What To Expect At Your 20 Week Pregnancy Scan
- Julia Kitching
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
What is the 20 week scan?
At around 18-22 weeks of pregnancy, you will be offered a 20 week pregnancy scan, which is free on the NHS in the UK. It is offered to all pregnant women and parents to-be. Sometimes you might hear the 20 week pregnancy scan to be known as the anomaly scan and this scan is used to check the health of your baby and check on baby's development. It is often a very exciting scan for expecting parents, because they get to see their baby again and an opportunity to find out the gender of their baby. For some people though, they find the 20 week scan an anxious time, particularly if they have a history of poor pregnancy outcomes or an expectation that their baby isn't developing quite as they would hope.
The 20 week scan can sometimes bring up a lot of emotions for pregnant families, even if their baby is developing well. Getting to see their baby moving in the womb, kicking, sucking their thumb or stretching can feel quite emotional. For some people it can all start to feel very real. Some people can feel incredible happy or incredible sad at the 20 week scan, particularly if they find out the sex of their baby. If they discover that they are expecting the opposite gender to what they were hoping for, this can feel quite disappointing.
If you find yourself feeling disappointed with your baby's gender, do not worry. This is completely normal and just give yourself time to process the information, ask questions and reflect. If you have hired a Doula for your pregnancy and birth, talk to your doula about how you are feeling.
What happens at the 20 week scan?
The 20 week scan is very similar to the scan that you might have had at the end of your first trimester when you were around 12 weeks of pregnancy and called the dating scan. The scan uses ultrasound technology to take a good look at your baby's development. It is not painful and you will most likely be asked to have a full bladder before the scan takes place. You will be asked to lie down on your back and a small amount of jelly is applied to the skin of your belly. The sonographer will then move a probe up and down your belly to get a closer look at your baby. The scan will usually take around 20-40 minutes, depending on your baby's position and how clearly they can be seen. It is quite common for babies to not be in an ideal position during the scan and this can make it very difficult for the sonographer to get a clear image. If this is the case, the sonographer might ask you to drink some water, go for a walk or ask you to return at a later date.
For the majority of people the anomaly scan is absolutely fine and there are no concerns, rare conditions or physical abnormalities. When your sonographer first starts to scan your tummy, they might be a little quiet whilst they have a good look around. This is completely normal and once they are happy, they will then talk you through what they can see. Some people can feel quite anxious during these first few minutes until they know everything is all okay. If you feel anxious during this time, try doing some calm breathing. Just take some deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
What does the 20 week scan look at?
The 20 week scan looks at your baby in great detail. The scan is carried out by a sonographer and they are looking at:
The brain, spine and skull
The face and profile, looking for things like cleft lip
The heart, looking at blood flow, valves and chambers
The abdomen, stomach and kidneys
The bladder and bowels
The arms, hands and feet
The placenta, to check on its function and position
The umbilical cord and amniotic fluid levels
Measurements to check your baby's growth and development
Finding out the sex of your baby
By the time your baby has reached 20 weeks gestation, they have developed genitals which can show clearly on a scan at 20 weeks. For many people, they like to know the sex of their baby, but some people prefer to wait and have a surprise. It is optional to find out the sex of your baby at the 20 week scan, so if you'd rather not know, just inform your sonographer. Some people like to have the gender of their baby written down on a piece of paper and put into an envelope. They then like to announce the sex of their baby at a gender reveal. Most hospitals in the UK are happy to let pregnant families know the sex of their baby at the 20 week scan, but this isn't the main reason for the scan. Ultrasound scans are pretty reliable at identifying the sex of a baby in the womb, but they are not always 100% accurate.
What if something unexpected is found at the 20 week scan?
For the majority of people the 20 week scan revels that their baby is developing as expected and there are no concerns. However, for some people this isn't the case and they will be advised what the next steps are, given support and clear information. Some people might be asked to have some further tests or referred to a specialist. The 20 week scan can be a really helpful insight into a baby's development and can ensure that you or your baby get the best care possible and the best course of action going forwards.
Hypnobirthing Courses and Birth Support
If you've had your 20 week scan and you are now wanting to feel more confident about your baby's birth, feel less anxious and more excited, then a hypnobirthing course is going to be great for you. Hypnobirthing is a brilliant way to fully prepare you and your birth partner for birth and increase your chances of having a positive birth experience.
I recommend starting a hypnobirthing course between 20-35 weeks of pregnancy. However, it is never too early or too late to start hypnobirthing. If you'd like to know more about hypnobirthing or would like to have a chat with me, visit my website or get in touch for a FREE no obligation chat.
Julia x
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