Why Does Baby have Big Lips On Ultrasound? Know the Truth Behind It!

The article has been reviewed by medical expert Margaret Dogwood, BSN, RN

Baby shows big lips on the ultrasound primarily because of the angles of the pictures. So, do not panic when you see your baby showing big lips. However, you may need to read further if you are going to become a mother. In this article, we will discuss baby lips in ultrasound images with facts and figures. You will learn everything about it, including why it happens and if there is something to worry about.

What is Ultrasound?

Ultrasound is a medical device that enables us to see the insides of humans using waves. It allows us to get the inner pictures of the body without any physical operation. The probes of this machine touch the body and emit sorts of waves. These waves enter the body and create an image of the inner body. It is entirely harmless and can be used multiple times in a week.   

Ultrasound helps us in multiple conditions. The experts use it for checking kidney stones, heart conditions, muscles, eyes, and thyroid glands. It also images your brain and can detect tumors or any other disease. Besides all this, it is most commonly used for the images of an infant inside the mother’s womb. 

Ultrasound can tell almost anything about the baby. It can tell if the baby is healthy and if he is a boy or a girl. It can even detect any abnormality or infection in the baby so you can get treatment accordingly. The best part of it is that you can even see your baby from head to toe, including all facial features such as nose or lips. It provides you the live images of your baby. 

How Accurate is Ultrasound for Babies?

Ultrasound is overall considered a reliable device for babies. However,  it can be highly accurate for providing some details while not so precise for other information. This machine can tell you your baby’s age, and you will know when exactly you will give birth. 

Similarly, it detects the overall growth of the baby by measuring the size of the baby. But the baby’s weight can be wrong as it calculates the weight using its size. It is highly accurate for telling the exact position of the body. Knowing the position of the baby is essential for planning the delivery. Similarly, Ultrasound is highly efficient in detecting twins.

You should also know that the accuracy of the ultrasound also depends on the user. An experienced person can read its results much better compared to a novice. Also, the quality and age of the device can also affect the ultrasound results. Overall, you can rely on ultrasound images, but it is better to go to an expert with advanced machinery.  

Can You See Baby’s Lips on Ultrasound?

This device efficiently provides images of your baby. You can see your entire baby with details, including his legs, arms, and face. But what about the deeper details, like seeing the baby’s lips on ultrasound?

Technology is advancing, and we can access this device that can provide clear images of your baby’s lips. While it is an exciting experience, we should remember that images can be inaccurate. Also, the images of lips can appear to be different if the angle of the probe or the baby is different.  

Looking at your baby’s images is a unique experience, but the distorted pictures can sometimes cause panic situations in parents. So, going to an expert for a proper diagnosis is essential. 

Why Does Your Baby Have Big Lips on Ultrasound?

Did you get an ultrasound recently and see the big lips of your baby? Well, if yes, then you must be worried about it. Why is it that your baby has weirdly big lips? There is nothing to worry about. Your baby’s lips are most likely normal but appear big only in the live images. Many factors can cause big lips in the pictures. Let’s have a look.

Growth Variations

The baby inside you is still growing. If he is 3 or 4 months old, you should know he is not fully developed. He may go through different variations in facial features. Sometimes, his head may look bigger, and other times his lips can look different. It is only a matter of time before he looks like a normal adorable baby. 

Positioning and Angles

The biggest factor why you see big lips on Ultrasound is the positioning of probes and the baby. You may get inaccurate images if the probes are not aligned with the baby’s position. Your baby’s lips can look bigger, but they are actually the average size.  

Amniotic Fluid

Your baby is inside a protective layer of fluid. He is basically swimming in it. This fluid can bend the waves of ultrasound and can cause inaccurate images. The fluid itself can cause a distorted image. Have you seen someone inside the water? If yes, you know how people look inside the water from the outside. The same thing can happen to the images of the baby. 

Genetic Factors

Your baby can actually have big lips sometimes. But, the reason is the genetics of the baby. If you or the baby’s father have big lips, the trait will most likely also appear in the baby. These big lips can appear bigger because of the inaccuracy of the images of the smaller size of the baby. But you should not panic at all as it is entirely normal.

Why Does The Baby Have a Big Upper Lip in Ultrasound?

Lips appearing big is normal, and there is nothing to worry about. But what if only the upper lip appears bigger and not the lower one? Should you worry? Well, the answer is still the same. The appearance of the upper lip can look different because of the angles, the fluid, or the fact that your baby is still developing. 

Sometimes, the other body parts are in front of the lips. The Ultrasound images will take it as it is. So, it can look like the baby’s lip is very different, but in reality, you probably see the baby’s hands or legs. 

The upper lip appears big for the same reasons. In fact, it’s only the upper lip most times that looks bigger. So, do not worry about it and focus on nutrition so you can give birth to a healthy baby.

Should You Worry If Your Baby Has Big Lips on Ultrasound?

No, do not worry because of the big lips of the baby. As discussed, you know the lips are not big but appear big. But, can there be times when you should be concerned? Well, your baby can look a little creepy for the first 20 weeks. He begins to develop his facial features after that.

The children’s face looks normal after 36 weeks. So, if your baby still appears to have big lips on ultrasound, you can talk to a doctor about it. But still, there is nothing to panic about. Just know that the images can be inaccurate because of the angles too. 

Conclusion

Let’s summarize everything we learned on this topic. The main point is that your baby is not alien. He is not abnormal also. If you see big lips on ultrasound, it is probably because of the different factors, such as the fluid or the angles of the probes. The images can also be inaccurate because the baby is still developing. So, do not worry about it, as it is natural. Just begin preparing for the welcome of the new member of the family. 

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