About YOUR 3d Ultrasound
Our Policy
- We promise to do our VERY best in making this an enjoyable and memorable experience for you.
- We promise to keep ourselves in good health in order to be available to you.
- We promise to answer all of your questions and describe your ultrasound in a manner that you will understand.
- We promise to keep our location clean and a comfortable place to come to.
- We promise that this is more than just an ultrasound of a baby. We truly care about you and your baby and would like to hear how everything is going (even after the baby is born)!
Your Responsibilities
- First and foremost, To ensure that you've had a diagnostic ultrasound through the guidance of your healthcare provider before coming to an appointment with us!
- Bring the photo from your diagnostic ultrasound with you to your appointment with us.
- To arrive about 10 minutes prior to your appointment to complete our forms. We operate on a tight schedule. Late arrivals will result in time deducted from your appointment. We will not run into the next customer's appointment when they arrive on time.
- To pay attention to the little things that get your baby to move. You know your baby best (far better than we do)! If your baby is covering it's face or turned toward your spine it is YOUR job to get your baby to move!
- To keep yourself well-hydrated throughout your pregnancy. When you drink water on a regular basis, it will help flush your amniotic fluid around the baby and allow you to get clearer pictures.
- To bring drink/food items that might make your baby move (for example; chocolate or juice).
- To refrain from using the washroom about an hour before your visit. You do not need to purposely FILL your bladder, but releasing your bladder is far easier than filling it at the time of your appointment.
- To not schedule your 3d ultrasound appointment on the same day as your gestational diabetes/glucose test. This may really affect your baby's movements and make it difficult to obtain good pictures.
- To prepare yourself for your ultrasound by reading our information on this website.
Can you imagine what your baby looks like?
Have you stared at your 2D ultrasound photograph ... .. and just imagined?
At Peeka-Boo! I See U! you don't need to imagine!
You will see your baby like never before!
You'll be able to see your baby with so much detail and walk away with a bonding experience and keepsakes that will last a lifetime!
We want you to have an enjoyable and relaxing experience at Peeka-Boo! I See U!
You are welcome to bring guests with you to share in the excitement. Our private ultrasound room can accomodate about 8 of your guests (with room to squeeze in about 15) and is equiped with a 47" large screen monitor for everyone to see your beautiful baby. We also have a large screen in our comfortable waiting room where any of your additional guests can see exactly what you are seeing! You will be able to take home a DVD recording and CDROM with photos to share with family and friends in the privacy of your own home.
You will require an appointment for your ultrasound. Evening and Saturday appointments are available, but book up quickly. You should call as early as possible to book your spot! Generally, we are closed Sundays and Mondays.
At Peeka-Boo! I See U! our fully trained staff start out in 2 dimensional mode (2D) to assess the baby's positioning, listen to the heartbeat and if the baby is in a good position, determine the gender . 2D Ultrasounds are the typical black and white images that you would have seen at your routine diagnostic ultrasound exam.
From 2D, we are able to go into another mode called 3D, and even 3D Live (a.k.a. 4D). This is where you will see all of the curves of the baby's face, limbs, fingers, and movements. This is also where you will see your baby's skin or tissue that is covering the skeletal structure.
Since the 4th dimension is time, we use the term 3D Live to describe 4D. They mean the same thing. Basically, you will see your baby LIVE (in real time) in a 3 dimensional mode. You can see your baby bring it's hands up to it's face, kick it's feet, stretch and open it's mouth... as it is happening... LIVE!
All images depend on a variety of factors. The pictures of your baby will vary from any others that you have seen. Mostly it depends on the position of your baby and the placenta, the amount and clarity of amniotic fluid, the gestational age of your baby, maternal obesity and overall hydration. You will see some of our pictures in the photo gallery.
Images are mostly affected by your baby's position. Your job during your pregnancy, is to pay attention to the little things that get your baby to move. It could be a drink of apple juice, laying on your side, physical activity, time of day etc. If the baby is not in an ideal position, we will do our best to prompt the baby to move in order to get good pictures. But, usually the expectant mother knows their child the best and can move the baby. But sometimes even this is not possible. If the baby is facing your spine, or not allowing us to see ANY part of it's face, and is not interested in moving, we would be more than happy to book another session for you! We really want to see your baby too!
You should keep in mind that it is very instinctual for babies to have their hands up near their face, often hiding their face or sucking their thumb. They also like to cuddle up to the placenta or the mother's uterus. Although this may not give you the picture that you've always wanted, we still think it is cute and indicative of your baby's behaviour, and we will do our best to get great profile images instead! Unfortunately, these images will NOT qualify for return visits.
It is often more difficult to obtain pictures of a breech baby. They are most often in the "Frank breech" position with their feet in front of their face. Since the lower abdomen of the baby is sitting in the mother's pelvic region, it is oftentimes a little bit challenging to determine the gender of the baby. But, we can usually get the babies to move!
There's only so much that we can do. We certainly do try our best and hope you understand that.
We have found that the ideal gestation to get great 3D pictures of your baby is between 28 and 32 weeks. But, with that said, we HAVE obtained great pictures before this period and after this period, up to 36 weeks. You can make an appointment anytime after you receive your routine diagnostic ultrasound and have discussed it with your Obstetrician or midwife (which is normally around the 18-20 week mark). Scanning twins or multiples should be done before the 26 week mark because they start to take up more space in your uterus earlier than a single baby would.
Images can also be affected by the mother's tissue.
