Here's a question we often hear:
"Do I have to visit your clinic for my ultrasound scan? Can you come to me instead?"
It's not hard to imagine why a mum-to-be might prefer to undergo an ultrasound scan in the comfort of her own home. After all, pregnancy can make it quite difficult to get around (particularly for those who don't drive - we can probably all agree that sitting at home and waiting for the sonographer to knock is a far more enticing proposition than standing around at a bus stop!)
But while we understand why people ask this question, the answer - sadly - is
no, we don't recommend undergoing an ultrasound scan at home. There are a number of reasons why we at
First Encounters Ultrasound don't offer home ultrasound scans, including the following:
- Our clinics are hygienic, comfortable, and fit for purpose. There's no way of ensuring that each customer's home will meet these crucial requirements.
- Our equipment is not mobile. We at First Encounters are proud to use the very best ultrasound devices currently on the market (including HD Live). While our state-of-the-art equipment is ideal for producing top-quality images, it sadly isn't very portable, meaning that we would not be able to offer the same high standard if we operated outside of our own premises.
However, there's another, even more important reason why we don't offer home ultrasound scans: industry regulation. In England, our work is strictly regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and since their standards don't account for home visits, we would lose our CQC-approved status if we started offering this service.
Interestingly, Health Inspectorate Wales (HIW, the Welsh equivalent of the CQC) actually don't regulate diagnostic and screening services such as ours, which is why
some companies who do offer home ultrasound scans are registered in Wales, even though they operate exclusively on the English side of the border (very shady if you ask us!) That being said, it is our own policy that our
Cardiff clinic must meet the same industry standards as clinics located in England, and so we are unable to offer a 'mobile' service to our customers.
If you are thinking of booking an ultrasound scan, it's always better to choose a professional, regulated provider who can offer you the very highest level of service.
As you're probably aware, we offer a variety of different baby gender scans here at First Encounters Ultrasound.
Countless parents have visited our clinics in the hope of discovering their unborn baby's gender - some do it so that they can decide on an appropriate name, while others ask to learn the gender in advance because they simply can't wait for the birth!
If you're thinking of getting a gender scan, you may well be wondering how accurate gender scans are, and how sure the sonographer will be when he or she reveals the gender of your unborn child.
How accurate are baby gender scans?
The answer is 'very accurate indeed', at least as far as we're concerned! Our sonographers are extremely well-trained and generally won't state the sex of the baby unless they're absolutely certain of your baby's gender.
To allow for an accurate gender confirmation, the baby's sex organs must be: a) reasonably fully-formed, and b) visible on the ultrasound scan. Our baby gender scans are available from 16 weeks onwards; we cannot confirm gender before this point for the simple reason that, generally speaking, genitalia are not visibly formed until around the 16-week mark!
Once you've reached 16 weeks gestation, our ability to predict your child's gender depends on their position inside the womb. Every so often, an expectant mother will come in for a gender scan only to find that her little one is resting in a position that makes it difficult for us to get an accurate idea of their sex. On these occasions, we ask the mother to take a brief stroll so as to get the foetus moving; we will then re-commence the gender scan, hopefully with more success.
What if we're unable to confirm your baby's gender?
It's a very rare occurrence, but if we can't tell what sex your baby is even after you've been for a walk, we will happily offer you a complimentary re-scan on a date that suits you. As previously mentioned, we will NEVER 'just guess' your baby's sex; if your gender scan proves inconclusive, you will be told as much by your sonographer. We have a reputation to uphold here at First Encounters Ultrasound, and so we will only ever tell you what we see on the scan - nothing more, nothing less.
Any other questions? Get in touch with a member of the First Encounters Ultrasound team today!
It's a big week for us here at First Encounters Ultrasound - our brand new Voluson E6 system arrived yesterday, which means that we're now able to offer HD Live ultrasound scans at our clinic in Cardiff.
What is HD Live?
HD Live is the very latest in 4D ultrasound technology. It allows us to show you your unborn child in greater detail than ever before; HD Live images are far more clearly-rendered than those captured by other 3D/4D systems, giving you an even better idea of what your baby will look like when he or she finally arrives.
Furthermore, our new HD Live equipment offers an enhanced colour palette, enabling us to achieve an even greater level of realism in the images we capture:
Left: An image captured using HD Live ultrasound equipment.
Right: An image captured using standard 3D/4D ultrasound equipment.
Benefits of HD Live:
- Clearer, crisper images of your unborn baby
- Improved colouration of images/footage captured
- Feel even closer to the life growing inside you
How do I book an HD Live ultrasound scan?
If you would like to book an HD Live scan at our
Cardiff clinic, please give us a call on
02920 732671 or get in touch using our
online contact form. A member of our team will discuss the available options with you and recommend an HD Live scan package based on how far along your pregnancy is and what you wish to receive.
At present, HD Live scans are only available from the First Encounters Ultrasound clinic in Cardiff
. However, we plan to roll out this technology in our Bristol clinic in the near future, so please stay tuned for further announcements on that front.
If you're expecting more than one baby, you may be wondering if you can still come to the First Encounters clinic for a 3D/4D bonding experience. In other words...
Can I have a 4D scan if I'm pregnant with twins?
Yes, you can! Many of the expectant mothers we meet are carrying more than one baby, and we frequently carry out scans (both 2D and 3D/4D) on unborn twins. After all, why should you be denied the breathtaking experience of glimpsing their world just because it's a little crowded in there?
