Pregnancy Scans

Are you curious to see what your baby looks like? From a yawn to a smile, or the beating of your baby’s heart, you can take a look at your baby inside the womb! This is a fantastic way for expectant mums and dads to begin early bonding.

It was only after seeing the pictures and listening to the reactions from our own patients that we realised how amazing it is to actually be able to see your own baby’s features, witness its movements, facial expressions and recognise similarities between siblings.

Frequently Asked Questions

		Do I need a doctor´s referral letter?
		Is ultrasound safe for the baby?
		Who performs the scan?

Pregnancy Scan Information

Nowadays, a pregnancy scan is a million miles away from our own mothers’ experience of a pregnancy scan if she was one of the lucky ones who got to see her baby in the womb through what was then a step into “tomorrow’s world”. The BBC programme “Tomorrow’s World” first showed a pregnancy scan in the mid Seventies and they were in common use in maternity by 1980. Of course the pregnancy scan of those days cannot even compare with the 3D scan experience of today. A 3D scan today is in colour and being three dimensional, the 3D scan is wholly realistic rather than just a 2D blurry photograph.

When to have a pregnancy scan?

At BabyScan we perform Early Pregnancy (or Dating) Scans between from 8 – 14 weeks, Gender Scans from 19 weeks, and 3D4D Scans between 22 and 32 weeks. While many parents like to come in at 22 weeks for a 3D scan, the majority attend between 24 and 29 weeks, because baby has filled out a little more and yet still has room to move around within the womb. If you are looking for a Nuchal Fold Scan option this should only be arranged by request with your maternity hospital, between 11 - 14 weeks of pregnancy, when a blood test is usually taken in conjunction with this scan to determine the likelihood of Down’s Syndrome.

Why should I have a pregnancy scan?

Most mums-to-be are looking for a pregnancy scan with us because they trust us to deliver a high quality pregnancy scan as Paula Tunney and Babyscan are leaders in the pregnancy scans field. With healthcare cutbacks prevalent at every level in Irish hospitals, many expectant mums find that they cannot get a pregnancy scan with their maternity hospital, and choose to have a scan privately for reassurance. Many mums and dads to be can’t wait to meet their baby on screen to promote the ante-natal bonding process. Studies have shown that pregnant mothers who have had 3d 4d ultrasound scans bond better with their baby before birth and tend to take better care of their health during the pregnancy.

Through the years, many TV programs such as RTE’s The Afternoon Show, and newspapers such as the Cork Independent, Irish Independent have pointed to us as being the best in delivering a high quality professional pregnancy scan, either an early pregnancy scan or a 3d 4d ultrasound scan, depending on what stage of pregnancy you are at.

You may find the pregnancy articles in our articles section useful, and you can visit our f.a.q. section for any pregnancy scan question you may have. If you cannot find the answer to your query, please send us a quick email (info@babyscan.ie) with your question or a topic for the articles that might be of interest to you and we will do our best in providing that information.