Heavier women are encouraged to make their appointments during a later gestation (30-33 weeks). You will not need a full bladder for this ultrasound like you do at your routine diagnostic ultrasound. As long as you've remained well-hydrated, the amniotic fluid should be clear enough to obtain a clear picture. Amniotic fluid around the baby's face is necessary. As your baby grows and has less space in utero, there is a lack of amniotic fluid around it's face. As such, images usually cannot be obtained past 33 weeks gestation.
Your images will also turn out better if you remain well-hydrated throughout your pregnancy. Water helps the amniotic fluid become more transparent. The more transparent the amniotic fluid, the clearer the picture of your baby. We always recommend drinking at least 2 or 3 glasses of water on a daily basis throughout your pregnancy.
Safety Questions
There have been some recent questions regarding the use of 3D ultrasounds.
At Peeka-Boo! I See U! we wanted to notify you of information that may answer any of your questions.
You may find this and other information on "www.wikipedia.org" and Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine.
Ultrasound is sound waves (it is not light or x-ray). Sound waves are measured in cycles per second called the frequency.
Obstetrical ultrasound used in pregnancies is usually around 2 to 5 Million hertz which is above the human hearing of 20 thousand hertz.
Bursts of fast electrical pulses travel from the ultrasound machine to the transducer (the probe) which is placed on the mother's abdomen. This produces the soundwaves that are sent through maternal tissue to the uterus and fetus. These sound waves bounce back from the fetus to the probe which converts it back to electrical pulses to the ultrasound machine and these electrical pulses produce an image or picture of the fetus.
The standard obstetric ultrasound mode is 2 Dimensional and is used with a linear probe where ultrasound waves are sent out of the probe in one direction, and are bounced back (echoed) in one direction.
Peeka-Boo! I See U! uses a 3 Dimensional mode (a 3D Probe) in which sound waves are sent at multiple angles to analyze all of the curves and dimensions of the fetus. The sound waves that are bounced back are processed by the ultrasound machine and a 3D model (of volume, width, height and depth) of the fetus is presented.
Higher frequency soundwaves are NOT used! Nor is there a higher QUANTITY of ultrasound waves! Our 3D Probe operates at 4 to 7 MHz. As with all obstetrical ultrasounds, the ultrasound machine at Peeka-Boo! I See U! operates at 90% power (using the ALARA principle - As Low As Reasonably Acheivable). We use 2D ultrasound waves (as is used at any hospital or diagnostic clinic), then, computer software generates a 3D image.
Ultrasound is constantly being improved and studied. It has become widely used for fetal monitoring. If you were diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy, you would be sent for many ultrasounds to monitor the pregnancy and the baby. Patients in Europe are REQUIRED to have an ultrasound at each and every midwife or obstetrician's appointment.
However, ultrasound is used for many other reasons and has many advantages over x-rays because it does not damage tissue with radiation. Ultrasound can also distinguish between different soft tissues (not bones) and is therefore very good at providing pictures.
Ultrasound waves are mild vibrations.
You may hear about ultrasound treatments of muscles and tissue to repair scars and tears. These are high frequency ultrasound waves that are CONCENTRATED on a particular area. The vibration and heat that is generated is associated with healing and circulation.
Highly focused, high intensity ultrasound waves can also destroy some tumours and gallstones. But, the ultrasound waves need to be focused on one particular spot in these cases.
Any known bio-effect of ultrasound waves, as we understand it at Peeka-Boo! I See U! would be found when a probe is held in ONE particular spot, for an extremely LONG period of time (say, 24 hours or a week)... at 100% power (which would never be done) and then there is a chance that amniotic fluid would heat up 1 degree Celsius. This is confirmed by the Operations Manual for our ultrasound machine.
There have been no risks identified with 3D Ultrasound when the ultrasound machine is used with the appropriate and approved frequencies and intensities.
At Peeka-Boo! I See U! we want to ensure that we are providing a safe environment for our patients. We never want to do anything to harm anyone! Therefore, we offer ultrasounds at short intervals (10 minutes to one hour in length) at 90% power and via a 4 to 7 MHz transducer. Furthermore, our machine is inspected by a trained technician every 6 months.
I can personally attest to the maternal-fetal bonding after having my own 3D ultrasounds. The experience alone and the clarity of the pictures far surpasses the diagnostic ultrasound experience (which, although is necessary, is solely used to measure fetal well-being, not to provide pictures of the baby for personal enjoyment). Therefore, you can only imagine how MUCH MORE connected I felt to my baby after the 3D ultrasounds!
FURTHERMORE.... and this is very important to me .... because I have seen it time and again, the bonding experience for FATHERS DOES ACTUALLY HAPPEN. Think about it. Mothers experience EVERYTHING about being pregnant. Their bodies physically go through major changes; they go to all of the doctor/midwife appointments; they hear the heartbeat at each appointment; they feel the baby move inside of them. These alone give the mother a bonding experience. The father really only experiences these through the mother, through conversation and perhaps feeling the baby kick or move once in a while.
But fathers walk out of my studio on CLOUD 9!! The image presented on the screen makes the baby growing inside the mother's uterus an actual reality and something they can identify with. More often, it is the father's reaction to seeing his baby on the screen that is way more exciting than the mother's reaction! It is usually followed by tears of joy and exhiliration. This cannot be replaced! Anyone who says that a father's bonding to the baby after a 3D ultrasound is hogwash has quite obviously never seen what I have seen in my studio!!
Knowing that I am providing a safe environment, providing parents with a bonding experience, seeing babies all day long and witnessing the miracle of life, makes my job sooo worthwhile!
Please don't hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns.
905-354-PEEK
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