Gender Scans - Easy Peasy Right?

Erm. Well actually........ no! 

This is actually a big misconception! Determining fetal gender by an ultrasound scan is not so easy. Its actually a little tricker than one may think and is dependent on a number of factors.  

Making a boy vs girl determination requires far more expertise than just putting the probe to the belly and having a ‘quick look’ or even a long stare!. Not only does baby need to be well positioned with the legs wide open, having no other parts covering over the external genitalia but also far enough along the pregnancy to be able to see. If not the chances of finding out the sex of your baby is reduced and may even be near impossible.

Another misconception is that baby can be forced to move. If only! If there was a magical button to push or movement for mum to do, I can promise you that there would be no hesitation at all for practitioners to go for it but unfortunately babies do not just automatically cooperate. Babies are comfortable where they are most of the time and they only move into another position if they wish to do so.

In reality a gender scan is all about angles, time and professional experience, especially at the 16 week period when the baby is pretty small and things are harder to see and interpret.

So, here are a few recommendations for your gender scan:

• Try eating or drinking something about 30 minutes prior to the scan. This usually gets baby more active.

• Choose a trustworthy clinic with clinical practitioners/sonographer who have experience in determining fetal gender.

• Keep an open mind knowing that not seeing the gender on the same day is a possibility, albeit a small one & although a gender scan is often highly accurate it cannot be 100% and we can only base our opinion by what is seen.