A Heartbeat Bear is a soft bear that holds a recording of your baby’s heartbeat, captured during a keepsake scan at our Menai NSW clinic. If you’re looking for a pregnancy keepsake in Sydney to pair with a 3D or 4D scan, it’s a lasting way to take the sound home with you. It’s a gift for parents-to-be and for the people who love them. A recording can’t be guaranteed at every visit, so this guide explains how it works and what to expect.
Key Takeaways
- A Heartbeat Bear is a keepsake bear that holds a recording of your baby’s heartbeat, added to a keepsake scan at UBM Scans.
- No GP or specialist referral is needed. It’s an elective, non-diagnostic keepsake.
- A heartbeat recording can’t be guaranteed at every visit or every stage of pregnancy. It depends on your baby, your gestation and the day.
- For current pricing and appointment times, contact us directly.
What Is a Heartbeat Bear? The Keepsake Explained
A Heartbeat Bear is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a soft, huggable bear that carries a recording of your own baby’s heartbeat. You can press the sound back to life long after the scan room has gone quiet. Many families also call it a heartbeat teddy bear, and either name describes the same thing: a baby heartbeat keepsake that is yours alone.
The first Heartbeat Bear most parents meet is the one tucked beside their own scan appointment. They often say they didn’t expect how much the sound would mean. A picture shows you what your baby looks like. A heartbeat recording lets you hold on to how the moment felt. Months later, on a tired night or a quiet afternoon, it takes you straight back to the day you first listened.
At UBM Scans (Unique Baby Moments), the Heartbeat Bear sits on our keepsake side, alongside 3D and 4D scans, gender reveal scans and reassurance scans. It’s an elective keepsake service. It isn’t a medical test, and it doesn’t tell anyone anything about how your pregnancy is progressing. Its purpose is the memory.
How a Heartbeat Becomes a Keepsake
The process is simple, and you don’t need to do anything beforehand beyond booking your keepsake scan. The Heartbeat Bear is added to a scan appointment. It isn’t a stand-alone visit. During your session, our sonographer listens for your baby’s heartbeat, and when it’s clear, the sound is recorded for your bear. You’re in the room for it, which for many parents is the most emotional part of the appointment.
Because the recording is made live, with you present, it’s captured as part of the same unhurried session as your baby’s images. Some parents come for a 3D or 4D scan and add the bear as a lasting extra. Others, especially in early pregnancy, pair it with a reassurance scan. If you’re wondering how these scan types differ, our guide to 2D, 3D and 4D ultrasound is a good place to start.
It’s worth saying plainly what a Heartbeat Bear is not. Hearing a heartbeat during a keepsake scan is a special moment, but it’s not a clinical assessment. We don’t interpret what you hear, and we can’t tell you what a recording means for your pregnancy. Questions about your health or your baby’s wellbeing always belong with your GP or your treating clinician.
Reserve Your Heartbeat Bear
If you’d like to add a Heartbeat Bear to your scan, or ask about gifting one, we’d love to hear from you. Call UBM Scans on +61 423 550 063 and we’ll talk you through the next steps at your pace.
A picture shows you your baby’s face, but a heartbeat is the part you can carry with you.
Why a Heartbeat Recording Can’t Be Guaranteed
This is the part we want to be honest about, because it matters. We can’t promise that a heartbeat will be recorded at every visit, or at every stage of pregnancy. Every baby and every pregnancy is different, and several things affect what’s possible on the day.
- Gestation: The earlier you are in pregnancy, the harder a heartbeat can be to hear clearly. Our guide to when you can see your baby’s heartbeat on ultrasound explains this in more detail.
- Baby’s position: Your baby may be curled up, facing your spine or sitting low, which can make a clear sound harder to capture.
- Movement: A very active baby can be lovely to watch, but it can make a steady recording more difficult.
- The day itself: Even with everything else lining up, some visits are simply easier than others.
If a heartbeat can’t be recorded at your appointment, we’ll tell you honestly and talk through your options. A Heartbeat Bear is a keepsake of a moment, and that moment can’t be scheduled or promised in advance. Knowing this beforehand keeps expectations gentle, especially if you’re booking as a gift.
We’d also encourage anyone who feels anxious about an early pregnancy to know that a keepsake appointment isn’t a substitute for medical care. If you have any concern about your pregnancy, such as pain, bleeding or worry, please speak to your GP or a health professional first. For anything urgent, go to an emergency department.
Choosing a Scan to Pair With Your Heartbeat Bear
Because the bear is added to a scan, the real choice is which keepsake scan suits you. Each one offers a different kind of memory, and none of them requires a referral.
