We offer elective 3D & 4D prenatal ultrasounds to provide a positive bonding experience for the mother, father and family members with the unborn baby. We feel that realistic surface images provide a connection between the parents and baby that can be beneficial to the whole family. We make no claims that 3-D as used in this examination is performed to better assess the baby for abnormalities. A routine ultrasound examination should have already been performed to assess the gestational age of the fetus and to evaluate for fetal anomalies as well as the basic components of fetal anatomy recommended for screening.
Many women have a diagnostic ultrasound performed at 18-20 weeks. In some cases, your doctor or sonographer may even take some pictures and video of your baby in 3D/4D but this is a very different experience than an elective ultrasound at our facility. A medical ultrasound is focused on looking for abnormalities and performing diagnostic measurements. Our focus is to create a relaxed environment and interactive bonding experience. Therefore, we provide a lengthy, unhurried session for the enjoyment of you and your family. In addition, the best pictures of your baby will be captured later in your pregnancy when the baby is bigger and more developed.
Extensive studies over 30 years have found that ultrasound has not been shown to cause any harm to mother or baby. Routine scanning of all pregnancies is now normal throughout the United States. In 3D/4D scanning exactly the same type and intensity of ultrasound is used as with conventional 2D scanning. 3D and 4D Ultrasound both utilize sound waves to look inside the body. The technology is similar to radar. A probe placed on the body emits sound waves into the body, listens for the return echo and generates an image. 4D ultrasound will be similar to a conventional scan in terms of exposure.
Yes, an appointment must be made for all services.
An ultrasound will last 5-35 minutes.
We can perform an ultrasound at any time during your pregnancy, but the best 3D/4D imaging results are generally acquired between the 26th and 34th week of the pregnancy. Drinking lots of water is the best thing you can do to get better images. Drinking lots of water increases the amniotic fluid and makes it clearer.
Usually, but not always. Sometimes if the baby is persistently looking face down, i.e. towards your spine it may be difficult to see the baby's face. If this happens, a repeat scan will usually succeed because the baby has turned to a favorable position. We make no promises that the images will be similar to those you might have seen elsewhere or even from our clinic, or that we can always meet everyone's expectations. Every baby scans differently, depending on its gestational age, position, amount of fluid, and mother's condition. We promise to make every effort to obtain the best possible images of whatever parts of the baby that can be seen.
First, pay attention to when your baby is most active during the day and try to schedule your appointment during that time. Second, pay attention to whether eating and drinking impact your baby's energy levels and try to eat or not eat right before your ultrasound. Many babies seem to perk up after Mommy drinks cold and/or fruity beverages so we recommend having a fruit smoothie on your way to your appointment. It is important not to get dehydrated right before your appointment because this may negatively impact your level of amniotic fluid and your pictures. Finally, many times, the best pictures of your baby will be obtained when he or she has turned head downward so if you know that your baby is breach, you may want to post-pone your appointment a week or two to increase the chance of your baby turning before your appointment.
Yes. In fact, we encourage our clients to invite family and friends to attend the elective 3D/4D ultrasound session. This is a joyous and wonderful experience, one that can be shared with your family and loved ones. We can accommodate up to 7 guests seated and many more standing.
Yes, in most cases we can provide an indication of the gender of the baby. We can't however guarantee that the baby will cooperate during your session. Certain factors such as body tissue content, developmental stage and fetal position all affect the ability to determine gender. If we are unable to determine your baby’s gender, a rescan may be scheduled within 2 weeks.
We use the state of the art GE Voluson 730 Pro to complete all ultrasound examinations. The GE Voluson 730 Pro has been seen in GE television commercials and many printed articles from around the world. This machine is the best 2D, 3D and 4D ultrasound machine available. Please note, many organizations claim to use "state-of-the-art" equipment, when in fact they use older or inferior technology.
