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Paid 3D ultrasound images in the district?
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Anonymous
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Hello,
My husband and I went for an ultrasound about two weeks ago. The technician couldn't determine the sex of the baby because of his/her position. While we were there, they tried to show us a 3D picture of our baby that looked really strange. The baby looked like a bowl of spaghetti with a very large nose and horns on its head- seriously! We are thinking about paying for a better quality 3D/4D ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby and to make sure that he/she is okay. Does anyone out there know of a place in the district? Also, are all 3D/4D utlrasounds equal in quality? Thank you! |
Anonymous
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"Recreational" ultrasounds aren't really a good idea -- it's a medical procedure and not much is known about the effects of the high frequencies on the developing baby.
If the previous u/s was the 20-week one, the tech took a lot of precise measurements to determine whether your baby was in fact OK -- they're a lot better at interpreting the fuzzy alien on the screen than the average layperson. If you had gone in for something else, I would assume that your OB may continue to recommend continued sonograms based on whatever condition was causing the concern in the first place. (And if this was a fairly early u/s, rest assured that it's perfectly normal for your baby to look weird. Remember, they aren't finished baking until 40 weeks.) I think your first stop should be a check-in with your doc to review the results of the sono. While you're there, you can ask about getting another quick peek at the baby's sex, but I recommend doing a bit more research before going off to one of the baby video places. |
Anonymous
| Usually the ultrasound they do to determine the sex of the baby is not a 3D/4D ultrasound, but a level 2 ultrasound that is done at 20 weeks and usually covered by your insurance. If the baby is in a position that does not allow to see the sex, no ultrasound will be able to determine the gender, paying for an expensive ultrasound will not help. |
maynie
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| OP there is nothing wrong with a 3D sonogram. Besides you were asking where to get one, not should you get one. Can you only go to a place in the district? I know there are plenty of places in the surrounding areas, but I don't know of any in the city. |
Anonymous
| Please don't listen to 9:19. I have to get sonograms at every checkup, and there is nothing wrong with it. In any case, I know Dr. Pinkert's group does it (Rockville and Silver Spring) - just outside DC. Good technology, but just know that the 3d things is weird (they flip the switch and let me see it every time I go for one), and that until your baby has a bit more fat on him/her, the picture you get won't necessarily be that great until several weeks past 30. If it's mostly for the sex though, the sonos there aremuch more clear. |
Anonymous
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Washington Radiology Associates on K Street, NW has a 4D U/S capabilities--don't know if they will allow a non-insurance related U/S.
http://www.washingtonradiology.com/ |
Anonymous
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Reiter Hill has someone that does it too. It can't be bad for the baby if docs are offering them in their offices.
The FDA issued their guidance on 3D/4D ultrasounds in response to mobile (literally - a guy in a truck) "centers" that were appearing in parking lots of big box stores in the south. Women were getting many dozens of separate screens outside of their doc's office with a u/s frequency that is higher than what is used to make the fuzzy pics we're used to. Hence, the concern. Plenty of women (as a PP noted) have to get weekly sonograms for various legit medical reasons and the risk of extra exposure is outweighed by the risk posed by whatever medical condition is being monitored. All that said, my understanding is a 3D/4D is best done between 28 and 35 weeks. |
Anonymous
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I've heard really good things about this place:
http://www.thatsmybabyultrasound.com/index.html My insurance will only cover 2 ultrasounds, so if we can't find out the gender, we will be visiting here! |
Anonymous
| We got an elective 3D/4D sonogram at 30 weeks and although we got a really cute picture, we were super disappointed. We went to Vital Signs in Falls Church and paid $179. We missed her knew we wouldn't see her at all between 20 and 40 weeks. We thought we would get a movie of the baby moving but we did not and the tech showed us the same thing over and over again and we got many versions of the same photo: her face in profile. So, I guess I would go again but I would pay the least amount possible for it. |