talk to me about 3D/4D u/s

[IncaMama]

ok...so what's the deal with them? i am absolutely DYING to see my little Ava's face...i mean it's killing me!!! so i was thinking of doing it...but what are the risks? do we know? what's bad about them? DH is on board with whatever i think, but i don't know what i think. i need you ladies to tell me the pros/cons. :)

[mykidsrock]

Pros: It's awesome!! I did it with my last 2 and it was amazing! This time since I haven't had an u/s (unless you count my quickie ones at 6w and 10w because of my bleeding), I haven't seen this baby at all and I am considering doing another 3D. My baby scrapbook is pretty lame at this point, just pics of my belly. I don't know if I buy into all of the "risks" because nothing is proven to be unsafe and with my first I had soooooo many u/s. After 7 months I had 3 u/s per week for unneccessary monitoring (they THOUGHT I had pre-eclampsia and a super small baby- nope to both) and she is perfectly healthy.And I have NEVER heard of anyone having negative side effects from ultrasounds y'know.

[Viriditas]

Well, the FDA doesn't think it's a very good idea:

FDA Cautions Against Ultrasound 'Keepsake' Images (http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/104_images.html)

I personally wouldn't do anything even remotely risky if it wasn't medically necessary. But it's your decision. At the very least do some research before you go.

And as for the whole "I did yadda yadda and my baby turned out fine," my mil says the same thing about chain smoking through her pregnancies, but that doesn't mean it's healthy or safe. I really hate that argument.

[mykidsrock]

And as for the whole "I did yadda yadda and my baby turned out fine," my mil says the same thing about chain smoking through her pregnancies, but that doesn't mean it's healthy or safe. I really hate that argument.

Come on, comparing an ultrasound to chain smoking . .that's quite a stretch . .no one thinks smoking is safe!

[mykidsrock]

By the way Michele, I don't know if you remember this coming up on our other board, but that same link was mentioned there. For what it's worth, I never went to a "drive thru" u/s place, I went to an upscale medical facility which does diagnostic u/s and this just happens to be a service they offer as well.

[littleteapot]

Ultrasounds affect a developing baby, they should not be abused for "cute pictures" and only be used as a medical tool when medically necessary. It isn't like taking someone's photo with a Polaroid... there are risks.

IMHO, I'd never expose my baby to ultrasound (including heart tones with doppler and ESPECIALLY electronic fetal monitoring) without a very good, compelling reason.
Eventually your baby will be born and you can see their face all you want. :love

[homemademomma]

I don't know if I buy into all of the "risks" because nothing is proven to be unsafe


exactly- US hasnt been around long enough for any long term studies to be completed. they used to do X-rays on pg women, and they thought it was perfectly safe. im not saying a 15 m 3-d US is going to damage your child, but its just something to think about.

[homemademomma]

IMHO, I'd never expose my baby to ultrasound (including heart tones with doppler and ESPECIALLY electronic fetal monitoring) without a very good, compelling reason.
kind of OT, but i remember hearing that US from dopplers/efm is actually more intense than that of a picture US. anyone know if thats true?

[littleteapot]

kind of OT, but i remember hearing that US from dopplers/efm is actually more intense than that of a picture US. anyone know if thats true?

Yup, it's true.
4d is more intense then 2d as well, obviously.

ETA: This (http://www.gentlebirth.org/Midwife/preScreen.html#Ultrasound) is a good link full of other links about ultrasounds. Some of these risks are proven... and a lot require further study, but evidence is there that it is doing something to a developing fetus. Why take that chance for a cute picture?

[StrawHatBrat]

I had one last time I was in for an ultrasound at my docs. It was an option on the machine and she said at the end "Hey, ya wanna see a 3d ultrasound?"
it was absolutely amazing.
I have to be followed closely for fluid on babies kidneys... so I didn't just go for pictures, though.

Here's a picture I got...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/StrawHatBrat/IMG_8776.jpg

[homemademomma]

wow, that is an amazing picture.

[mamamillie]

I can't say anything about the safety of 3-d ultrasound, sorry, because I don't know.
But I want to say that they do not necessarily give a "cute picture." I got one when I was pg with ds (cuz I sheepishly followed the drs orders before I learned better), and I had heard lots of stuff about how amazing the pics were. They got a full on shot of my ds' face and it was FREAKY. It looked like he didn't have a nose and....well it was just a monstrously freaky picture. I had nightmares every night until my ds was born. Thankfully, he was not monstrous looking but the most beautiful babe I had ever seen!

[Taedareth]

This thread (http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=282385) has some excellent discussion about the medical risks of exposing your baby to ultrasonic frequencies (both imaging sonograms and doppler) in utero. You'll find some good information to ponder.

[IncaMama]

thanks everybody :)

[stillill]

Dh and I found a place that would let you bring up to 15 people and they served popcorn in a movie theater type setting. They did the 4d ultrasound for 15, 30 or 45 minutes and made a DVD of the whole thing. I was super excited and was ready to sign up. It sounded like so much fun for everyone. But like everything I started checking it out and the risks definately outweighed the benefits for us. I mean the FDA says vaccines are ok but they don't really like the 4D ultrasound, what does that tell you!