However, there are a couple of things to bear in mind as you're booking your appointment with us. We recommend that twin scans are carried out between 22 and 26 weeks gestation; any later, and the footage we capture may not be of a satisfactory quality. You see, 4D ultrasound scans tend to give better results if the babies still have a little room in which to move around, and since two babies take up more space than one, we like to get the scan done a little earlier in cases of multiple pregnancies.
There's also the issue of payment. Twin scans take longer to perform than individual scans, and this will be reflected in the cost of your scan package. For all of our scans, there is a surcharge if you are carrying twins. This is because we effectively have to perform the scan twice, recording the position, measurements, and heartbeat of two babies instead of just one.
The following scan packages are available for multiple pregnancies:
- EarlyReassure™ (7-13weeks) - a scan tailored to the early stages of pregnancy. We can date the pregnancy, visualise a heartbeat and identify if you're having twins! (Multiple Pregnancy Surcharge £20).
- Growth&Wellbeing™ (16-40 weeks) - a scan that's designed to obtain growth measurements and check the wellbeing of your baby (or babies)! (Multiple Pregnancy Surcharge £20).
- Gender&Wellbeing™ (16-32 weeks) - a scan designed to perform observational wellbeing checks after your initial NHS dating scan. (Multiple Pregnancy Surcharge £25).
- GenderGrowth&Wellbeing™ (16-32 weeks) - a scan designed to obtain growth measurements and perform wellbeing observational checks on your baby after your initial NHS dating scan (Multiple Pregnancy Surcharge £25).
- 4DWellbeingAssure™ (24 - 32 weeks) - scan is primarily designed to perform wellbeing observational checks on your baby after your NHS anomaly scan between 24-32 weeks gestation (Multiple Pregnancy Surcharge £40).
- 4DGrowth&Wellbeing™ (24-32 weeks) - a scan primarily designed to obtain growth measurements and perform wellbeing observational checks on baby after your NHS anomaly scan between 24-32 weeks gestation (Multiple Pregnancy Surcharge £40).
We regret that we are not able to accommodate triplets (or quadruplets, quintuplets, etc.) in any of our scan packages.
Ready to meet your twins? Book your First Encounters Ultrasound scan now!
The service we provide here at First Encounters Ultrasound doesn't end when we complete your baby scan. We also offer a variety of
souvenirs for you to take home, enjoy, and share with your friends and family - here are some of our most popular baby scan gifts:
DVD Recording
This is exactly what it says on the tin: the footage from your ultrasound scan, recorded onto a DVD that you can watch over and over again. DVD recordings are available for both 2D and 4D scans.
Why get this souvenir?
Not only will a DVD recording enable you to share your scan footage with friends and relatives who couldn't make it on the day, it will also allow you to show the footage to your child when they're a little older!
Heartbeat Bear
This adorable teddy bear is no ordinary cuddly toy - your baby's heartbeat (as captured during your scan) is recorded onto an audio device inside the teddy, and this very special sound will play when you give the bear a hug!
Why get this souvenir?
Heartbeat Bear makes a great gift for young children; you can give the toy to your unborn baby's sibling-in-waiting, or you could wait until baby is born and give the teddy to them!
Key Rings & Fridge Magnets
The images that we capture during your baby scan can be printed onto key fobs and fridge magnets for you to take home and keep forever!
Why get these souvenirs?
They make fantastic gifts for family and friends, especially if they weren't able to be your guests on the day of the scan itself.
Gender Reveal Cards
If your First Encounters Ultrasound package includes
gender confirmation, you can opt to purchase these fun gender reveal cards after the scan. Scratch away the silver panel to reveal the baby's sex!
Why get this souvenir?
It's a fun alternative to simply telling your friends and relatives whether you're having a boy or a girl. Instead, why not send each of them a gender reveal card and let them guess before they find out the answer?
All of these gifts can be purchased on the day of your scan, although some may be included in the price of your scan depending on which package you select.
Compare our scan options here, or visit our
Baby Scan Gifts page to see our full range of souvenirs.
We get asked a lot of
questions here at First Encounters Ultrasound, but perhaps the most common query of all concerns the safety of the scans that we provide. Many expectant parents feel slightly apprehensive about the idea of undergoing an ultrasound scan for fear that it will have a detrimental effect on the mother and/or her unborn baby.
The good news is that, in 30 years of study and research, ultrasound has not been found to cause any harm whatsoever to mother or baby. As the name suggests, ultrasound technology relies on sound waves, which are perfectly safe at the intensity used for the purposes of pregnancy scanning.
Ultrasound scans are now the norm throughout the UK; even if you don't visit the First Encounters clinic for a private scan, you will likely undergo two NHS ultrasound scans over the course of your pregnancy to check on your baby's development.
But what about 4D scans?
Most of the parents who enquire about the safety of our scans are referring specifically to our 4D scan packages; that is, the scans that capture 3D footage like this:
A lot of people assume that 4D scans must use a higher intensity than standard 2D scans, if not a different type of technology altogether. Many of the parents-to-be that we encounter have already received one ultrasound scan by the time we speak to them, and even some of these people are concerned about the side effects of our 4D scanning equipment.
If you are harbouring any such concerns yourself, allow us to put your mind at ease: 4D ultrasound scans have been shown to be completely safe for both mother and baby. Our 4D probe operates at the same intensity as our 2D scanning equipment, emitting sound waves into the body and creating an image based on the echoes it hears. The technology actually has a lot in common with radar!
Ultrasound scans do not expose you or your baby to radiation and they are generally painless. The only side effects you may experience is a small amount of discomfort as we run the probe over your skin or insert it into your body.
None of the ultrasound scans we offer have been shown to have any harmful effect on human beings, so when you and your unborn child pay us a visit, you can rest assured that our service is not putting either of you in any danger whatsoever.
