Parenting in Holland

A 'pretecho' is an ultrasound scan which you pay for yourself so that you can see your baby. You can have some photos taken or have a video made, and you can find out if your baby is a boy or a girl. A 'pretecho' is very popular in Holland with most parents wanting to have some nice photos of their growing baby.

What's the best stage of pregnancy to have a scan ?

It's not just the size of your baby which makes for nice photos but also baby's position. Baby may be feeling sleepy, not moving around a lot, and deciding to keep itself all tucked up and facing away from the scanner ! This is what you will usually see: From week 12 your baby is completely developed and measures around 7cm from the top of the head to its little bottom. It is usually moving a lot which is lovely for parents to be able to see. From week 16 you can see a lot more detail eg if your baby can drink and if she/he has a full bladder. At 20 weeks you can finally find out if 'it' is a boy or a girl. If you specifically go for a scan to find out and baby's feeling a bit camera shy, they will usually let you go back for another scan (for no extra charge) at a later date to find out. The face can be seen in greater detail, especially from the side when you can see his/her profile. From week 25 your baby starts to build up a bit of fat and you'll be able to see its round cheeks if you have a 3D scan. Until week 33/34 you can get really nice photos of the face and measure how small its tiny feet are (about 5-6cm).

What's the difference between 2,3 and 4D ?

2D is the old fashioned type format in black and white, where you can see a cross-section of the baby on the screen. A 3D scan is in colour and is as it says, 3D !! 4D is a video in 3D.

How much does it cost ?

Prices start around €40 to €50 for a simple scan with a few 2D photos