28 Week Scan
The third trimester gets underway and the 4D HD Live bonding window hits its stride. Baby's face has filled out, the eyes can blink, there's still generous room to move, and our Gosforth scan room is set up so partners, grandparents and older siblings can all share the screen.
Quick Answer
At 28 weeks, baby is roughly 38cm from head to heel and weighs in around 1kg. The face has filled out with subcutaneous fat to give it that soft, recognisable look, the eyes can finally open and blink, the brain is developing at pace, and the lungs are rehearsing breathing motions. This is the sweet spot of the 24–34 week 4D HD Live window: baby is plump enough for photorealistic facial features but not yet so cramped that finding a clear view becomes a challenge. At our Gosforth clinic the 4D Baby Scan is £78 and the premium Luxury 4D package is £125.
What's Happening at 28 Weeks
Twenty-eight weeks officially marks the start of the third trimester, and it's a developmental turning point. Your baby is roughly aubergine-sized now, around 38 centimetres head to heel and weighing in at about a kilogram. The big structural building work of the first two trimesters is essentially behind us. From here, the focus shifts to growth, lung maturation, and the deep brain development that will continue rolling on for years after birth.
This is also the week the eyes open for the first time. Up until 28 weeks the eyelids have been fused shut to protect the developing retinas. Now they're physically capable of opening and closing, and baby will spend much of the third trimester practising, blinking, focusing on the dim light that filters through your abdominal wall, even reacting to a torch held against the bump. The lungs are producing surfactant, the substance that allows alveoli to inflate and deflate properly once baby is breathing air, and practice-breathing motions are well under way despite there being no air to draw in yet.
Externally, baby has rounded out. Where 20-week babies looked lean and slightly bony, 28-week babies are soft, plump and recognisable; there's enough fat under the skin to give the face that cherubic appearance parents tend to picture. The brain is developing folds and grooves quickly, and on a 4D HD Live bonding scan the hair on the head is now often visible. By this point most mums are feeling strong, regular movement: kicks, stretches, hiccups, the unmistakable rhythm of a sleep-wake cycle starting to hold.
Why 28 Weeks Is the 4D Sweet Spot
A good 4D HD Live image relies on three things falling into place at once: subcutaneous fat (so the rendered face looks soft and recognisable rather than gaunt), generous amniotic fluid (so there's a clear acoustic window between probe and face), and enough room to manoeuvre (so baby's face isn't pinned against the placenta or buried in the spine). All three peak somewhere in the 24–34 week stretch, and 28 weeks lands right in the middle.
Try too early, say 22 or 23 weeks, and the fat layer hasn't built up yet, so the rendering reads as bony. The technology works, it just doesn't deliver the image parents are picturing. Try too late, 35 or 36 weeks, and the fat is there in spades but baby is now so large that fluid volume drops and finding a face-up angle becomes hard work. Plenty of third-trimester babies spend that final stretch face-against-the-placenta or with hands and feet permanently arranged in front of their features.
If you can only book one 4D appointment, 28 weeks is the gestation we'd point you towards. If you want maximum flexibility, booking with the understanding that you can come back within the 24–34 week window is the better approach; and our policy is straightforward: we don't charge twice when baby's position is what stopped us getting a clear image the first time. For the standard 30-minute experience, the 4D Baby Scan is the right choice; for an extended 45-minute keepsake package the premium Luxury 4D Baby Scan is the upgrade.
Scan Packages for Week 28
4D Baby Scan
24–34 weeks
30-minute 4D HD Live appointment. Photos, digital images, USB and written report included.
View package →Luxury 4D Baby Scan
24–34 weeks
Extended 45-minute scan with the full keepsake package: multiple prints, USB with session recording, premium photo formats.
View package →Growth & Presentation Scan
From 24 weeks
Detailed clinical scan with full growth measurements, baby's position, fluid level, placenta location, the 2D late-pregnancy reassurance option alongside (or instead of) a 4D scan.
View package →Book Your 28 Week 4D Scan
The strongest single window for 4D HD Live bonding imagery. CQC-regulated, experienced and registered sonographers using GE Voluson equipment, two years on Bakers Yard, part of the award-winning Numi Scan group.
