Recommendations for your safety over COVID-19 (Coronavirus) during Pregnancy
Our diagnostic ultrasound services are open and caring for people and we continue to provide our services as a trusted alternative to routine NHS Antenatal diagnostic scans.
We are following all the latest government advice during the COVID-19 outbreak, keeping all our teams updated with information on how to stay safe and protect themselves and customers.
Our priority is to protect our customers, colleagues and local communities.
- There is currently NO evidence that pregnant women are more at risk than the wider population
- Please wash your hands or use alcohol gel where available when entering and leaving our clinic
- Only travel on public transport if you need to
- Maintain at least 2 metre (6 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
- Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene by covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately
- If you have have a fever, cough or difficulty breathing, please call the clinic to cancel your appointment and seek medical help from your GP, Healthcare practitioner or 111
- Stay informed and follow advice given by your healthcare provider
- If you need more information, please visit the World Health Organization or Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
 |
Having a Gender Scan in Sunderland? |
Finding out the gender of your baby is one of the most exciting parts of your pregnancy: Is it a boy? Is it a girl? How do you tell everyone? A Gender Scan in Sunderland is a great way for you and up to five guests to find out the gender of your baby. If you want to share it with more friends and host your own Gender Reveal party: we offer a range of unique gender reveal ideas to help you celebrate your new arrival in style.
Our Gender Scan in Sunderland is carried out by fully qualified healthcare professionals and are completely safe for both mother and baby. With an accuracy rate of over 99%, and almost 20 years of sharing your special moments: you can book your Babybond Gender Scan with confidence and peace of mind.
Our highly accurate* professional opinion is based on a dedicated protocol and experience since 1998 using 2D ultrasound to show parents the sex of their baby.
*Please note ultrasound alone can never provide a 100% guarantee of the sex of your baby, however our experience in providing accurate gender opinions is the foremost in the UK.
Your Gender Scan in Sunderland will last 15 minutes, which includes reception and reporting time. It will be performed by a qualified healthcare professional who will also be checking the wellbeing of your baby. We have successfully performed hundreds of thousands of Gender Scans since Ultrasound Direct was founded 20 years ago.
For the best view possible you can watch the scan on a large screen in front of you, and children are invited to share the exciting news. We will show and explain the view we need to be able to tell the gender of the baby. For some it may take time to see and for others it will be very obvious. If the baby is in a good position, we should be able to perform a 4DFREEVIEW and will try to get some complimentary 4D pictures. You may be lucky to see them sucking their thumb or playing with their umbilical cord – it’s an amazing sneak preview of what your baby will be like when they are finally born.
Please tell the Sonographer at the start of your appointment if you want the gender hidden during your scan: perfect if you are holding a Gender Reveal party! We offer many additional Gender Scan options that parents adore including gender reveal cannons and scratch cards.
Healthcare professional regulated
The Care Quality Commission regulate our services as defined by our senior clinical and medical staff*, who in turn regularly audit our Sunderland Sonographers. All of our local healthcare professionals are fully qualified so you can feel confident when you book your Gender Scan in Sunderland.
Be assured too, that our Gender Scan in Sunderland conforms with current published guidelines for thermal exposure times and mechanical index values so you can be reassured they are within current safety limits for you and your baby.
*The Care Quality Commission requires Company Directors to be “
fit and proper persons” for all Diagnostic and Screening businesses.
More detail on our Gender Scan in Sunderland
**4D FREEVIEW
This scan includes viewing your baby in live 4D from available views at no extra charge. Please note that 4DFREEVIEW is a free option and if your baby’s position is not favourable for aesthetics on the day, we cannot offer a free rescan for this reason.
 |
*** Our rescan policy |
The quality of your Gender Scan in Sunderland is important to us and is dependent on your baby's position. Whilst obtaining the best results on the day, we may stop scanning and ask you to take a short gentle walk in the local area.
If, in our healthcare professional’s opinion, we’re not able to complete the primary purpose of your scan because your baby's position is still not favourable, or the baby’s head circumference measurement shows as less than 16 weeks by our system which allows us to determine the gender of your baby, we will offer you a rescan at a later date. If this is not possible due to your gestation, other options will be discussed with you.
 |
Ultrasound Direct toMOBILE |
Have your scan images sent to you in seconds using Ultrasound Direct toMOBILE Mobile: a safe and secure system for the delivery of ultrasound scan images to your mobile device or email address. Ultrasound Direct toMOBILE uses the latest technology to bring you your scan images in a format that can be saved forever or shared on social media at the touch of a button. Ultrasound Direct toMOBILE is included with your scan at no extra cost.
 |
Appointment times and actual scanning time |
As a professional organisation we carefully operate following the As Low as Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle as recommend by the British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). This ensures that we use the minimum ultrasound scanning exposure time and system settings to fulfil the primary purpose of the Gender Scan.
 |
Pre-scan preparation |
We like you to feel as comfortable as possible during your Gender Scan in Sunderland. We recommend that you wear a two-piece garment to enable the Sonographer to get to your tummy. If you are less than 20 weeks, we recommend that you drink some water or other clear fluids and do not empty your bladder prior to your appointment.
 |
Guide to number of guests |
From 24th July: you and your +1 guest (no children currently allowed) are required to wear a mask or face covering when attending appointments at Ultrasound Direct clinics, in line with UK government guidance. If you attend without a suitable face covering single-use masks are available to buy at the time of your appointment, subject to availability. For more information please see our
COVID-19 Information page.