3D Ultrasounds

A great way to meet your baby

One of the best things we did while pregnant with the twins was to get a 3D ultrasound. Fetal Fotos is the place we went to, and they have offices nationwide. As technology becomes more available, more and more independent places are offering the same service. These places perform imaging ultrasounds in 2D, 3D and 4D. We were able to see our boys in greater detail than with our regular ultrasounds, and were given a video tape (as well as the 'still' photos). In early morning hours towards the end of my pregnancy, when the boys seemed to be the most active and determined to keep me awake, I would put the tape in and watch the guys while I felt them move - it was truly a bonding experience. My parents were thrilled to see the video tape of their soon-to-be grand babies as well!

We offer the following suggestions for parents thinking about going to Fetal Foto:

Because we were expecting twins, we went to Fetal Fotos twice for our ultrasound, once at 20 weeks and again at 28 weeks. Since you will see different things at different times as your baby develops, we recommend that you plan at least two visits. At around 16-24 weeks, you are able to see more of your baby at once than you will at later dates, and you can see the amazing development already well underway. At around 24-36 weeks, as babies are building more fat, more facial features can be seen. However, baby does get somewhat crowded towards the end of your term, so you probably won't want to wait until 36 weeks for your first 3-D ultrasound. If you're pregnant with twins, triplets or more we recommend that you plan on making your visits before 28 weeks in case your doctor puts you on travel restrictions or bedrest.

Bring your own music! There's a lovely lullaby that they play when they video tape your baby (babies!) - which is nice the first time you hear it. The song plays about six times on our first video tape . . . we brought our own cd for the second visit, and we found the Jimmy Buffett and Eagles soundtrack easier to listen to when viewing the video than the lullaby. The guys also responded to the music, and moved around a bit more, too.

The ultrasound rooms are big - so don't hesitate to bring family if you're comfortable with having everyone there.

Our local Fetal Fotos required a 'permission slip' from our ob before they would perform our ultrasound. It's important to remember that Fetal Fotos is an optional service and does not replace any element of your prenatal care. The Fetal Foto tech will not give you any medical information (such as measurements, estimated due date, etc.) They will, however, tell you the gender if baby is cooperating!

When you make your appointment, ask to see if they have a discount or a special promotion price they can give you. The Fetal Fotos in our area regularly offer 10% off your 'portrait package'. If they are offering a promotion at the time, they will gladly extend the discount to you.

--Torey