A 28 Week Scan: NHS vs Private
After 20 weeks the NHS stops scanning unless something specific prompts it. Twenty-eight weeks is also the sweet spot for 4D — enough fat under the skin to round out the face, and still enough room to move.
| Aspect | NHS | Numi Scan Gosforth |
|---|---|---|
| Available at 28 weeks | No routine scan. A midwife appointment instead | ✓Yes, and it is the best window for 4D HD Live |
| What happens | Fundal height measured with a tape, blood pressure, urine, bloods | ✓Photorealistic 4D facial imaging plus a 2D wellbeing check |
| Seeing baby's face | Not offered | ✓HD Live rendering on two 46-inch screens and a projector wall |
| Guests | Not applicable | ✓Mum plus up to 9 guests |
| Images to take home | None | ✓Prints and every digital image; the Luxury package adds a Heartbeat Bear |
| Cost | Free | ✓£78, or £135 for the Luxury 4D |
Frequently Asked Questions
It's right at the heart of the best window. The 4D HD Live bonding window runs 24–34 weeks, and 28 weeks lands almost exactly in the middle. Before 24 weeks there isn't enough subcutaneous fat under the skin yet, and the rendered face tends to look gaunt rather than the soft cherubic image most parents are picturing. After 34 weeks baby has run out of elbow room, frequently facing the spine, or with hands and feet parked over the face, and clear views become harder to come by. By twenty-eight weeks baby has filled out, the amniotic fluid is generous, and there's space to manoeuvre.
Photorealistic moving footage of your baby's face: eyes still closed, often with little fingers near the cheek, sometimes mid-yawn, sometimes appearing to smile. HD Live rendering uses realistic lighting, soft pink-orange skin tones and proper three-dimensional depth, so the imagery feels closer to a photograph than the rougher older-style 4D you might remember from a decade ago. Body, hands and feet are all visible, and any movement plays out in real time on the projector wall.
Our 4D Baby Scan is booked as a 30-minute appointment, and the Luxury 4D Baby Scan package runs 45 minutes. Actual scanning time is generally shorter, around 15–20 minutes once a good view is established, but the longer slot gives baby time to settle into a co-operative position. If your little one starts off facing the spine or with a hand in front of the face, a short walk around the clinic, something cold to drink, or simply a few minutes' patience tends to do the trick.
It happens occasionally; usually because baby is asleep, or has parked themselves face-against-the-spine, or is using small hands and feet as a privacy screen. A few simple techniques help: a brief walk around the unit, a cold drink, switching from your back to your side, or just waiting ten to fifteen minutes. If a clear facial view still isn't possible, we'll bring you back for a free recheck inside two weeks (Mon–Fri). We don't charge twice when baby's position is the reason a clear image didn't happen first time round.
Two 4D options at our Gosforth clinic. The 4D HD Live bonding scan is £78: a 30-minute appointment with photos, digital images by email and a USB. The premium Luxury 4D Baby Scan at £125 runs 45 minutes with multiple printed photo formats, a USB with full session recording and extra keepsakes. UK private 4D scans typically run £99–£200, with London bookings often £180 and up; our pricing lands at the friendlier end. The UK private ultrasound cost guide covers the wider market.
Please do. The 4D appointment is one of the most exciting moments of the pregnancy, and our scan room comfortably takes up to 9 guests across two 46-inch LED TVs and the projector wall, which means partners, grandparents, older siblings and the odd family friend can all see clearly. Older siblings often find it transformative to see their little brother or sister properly for the first time before birth.
Yes. 4D ultrasound uses the same low-intensity sound waves as standard 2D imaging, no radiation, no contrast dye, and well over 50 years of safety evidence in pregnancy. We work to recognised ultrasound safety guidelines and the A.L.A.R.A. principle (As Low As Reasonably Achievable), keeping scan time and intensity to the minimum needed to meet the clinical or imaging goal. The '4D' part of the picture is generated by software interpreting the same signal; there's no stronger or different beam involved.