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Your Ultrasound Appointments
Information on ultrasound scans and specialist services that help monitor your baby’s development during pregnancy.
Ultrasound Services at The NMH
The Ultrasound and Fetal Assessment team at The National Maternity Hospital provides scans and specialist assessments throughout pregnancy. These scans help your care team check your health and your baby’s development at different stages.
Opening Hours
- Monday – Friday: 8am – 4pm
- Located on the second floor
- Closed on public holidays
What we Provide
Early pregnancy assessment
Ultrasound scans during pregnancy
Specialist fetal medicine clinics
Gynaecological ultrasound GP care while waiting for your appointment.
Appointment information:
- Please check in no more than 10 minutes in advance of your appointment time at reception to allow yourself time to read our patient information before your scan.
- Children are not permitted to attend. However, Infants (less than 1-year-old) who are required to stay with their mother, may attend. Please contact scan@nmh.ie in advance, if you wish to discuss this.
- If you require an interpreter for this appointment, please inform the Ultrasound Department in advance.
Recording devices are not permitted
Early Pregnancy Assessment
The Early Pregnancy Assessment service is for women who are less than 12 weeks pregnant and experiencing problems such as vaginal bleeding or abdominal pain. It is a midwife-led, appointment-only service.
How you are referred
Referrals are accepted from GPs and the maternity Triage service
What happens at your appointment
- The staff in the early pregnancy unit will assess you and your pregnancy. This will involve a medical history, an examination, and an ultrasound scan. There may be an indication for blood tests after this appointment and you will have planned follow up.
An ultrasound scan is performed externally (a transabdominal scan of the lower abdomen with a full bladder) or internally (a transvaginal scan with an empty bladder).
For more information please see the Ultrasound Scan Infomration Leaflet.
Important to know
- Children should not attend this appointment
- Recording devices are not permitted
Anomaly Ultrasound Scan
The anomaly scan is offered to all women between 20 and 22 weeks of pregnancy. It is carried out by specialist midwife sonographers and radiographers.
The scan looks at your baby’s development and checks:
- Your baby’s growth
- Your estimated due date
- Amniotic fluid levels
- The position of the placenta
What happens at your appointment
- Takes around 20–30 minutes
- You do not need a full bladder
- The scan is arranged by your midwife or doctor
- You will receive your appointment by post
What the scan can show
- The scan checks for major physical abnormalities, but it cannot detect every condition
- Most scans show that the baby is developing normally
- If a concern is found or suspected, you may be referred to a fetal medicine specialist
Important to know
- Getting clear images can sometimes be difficult, depending on the baby’s position or movement
- Children should not attend this appointment
- Recording devices are not permitted
Semi-Private
If you attend the semi-private clinic, your anomaly scan will take place at Merrion Ultrasound. Merrion Ultrasound follows the same NMH guidelines and governance. Many women value seeing the same Consultant consistently and having them present at the birth of their baby.
You can choose private care whether your pregnancy is normal, medium or high-risk:
- Normal or medium-risk pregnancies follow the Assisted Care Pathway
- High-risk pregnancies follow the Specialised Care Pathway
Ultrasound Scans Later In Pregnancy
After a normal 20-week scan, you will not usually have another routine scan unless there is a medical reason.
You may be referred for another scan if there are concerns such as:
- Pain or vaginal bleeding
- Reduced baby movements
- High blood pressure
- A low-lying placenta
- A medical condition or previous pregnancy history
- Concerns about your baby’s growth, position, or wellbeing
- Going overdue
These scans help check your baby’s growth and wellbeing, including the amniotic fluid and placenta, and support decisions about whether any additional care is needed.
In some situations, you may be asked to attend for extra scans. This can include follow-up scans for a low-lying placenta, referral to the Breech Clinic if your baby is breech later in pregnancy, or monitoring if there are concerns about your baby’s movements.
Fetal Medicine
Fetal Medicine is a specialist service for women and babies who need more detailed assessment during pregnancy. We accept referrals from hospitals across Ireland.
The service is led by six Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists and runs daily specialist clinics. Urgent referrals can usually be seen within 24–48 hours.
Specialist services include:
- Detailed pregnancy screening and diagnosis
- Heart scans for babies
- Specialist clinics with paediatric teams
- Invasive testing when needed
- Fetal treatments
- Care for multiple pregnancies
- Monitoring babies with growth or placental concerns
Important to know
- Clinics can be busy and waiting times may be long
- Children are not advised to attend
- Recording devices are not permitted
Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT)
Non-invasive prenatal testing is available through Merrion Ultrasound. This blood test gives a high- or low-risk result for certain chromosomal conditions.
If a higher risk result is identified, you will be referred to the fetal medicine team for further assessment and discussion.
Contact
Contact the Ultrasound Department if you have questions about an upcoming ultrasound appointment, need to reschedule a scan, or have received an appointment letter and need further information.
Ultrasound Department
Phone
(01) 637 3217
scan@nmh.ie
Contact the Fetal Medicine Clinics if you have been referred for specialist fetal medicine care and need information about your appointment, follow-up, or ongoing care with the fetal medicine team.
Fetal Medicine Clinics
Phone
(086) 028 5343
fetalmedicinemidwife @nmh.ie
Fax
(01) 637 3436