Medically reviewed to ensure accuracy.
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.
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.
Does your baby really look like the 3D ultrasound?
These soundwaves bounce off internal organs and fluids, and a computer converts the echoes into a 2D image.
In other words, it’s not like a camera on your phone.
No cause for alarm!
Baby is still developing body fat.
At this stage in pregnancy,your baby’s skinstill looks transparent since she has so little body fat.
Because there’s not as much covering the bones, her face might look more angular.
Baby’s face is turned toward the uterine wall.
“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.
Baby’s soft spot is really big.
So there you have it: A creepy face at 20 weeks is almost never cause for concern.
That said, ask questions and voice any concerns before you leave your ultrasound appointment.
