notes. I’d already gotten used to carrying my pregnancy notes everywhere with me anyway as most people do when they’re pregnant (or at least we’re supposed to!).

According to Darren at Babes in the Womb, clients only need water early in pregnancy to help see the baby with the way the bladder pushes the uterus up. As for the amount of water, a comfortably full bladder is advised earlier on. (Everyone has a different bladder size!)

He also mentioned that having a sweet drink can get baby moving around. But if in doubt, it’s always a good idea to call the ultrasound clinic you’re visiting for advice.

So, I went into reception at the baby scanning studio in Stirling. They’d already been expecting me for my appointment. I was offered tea or coffee, biscuits and chocolates when led into one of the two waiting areas. I didn’t need to bring any children with me, but I learned at a later appointment that children are very much welcome as there’s a small playroom in Stirling and a playpen in Edinburgh. As well as allowing the children to come in with you to your scan with another adult.

The scanning room was clean and tidy. The machine was in the corner, a bed next to it and then the rest of the room had tables to put the teas and coffees on, a big corner sofa and a big TV for your guests to be able to see your baby on from the sofas. Although the Edinburgh Ultrasound studio is laid out differently to the Stirling studio, I have since learned that it is just as comfortable. You can bring up to 6 other people with you, so it was great to know that I could take my parents and my husband’s parents to see our baby on future visits. Something that none of our siblings had ever managed to share with our parents or with previous generations. It really gave our parents and grandmother the chance to feel that they were really part of the pregnancy.

I was helped up to the bed and got my belly out. I was given some paper to protect my clothes and a conductive gel was spread over my belly. This helps the baby scanning machine to get a proper reading. The sonographer used a different kind of ultrasound probe than at the hospital to get the images. One that can create a 3D image rather than just flat 2D. First of all, you’ll see the scan in 2D until the sonographer thinks there may be a good photo or video. Then they’ll switch over the 3D ultrasound mode. Sometimes you don’t get the perfect image straight away, although with an experienced sonographer, they’ll try their best to get you some fantastic images and video if that’s what you’re after.

The first thing that the sonographer did was to take a few measurements and make sure that the baby was in good health and didn’t have any pressing concerns with growth. The sonographers at Babes in the Womb are those that work in the local hospitals, so I felt assured that they were competent at telling if I needed help or not. Then images and video were taken once the sonographer was sure that everything’s OK.

We ended up going back a few times to get a fair amount of scans. There was no hesitation in the staff to make another appointment (even that day) for us to try to get a better look at our little one. Luckily, they had time enough to let us go get some lunch, get a little walk in and see if our baby had turned around and was ready to be photographed.

Once we were finished with our baby scan, we wiped up the conductive gel and popped out to the reception. We sat down to wait on some photos to be printed out and settled up. It was really as easy as that!

Leave a Reply





Baby Scanning Blog | Terms | Contact | Resources | Ultrasound Scotland Sitemap