New arrival? It is an exciting time for most parents whether its their first child or an addition to the family. With modern technology, it is possible to watch your baby grow healthily and bond with it emotionally long before it is born.

Having your baby scanned using 2D, 3D & 4D scanning is not only for aesthetic purposes, but it offers medical benefits. The scans are primarily intended to enhance parental bonding. There has been increasing evidence of both pyscological and other health benefits reported in various medical journals that these bonding scans are highly effective.

What  is Ultrasound scanning?

Obstetric sonography (Ultrasound) is a procedure widely used in modern medicine in order to visualise the foetus in its mothers womb. It is recognised by the general public as a standard part of prenatal care, as it not only allows bonding with the unborn child but also gives vital information on the health of the mother and child during the progression of the pregnancy.

Doppler Ultrasound is a form of ultrasonic wave that allows the radiographer to see and measure the blood flow. It is commonly used to see and hear the heart beat of the foetus and monitor the blood flow in the Umbilical Cord.

2D scanning offers a 2 dimensional view over the area where the scanning probe is placed. It can, however, only allow a limited view of the investigated area, whereas 3D scans take a sweep over the area of interest. Many images are collected and stored in ultrasound computer. The computer will reconstruct a 3 dimensional image which can be rotated and viewed from different angles.

The relatively new addition of 4D scanning means that parents are able to see real time movements of the extremities. Many parents are able to see the baby move its lips or suck its thumb.

There are several scans available at different points during the pregancy term.

An early pregancy scan (4-11 weeks) confirms the pregnancy and assess the gestational sack position. Parents can expect to get a full, comprehensive range of foetal assessments in 2D and 3D, along with seeing and listening to the foetal heartbeat for the first time.

At 14 weeks, a nuchal transparency scan is offered to assess the baby's risk for Downs Syndrome. This non-invasive test measures, using the ultrasound machine, a small fluid collection within the skin at the back of the baby's neck (known as nuchal translucency). All babies will have this, but having a larger measurement increases the risk of the baby having Downs Syndrome.

The early foetal development scan in 14-20 weeks is where then sex of the baby is determined, along with the radiographer monitoring the healthy development of the baby to exclude limb abnormalities and assessing the heart beat. During this scan, parents can watch the limb and body movements of their baby.

The final scan is the 21-40 week bonding scan where lifelike detailed images of the baby and a 4D real time video will allow parents to "meet" their baby. The high quality images mean that facial features are so defined, it is almost like looking a a photo of the baby.