When you go in for your ultrasound anatomy scan, aka the first time you see your baby developed beyond a gestational sac with a heartbeat, you probably have images in your head of a perfect button nose, pudgy cheeks and a sweet smile — just like how she might look at birth. But the reality is most ultrasounds taken between 18 and 22 weeks, even 3D ones, don't come out that way.
So if you're an expecting parent thrown off by the images you see on the screen, know that you're certainly not alone. Many parents have posted online about seeing a strange or just plain creepy face at the anatomy scan.
"I had my 20-week scan a couple weeks ago," one What to Expect Community member wrote. "I already knew how those frontal images can look strange — like an alien or skeleton, but my husband did not. He was freaked out by it, and it was so funny seeing his reaction!"
There are several perfectly normal reasons that explain why the sonogram turned out that way. Here's why the ultrasound might not show your baby looking like a little angel just yet.
- There are several reasons why a sonogram of your baby may look strange or even scary.
- Both 2D and 3D ultrasounds use sound waves to create images, which is an imperfect method.
- Your baby may look strange on an ultrasound because of how they're positioned, how much body fat they have and other (perfectly normal!) reasons.
Does your baby really look like the 3D ultrasound?
3D ultrasounds attempt to show facial features instead of just a two-dimensional (cross-sectional) view of your womb, but they still rely on soundwaves to piece together an image — which isn't always perfect.
These soundwaves bounce off internal organs and fluids, and a computer converts the echoes into a 2D image. Combining multiple 2D images taken at different angles then creates that third dimension, but the ultrasound doesn't always get an accurate read on some of the surfaces. In other words, it's not like a camera on your phone.
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So while 3D ultrasounds can serve as a helpful diagnostic tool in some scenarios, you can potentially chalk up any strange faces you see to the way the technology works.
Other reasons your baby's face looks weird on an ultrasound
Regardless of the type of ultrasound you get, sometimes the images can turn out a little strange. No cause for alarm! Here are a few perfectly normal reasons your baby's nose, face or head will look different than you expected.
Baby is still developing body fat.
At this stage in pregnancy, your baby's skin still looks transparent since she has so little body fat. Because there's not as much covering the bones, her face might look more angular.
"The tech promised it will look cuter in future ultrasounds when they have more fat," says one Community member.
Baby's face is turned toward the uterine wall.
If your baby is facing away from your belly during an ultrasound, the sound waves might reveal only two-thirds or half of her face, which can look a little odd.
"There were so many angles that freaked me out," another What to Expect mom shares. "The spooky eyes, the skeleton, and her profile kept morphing into a bird-/dinosaur-looking creature!"
Baby's face is covered by another body part.
Similar to what'll happen if her face is turned, a face partially covered by an arm or another limb could also look strange.
Baby's soft spot is really big.
The soft spot that your baby has at birth exists during pregnancy too, and you might actually see this gap in the skull during your first anatomy scan. It can look like a large, black spot on the top of her head and slit down to her nose.
So there you have it: A creepy face at 20 weeks is almost never cause for concern. The fetus at this stage is still growing into a cute-as-a-button baby, but still has more than four months to go.
That said, ask questions and voice any concerns before you leave your ultrasound appointment. Being reassured that your baby is fine will help you sleep better (no matter how scary your sonogram might have been), so you can go back to dreaming of big eyes and tiny toddler toes.
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