While we're happy to provide gender scans from 16 weeks onwards, it's worth bearing in mind that not all babies develop at the same speed. Very occasionally, someone will come in for gender confirmation at 16 weeks and the sonographer still won't be able to find positive visual confirmation of the baby's sex. In these cases, we'll usually offer a complimentary re-scan at a later date (we'll never guess the gender if we're not confident in our prediction!) but to avoid disappointment, you may wish to wait an extra few days just to make sure that your baby has developed to the point where we're able to identify the gender.

If you decide to learn your baby’s gender before the birth, as many expectant parents do, it can be a fantastic excuse to celebrate your good news with all your friends and family! Increasingly, we are seeing that customers who come for our gender reveal scans are thinking up new and interesting ways of sharing the news with their family, which go further than the traditional announcement.

Hosting a gender reveal party can be a fun and creative way to share your big news with your loved ones, and will allow you to create a lasting and memorable experience for all those who go on to be a part of your child’s life.

To help you plan the perfect gender reveal party, here are a few ideas to help make it a success:

From cakes and drinks to balloons and banners, cover your chosen venue with a selection of pink and blue accessories to keep them guessing up until the big reveal! 

While there are lots of creative ways to announce your news, we love these interactive and exciting gender reveal cards! Not only do they allow each individual to find out the gender for themselves, but they also add an element of eagerness and anticipation to the process as they scratch to reveal the gender. Get all your guests together and hand them out one by one, to ensure that everyone scratches at the same time!

It’s important to give your guests plenty of notice in advance of the party, so that you can ensure that all the loved-ones are able to make it. You should also time this reveal correctly in relation to your gender scan, and ensure that you have confirmation of your appointment before rushing in to planning the reveal. On very rare occasions, the position of your baby may cause difficulties with establishing a confident gender confirmation, and in such cases we offer our customers a free rescan on an alternative date. Although it is very rare that we are unable to establish your baby’s gender during your initial scan, it is worth keeping this possibility (however unlikely) in mind when planning your reveal.

While it’s only natural that your friends and family will be speculating about the gender of your little one before you reveal the news, the occasion will be even more entertaining if you add a competitive and speculative exercise for them to participate in. Ask everyone to note their predictions before the reveal, then hand out little keepsakes or prizes to those who guess right. If you don’t want to fork out for multiple prizes, then why not have each guest pop their name into either a ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ hat, after which a name will be pulled out at random from the one labelled with the correct gender to reveal the winner!

To give your nearest and dearest something to remember the day by, why not hand out personalised clothing items or keepsakes with the addition of the baby’s gender on them. For example, parents who already have a child/children could gift their soon-to-be siblings with an item that reads ‘I’m going to have a little brother/sister’, or something similar. This is particularly good for younger children, as it allows them to be more involved in the process without feeling like they are being pushed aside, or are missing out due to all the attention surrounding the new baby.

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To see more of our scan souvenirs, click here.

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.