Anatomy scan how many weeks

How long does the week ultrasound take? What happens at the week ultrasound? What do you need to prepare for the anatomy ultrasound? What is the sonographer looking for at the week ultrasound? What abnormalities can be detected at the week ultrasound? Here's how ultrasounds actually work' Will you find out the sex of the baby?

What does your baby look like at 20 weeks pregnant? Should you bring someone with you? How many ultrasounds will you have during pregnancy? What will the sonographer tell you? Joseph Communications uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. Other than finding out the sex of your baby if you want to know , the ultrasound technician will be taking many measurements of your baby.

Since the technician will be concentrating on the screen, they may or may not talk you through the examination. The technician will be assessing the fluid-filled spaces inside the brain and the shape of the cerebellum, which is in the back of the brain.

He or she will also be able to identify if any cysts are in the choroid plexus, which is a tissue in the brain that produces cerebrospinal fluid. Fetal cysts may indicate an increased risk for a chromosome abnormality; however, the majority of these cysts disappear by the 28th week of pregnancy with no effect on the baby.

Depending on the positioning of your baby, the technician may or may not be able to detect if your baby has a cleft lip. Rarely are they able to detect if there is a cleft of the palate. According to The Cleft Palate Foundation, clefts of the lip and palate are the fourth most common birth defect, affecting 1 out of every newborns in the US. Due to the number of oral health and medical problems associated with a cleft lip or palate, a team of doctors and other specialists will be involved in the care of your baby after birth.

If it is determined that your baby does have a cleft lip during the ultrasound, it is helpful to research facilities that can provide the medical treatment your baby will need prior to birth. Congenital Heart Defects are one of the leading causes of birth defects and infant death.

A prenatal diagnosis can prepare you and your medical team to provide your infant with the best medical care possible throughout your pregnancy and after birth. Here are the important questions you will want to ask your technician:. The technician will be looking to make sure that the vertebrae are in alignment and that the skin covers the spine at the back.

The scan will determine if your baby has two kidneys and if his or her bladder is functioning properly. The technician will look at the positioning of your placenta, specifically looking for placenta previa. This might be uncomfortable. The sonographer needs to keep the screen in a position that gives them a good view of the baby. The screen may be directly facing them, or at an angle. Sometimes the sonographer doing the scan will need to be quiet while they concentrate on checking your baby.

But they'll be able to talk to you about the pictures once they've completed the check. Sometimes it's difficult to get a good picture if the baby is lying in an awkward position or moving around a lot, or if you're above average weight or your body tissue is dense.

This does not mean there's anything to worry about. You may need to have a full bladder when you come for the appointment. The doctor or midwife looking after you will let you know before you come.

If you're not sure, you can contact them and ask. If you want to know your baby's sex, you should ask the sonographer at the start of the scan, so they know that they need to check.

Some hospitals may refuse to tell you sex of the baby. Speak to your sonographer or midwife to find out more. The week screening scan can sometimes find the baby has a health condition. You may like someone to come with you to the scan appointment. Most hospitals do not allow children to attend scans as childcare is not usually available. Ask your hospital about this before your appointment.

There are no known risks to the baby or you from having an ultrasound scan, but it's important to think carefully about whether to have the scan or not. It may provide information that may mean you have to make some important decisions. For example, you may be offered further tests that have a risk of miscarriage, and you'll need to decide whether or not to have these tests. No — it's your choice whether to have it or not.