A 3D or 4D scan
If you want to see your baby’s face, hands and movements, a 3D or 4D scan is the classic choice. A 3D scan gives you a still, sculpted image, while a 4D scan shows movement as it happens. Parents often pair one of these with a Heartbeat Bear so they leave with something to see and something to hear. For what to expect from clarity and detail, read what can and can’t be seen in a 3D/4D ultrasound. We can’t guarantee image quality or your baby’s position on the day, but we’ll always do our best within the time we have together.
A reassurance scan
Our reassurance scans are available from approximately 6 weeks, and they’re popular with parents who are eager for an early glimpse. They’re a non-diagnostic keepsake service, not a medical assessment. If that sounds like what you’re after, our comprehensive guide to reassurance scans covers what to expect. Because the pregnancy is so early, a recording may be harder to achieve, so it’s worth keeping your hopes gentle and open.
A gender reveal scan
Some families want the sound of a heartbeat alongside the excitement of a gender reveal. Gender reveal scans are another option on our keepsake side, though we can’t promise the sex will be visible on the day. If you’d prefer an earlier answer by a different route, we also offer the SneakPeek Early Gender DNA Test as a separate keepsake service.
A Heartbeat Bear as a Gift for Expectant Parents
A Heartbeat Bear has become a thoughtful pregnancy keepsake in Sydney for another reason too: it works as a gift. Grandparents, partners and friends often want to give something that feels personal rather than something off a shelf. Because the recording is of one particular baby, no two bears are the same.
If you’re giving the experience to someone else, it helps to talk with us first. Your recipient will be the one attending the appointment, so timing matters and some thought about their stage of pregnancy helps. As we’ve said, the recording can’t be guaranteed, so it’s kind to present the gift as an invitation to a special moment rather than a certainty. Get in touch and we’ll explain how it works and what we can arrange.
On cost, we’re not going to quote figures in an article, because pricing can change. What affects the total is mainly which keepsake scan you choose and whether you add extras like a bear. For current pricing, contact us directly. Keepsake scans are privately paid services, and there’s no referral to organise.
Preparing for Your Visit
You don’t need to do much to prepare for a keepsake scan with a Heartbeat Bear, but a few small things can make the appointment feel easier and more relaxed.
- Stay well hydrated in the days before your visit, and follow any guidance we give you when you book.
- Wear comfortable clothing that allows easy access to your belly.
- Think about who you’d like in the room. Partners, children and grandparents often love hearing the heartbeat live.
- Go in with open, gentle expectations. Images and recordings depend on your baby, and some days are simply easier than others.
If you’re planning a 4D session, our tips for preparing for your 4D ultrasound cover the practical details in more depth. We’re based at 10 Anzac Rd, Menai, and we welcome families from across Sydney and the Sutherland Shire.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a Heartbeat Bear?
It’s a soft bear that holds a recording of your baby’s heartbeat, taken during a keepsake scan with us. You can play the sound back whenever you like, which makes it a lasting baby heartbeat keepsake.
Do I need a referral to add a Heartbeat Bear?
No. The Heartbeat Bear is part of our keepsake side, and keepsake services don’t need a GP or specialist referral. Referrals are only needed for our separate diagnostic ultrasound services.
Is a heartbeat recording guaranteed at every scan?
No. Whether a heartbeat can be recorded depends on things like how far along you are, your baby’s position and movement, and the day itself. If a recording isn’t possible, we’ll let you know honestly and talk through your options.
Does hearing the heartbeat mean my pregnancy is healthy?
A keepsake scan is non-diagnostic, so we can’t interpret what you hear or say what it means for your pregnancy. If you have any concerns about your health or your baby’s wellbeing, please speak with your GP or treating clinician.
How much does a Heartbeat Bear cost?
Pricing can change, so we don’t list figures in articles. The total depends on the keepsake scan you choose and the extras you add. Please contact us for current pricing.
Keeping Your Baby’s Heartbeat Close
A Heartbeat Bear turns a few quiet seconds in a scan room into something you can hold. Alongside a 3D, 4D or reassurance scan, it gives you a sound to keep as well as an image, and a gift that is truly one of a kind.
It’s also a keepsake that asks for honest expectations. A recording can’t be promised at every visit or gestation, and it’s never a medical assessment. Going in with that understanding lets you enjoy the appointment for what it is: time with your baby, unhurried and warm.
Whether you’re booking for yourself or choosing a gift, we’re here to answer your questions before you decide.
Talk to UBM Scans About Your Heartbeat Bear
We’ll happily walk you through the options.