Ultrasounds

By Geoff Williams

While no one has figured out yet how to produce a hologram of a baby in the womb, the technology and images of 3D and 4D ultrasounds give expectant parents amazingly vivid glimpses of their not-yet-born offspring.
           
Here’s a quick ultrasound primer: A 2D ultrasound is what your medical practitioner does to check the baby’s development; you can see the internal organs. A 3D ultrasound uses the same technology as a 2D, but it makes your baby look, well, three-dimensional. A 4D ultrasound involves a lot of images captured quickly, so that it shows the movement or your three-dimensional baby. Experts suggest that 3D and 4D ultrasounds—which are elective procedures—be done between 24 and 34 weeks. Before 24 weeks, babies haven’t put on enough weight to really look like themselves; after 34 weeks, babies start to outgrow the viewing area, so you can’t always get a good look.
           
It’s incredible for a new mom and dad to see their baby close up, and it’s almost as fun to watch the parents, says Ed Fort, owner of Mirror Imaging Ultrasound in Cincinnati, one of a handful of centers in the tri-state area that offer the opportunity to see a baby in utero. “There is such a thrill to see the new moms and dads when they see their baby for the first time,” says Fort. “It’s the realization that hits home for them, that this is my baby.”

It’s a way to bond, says Lorey Hall, owner of New Beginnings Ultrasound in Florence. “We really feel that it provides a huge bonding experience, not only between babies and moms,” says Hall, “but also dads, if they’re there.” Before an appointment, New Beginnings requires pregnant women to undergo a second-trimester ultrasound with their own medical caregiver. New Beginnings doesn’t do testing, but a board-certified obstetrician reviews ultrasounds for any possible problems.
           
Dawn Bierschwal, owner of Becoming Mom Pregnancy Spa & Imaging Center in Mason, says the moment is a revelation for many parents: “I think many of the moms start taking much better care of themselves because they see that the baby is real. There are ten toes, ten fingers.” Becoming Mom offers limited diagnostics, thanks to their on-staff medical stenographers. But Bierschwal also stresses that a 3D or 4D ultrasound can’t replace actual medical ultrasounds.
           
Sometimes there are benefits that doctors can’t always provide. At Bright Beginnings Ultrasound in Springboro, technicians can occasionally determine the gender of a baby, thanks to a well-timed ultrasound. “We had a couple last month whose doctor hadn’t been able to determine the sex because the baby was in an awkward position,” says owner Jim Lowe. “And if we can’t tell on that given day, we’ll wait a week, and they can come back, and we’ll do the ultrasound again at no charge.”
           
Whatever expectant parents discover during a 3D or 4D ultrasound, it is a once-in-a-lifetime  experience that no mother or father is likely to forget. “I just finished with a customer, and the pregnant mom started crying. The reactions are pretty amazing,” says Lowe.