Nine Months : The ultrasound scan procedure

	If scan is being done early in pregnancy, you will be asked to drink plenty of water and arrive with a full bladder to make the womb clearly visible on the screen. (I can never forget that bloated bladder feeling specially when the transducer was pressed over my abdomen!)
	You will be made to lie on a bed beside the ultrasound machine so that you can view your baby on the screen.
	Your clothes will be lifted up to expose your abdomen- so wear something loose.
	A thin layer of oil/gel is rubbed over your stomach to help pass the transducer over it.
	A hand-held instrument, transducer is passed gently over the oiled stomach.
	The transducer beams and receives sound waves, which are built into an image of your baby on the screen.
	The entire procedure takes about ten to twenty minutes, and is safe and painless for you and the baby.

Most hospitals allow you to purchase your baby's scan pictures and it costs about £2 per picture. Check this before your scan is performed. You can then save these pictures for your baby's record book. Your baby has still not been born but is a star already!

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