Many mothers are nervous early on. A good time to come in at the earliest is 6 weeks. You can see a tiny baby with a heartbeat. The gender of your baby cannot be determined until a minimum of 13 weeks, if you simply can’t wait. It may still be a bit early so you may have to return for a re-scan. Better to wait until 14-15 weeks. For any of these visits, you will need to come in with a full bladder.
The beginning time frame for 3d/4d is 20-22 weeks. The baby’s body is fully formed but still small and skeletal in appearance. Nice to see but not many pictures needed to get the idea. Many mothers like to come in simply for reference and get a mid-term visual of their baby.
The ideal time to do a 3d/4d ultrasound to get colored images of your baby’s face is 27-31 weeks. It is fully formed and mostly filled out. It is a fun time for the ultrasound as many times you will see movements like smiling, eyes blinking, hands moving, and many other movements. Up to 32 weeks there generally still room for the baby to move to different positions.
At 33-36 weeks the baby has grown to the size that makes ultrasound more difficult. The baby has limited room for movement and the head is beginning to descend. An ultrasound can be done and sometimes successfully, however, be aware that it is more unlikely than likely. Your session will be more successful if you come in at an earlier date.