 
Right let's try again, let's see what baba has for us now.
We can switch
over to our 4D side now.
So just keep in mind this is not a detailed abnormality scan.
It's more a memorable experience for mom and dad
And also a little bit of bonding with baba
Baba's moving a lot
can you feel it?
I decided to do a 4D scan because a very good friend of mine
told me it would be a beautiful experience
And a nice memory to build upon
And it would actually be the first time to see your baby in
a completely different perspective.
My experience with the 4D scan was quite
emotional but in a very positive way
 
I was tremendously thankful for the kind approach
And the nice explanation and also the clear way of
explaining that this is not a diagnostic scan
But just a memory one can build upon.
 
There are a range of things you can pick up on ultrasound
But we as general obstetricians and gynaecologists
When we do a scan, we usually look
At the gross anatomy of the baby
Looking at the structure of the head
the brain, the face
the neck, the spine and the limbs and some of the internal organs
 
First trimester scans are normally done between 11 weeks and
0 days and 13 weeks and 6 days
ideal time being at about 12 weeks
 
 
The scans are usually used as a screening for syndromes like Downes
because there are certain markers that we can pick up
that suggest that there is a possibility
of a syndrome
They normally do an evaluation of the entire foetus.
They will look for a cleft lip, cleft palate
You get to hear the heartbeat as well
to see that all four chambers are present and functioning normally
They look at the nose bone, the thickness of the skin of the neck
The long bones in the arms and the legs
 
They can often see the gender already as well
 
 
And then they measure the blood flow to the uterus
to look at the risk of growth restriction and preeclampsia.
 
Sometimes some gynaecologist will do what we call serial growth scans
just to monitor the growth of the baby
and to see that the environment that the baby is in is still
conducive for the pregnancy to continue
Lack of growth probably more common than excessive growth
Excessive growth can be associated with
certain congenital infections
that might not be picked up
previously in pregnancy, you might have acquired an infection during pregnancy
and we only pick it up with your growth scans
You can also pick up excessive amniotic fluid which
could be an indication of diabetes
or certain congenital abnormalities
that could be very difficult to
pick up otherwise
and in terms of growth restriction
if you see that the tummy isn't growing well
the dopplers start getting elevated
your amniotic fluid decreases
you can identify this growth restriction
and you can more often than not intervene and
manage the patient properly, some babies
might need to be delivered sooner rather than later.
 
