Baby Development Scan

What is the Baby Development Scan?

The fetal brain develops throughout all stages of pregnancy and continue developing even after birth.
Unfortunately, some severe brain anomalies can have delayed development or manifestation, thus not be
picked up by some of the anomaly scans performed earlier in the pregnancy. Late manifesting anomalies
can also affect the heart, some of which include valvular disease, tumours, and heart rhythm
abnormalities.

Our Fetal Development Scan aims to exclude fetal anomalies which have a late presentation, and can be
used to observe fetal growth and wellbeing.

The full details of the Fetal Development Scan include:

- Fetal echocardiography (heart scan) with colour Doppler flow imaging (looking at how the blood flows
through the heart)
- An examination of the brain, kidneys, and the stomach
- An examination of other fetal structures visible by this stage (which are dependent on fetal position)
- A fetal growth scan
- A fetal wellbeing examination (fetal movements, amniotic fluid, and fetal Dopplers used to detect the
fetal heartbeat)
- An examination of the placenta

Is it possible to perform a 4D scan during Fetal Development Scan?

Yes, we try to get good quality 3D/4D images of your baby during this scan. We are aware that many
parents enjoy seeing these images of their baby and we are happy to accommodate this. Having said that,
in some instances if the baby is not positioned correctly or we are unable to get a good quality image, we
will not push or disturb your baby just for the image.

Please remember that the primary aim of the Baby Development Scan is to check the health and
development of your baby, not for keepsake images, although we will try to capture these as well, where
possible.