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Wouldn't it be great if guardian angels really existed to watch over our little ones? Well, one mum-to-be thinks she may have found proof that they do exist – after seeing one in her womb!
And if you look closely, you can probably see it too. For this picture is Anne Clewlow's baby scan, and next to the familiar shape of her unborn baby is a ghostly giant human head with two eyes, a nose, a mouth, ears and neck.
Anne, 34, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, was nine weeks pregnant when she had the routine hospital scan for her second child.
She said: "When I had the ultrasound and looked at the screen, I didn't see anything unusual but when it was printed it was obvious.
"At first I brushed it off and thought it was just one of those things but after I looked at it a few times I couldn't deny there was nothing there because it is just so vivid.
"I don't think there is anybody I have shown it to who hasn't pointed it out. Some people have been a bit freaked out by it.
"It looks like a bald man. I don't know anyone in my family who looks like that so I just think it is something of a guardian angel.
"Although I'm not religious I do think it could be something watching over my baby."
Operations manager Anne, who has a 10-year son, Ryan, is due to give birth to her second child in August.
Did you see something unusual in your scan? We're think it looks more alien than guardian angel.
More on Parentdish: Parents see Maggie Thatcher in baby scan (yes, really!)
Your growing baby: Second trimester
- Week 14<p> Ideally, by now you will have had your first ultrasound appointment where you can see your future baby and hear the heartbeat. The foetus can now move around a lot more energetically as its muscles develop, although this movement is not controlled by the brain yet.</p>
- Week 15<p> Lanugo starts to cover the body of the foetus. It's a fine downy hair which is shed before birth but may be seen on the bodies of premature babies. Occasionally a term baby is born with laguno still present, and baby seals are born with this hair too!</p>
- Week 16<p> The foetus is getting bigger all the time. Now it's approximately the length of a small ruler. Sweat glands develop on the still transparent skin. The placenta has been growing too and is now about 1cm thick. The foetus' external genitals are forming.</p>
- Week 17<p> Bones are hardening, including the delicate bones inside the ears. The foetus can now hear sound! Newborns have been shown to recognise the voices they hear while in the womb so don't feel silly chatting to your bump - you are getting to know each other already!</p>
- Week 18<p> Eyelashes and eyebrows start to sprout, although the eyelids are still tightly shut at this stage. Lots of funny faces are pulled around this time as your unborn baby starts to exercise the muscles needed to breathe and feed later.</p> <p> </p>
- Week 19<p> Although weight gain continues, growth from now on is a bit slower. The head size starts to look more in proportion with the body. The heartbeat of the foetus can now be heard with a stethoscope - a wonderful sound for all new mums-to-be. Many first time mums feel movement for the first time around now; a sort of butterfly in your tummy sensation.</p>
- Week 20<p> Around this time you should have your second scan at hospital. Your baby's genitals are developed enough to make it possible to tell what gender he or she is if you can't wait until the birth to find out.</p>
- Week 21<p> By week 21 the sebaceous glands in the skin are making the greasy, waxy material vernix, seen here on this newborn. This is thought to protect the skin. You are well into the second half of your pregnancy now and the embryo is about 27cm long.</p>
- Week 22<p> The 22 week old embryo can now swallow some of the liquid surrounding it, and so can make its own urine. It is putting on brown fat. This fat is to keep it warm when born. Nipples appear on boy and girls at about this stage. </p> <br /> <p> </p>
- Week 23<p> You might be surprised to know that the embryo has a startle reflex already. Alveoli (air sacs) are starting to form in the lungs. The embryo now should weigh about 500g, or 1lb.</p> <br /> <p> </p> <p> </p>
- Week 24<p> Babies born at 24 weeks have a chance of survival but there is quite a high risk of health problems for children arriving so prematurely. He would have to stay in hospital until at least his original due date.</p>
- Week 25<p> By now her eyes can open again, and she can blink too. Eyes are usually blue at birth and can take months to settle into their final colour. The brain, nervous system and bronchi in her lungs are all developing, and she is getting fatter.</p>
- Week 26<p> The brain is now controlling some movement, so for example, by week 26 he can turn away from bright lights shining onto mum's abdomen. He has regular sleeping and waking patterns and his heart rate is slower.</p>
- Week 27<p> A 27 week old foetus has all the same proportions as a newborn and the same brainwave patterns. Nostrils open in preparation for breathing when born. Incredibly, studies have shown that at this age, a foetus has a memory and can learn!</p>
- Week 13<p> At the start of the second trimester the foetus is still tiny. In week 13, it should weigh about the same as four two-pence coins. Despite being so small, amazingly the fingers already have their very own little fingerprints.</p>
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