3D - 2 - 4D Sonogram/Ultrasound information/importance.. Opinions please!?

4D Sonogram/Ultrasound information/importance.. Opinions please!?

My name is Autumn, I'm 18 and in the 20th week of my first pregnancy! I am currently in a relationship with the father of my child, but he will be unable to participate or see me during any point of the this pregnancy at all! I have invested into a 200$ 4D ultrasound/sonogram, but friends and family insist the money should go to more "important" things, such as baby furinature and other necessities. I realize money is tight right now, but I am pushing for the 4D. My boyfriend and the father of my child will be apart of this baby's life, and that is what is "important", I know, but he is sad he cannot be here for doctors visits, to ever touch my pregnant belly, or even be there the day out child is born.. I want to allow him to be involved in any way possible... Who has had the 4D ultrasound/sonogram? How much did it cost? Were you please with the results? Any facts about personal 4D ultrasounds/sonograms would be nice to hear about..

Public Comments

It's mostly a souvenir, it really has no practical purpose. Be sure not to get it until later, like 32-35 weeks, because before then, the baby won't have enough fat to look cute and round...instead, it'll look kind of skeletal and alien.
I had the 4d with my first pregnancy and i wasn't totally impressed. just an opinion. But also my Daughter kept turning weird and i took the ultrasound tech 3 visits to get a fairly decent picture. It cost me $150. I am currently about 20 weeks and i am not going to do it this time.
I had the 4D ultrasound done and it was great, yes I will admit that. But at 18 years you will get to see your child when it is born. That is what the 4D really does. Lets you see your child before it is born. That money could be used to buy diapers and clothes. You can't truly understand how many diapers your child will go through and how much you will invest in them. Please save your money for more important things. Listen to your loved ones. They have been through this before and know what to expect. I know you are eager to see your child but you have your whole life to spend with them, a couple more months wont kill you.
I understand that he is sad that he can't be here for the pregnancy, but will he be there for the birth. Will he be involved after the baby is born. You don't realize that you will be spending just 200.00 on a crib for this baby to sleep in. There are more important things that a 4 D ultrasound. Is he reachable by 3-mail. A regular sonagram done at your doctor's office is good enough to be able to send to him or save on disk.
my co-worker had it done, and it was cool looking. i do agree that since you are alone, and so young to have a child, that the money would be better used to buy other things, but as long as no one else is supporting you, do what you want. but if other family members are paying for things, and supporting you, then you really need to rethink things, and go with a regular ultrasound that insurance pays for.
Im planning on getting that done, although I think 200 dollars is a whole lot! I have seen some coupons in the pennysaver for $80 its a package deal comes with a video. Try finding somewhere a little more affordable. Congrats!!
Thats a toughie because I know its so exciting! Well maybe you can compromise. I know that $200 may seem like a lot but maybe you could just see if your doctor can give you copies of your regular ultrasound and save the cash for baby stuff. My first babies were twins and I didn't get a 3d ultrsound, but my doctor gave me copies and It was just as special. maybe he will let you bring in a videotape and they can record it for you too.
The 3D and 4D ultrasounds can be very very cool , but quite honestly there are no promises that the baby will be in the proper position for goof images, so keep that in mind . Both 3D and 4D ultrasound are surface rendering , which means that what you see is the coputer composite of the topography of the superficial surface . If you haven't had your regular 20 week anatomical 2D survey understand that a 3D will not diagnoses fetal abnormalities any better than a 2D , and most people don"t now this but the accuracy in gender detection is almost the same: 97% with 2D , and 99% with 3D , but BOTH require optimal positioning for these statistical outcomes. If you do plan on getting a 3D ultrasound , schedule it when you are between 24 and 28 weeks . At this point the superficial facial tissues are developed enough to get that picture , but most importaintly there is the optimal amount of amniotic fluid at this stage . Later in pregnancy the fluid levels naturally decrease a bit , and without a fluid window between the wall of of uterus and the fetal interface , we cant get a good image , Many parents mistakenly wait until later in the 3rd trimester thinking that baby being more developed will make for easier or better imaging , and granted when we CAN get the image, it's pretty spectatcular , but in MOST cases at that point the fluid has decreased or the baby has less room and is more likely to be balled up with limbs in the way . A Bit earlier and baby has more room, More room means a better fluid window , and so on ... 3 and 4D ultrasounds can be an amazing bonding experience ...and for the record I think it's amazing that you are so pro-active at allowing daddy to be part of this time . personally , I think that fro both you and Dad, especially with himunable to attend regular visits and enjoy the day to day with you at this time , that the 200 buck would be very well spent . money issues are tight ...and it's about prioritzing . If you feel strongly about getting the ultrasound , forget what others say and follow your heart . Daddy needs to feel invoved , and what an amazing gift this could be to him . Babies are expensive , yes ..but what you can't give them monitarily you can make up with love . As long as you have the basics , baby doesnt know that it may not have the extras . And 200 bucks , though a decent sum of money can easily be made up by simply saving and extra 10 bucks a week for the rest of your pregnancy . If the 3D/4D is worth that to you and your significant other , then who cares what everyone else thinks? It's about you and YOUR family. i wish you luck .... ~Ej
well i am going next wednesday to get one done!.. mostly because i am interested to see how much this baby will look like me and my bf lol!... it will cost 150... i have never gotten one done with my previous and i really wanted too.. well my bf is against it.. he thinks the same as your family.. "the money should be spent on something else". well i think diff and i know he will be happy and just as excited as me when he sees the pics... and so will your family... they say that you should get it done between 26 - 31 weeks i will be almost 28 weeks... if you would like you could keep in touch with me and i could tell you how it goes... just in case.... Im planning if i get a good pic outta this .. to make copies and get them made into babyshower favors.. good luck and congrats!!!
Yes I agree with the post above...I'm getting mine for $83. I live in Los Angeles County, that could be why. You should google "4D ultrasounds" and hunt for a deal. I can totally understand why you would want to have this 4D experience...it's really special. If you can find one under $100...go for it :)
Oh wow, how rude of people to say. I have some things I would like to say to them, including to mind their own business...uggg Okay but, you are a sweetheart Autumn for doing this. You should get it done, because it is his baby, and you are a very generous woman for doing it. It will benifit you too. I saw my friends and we could actually see what the baby was gonna look like, and very detailed too. Oh and we saw what the technican claimed to be the largest......k nvm it was a boy. Go for it. It will be worth it, and you will be able to burn a copy for yourself, and your family and your baby for later on in life. It`s amazing and worth the money. And the fact that you are gonna show the father, and are doing this for him, shows how unselfish you are, and that`s a big step in parenting. Right behind love. Congrats, goodluck, and I am glad there are considerate people like you out there having babies.
I had 1 done at 23 weeks and I will have another done at around 30 weeks. The package I chose includes these 2 ultrasounds along with a CD with the pics on it, a video of the ultrasound, 2 black and white photos and 2-4 color photos. This package costs $225. I would definitely recommend it if you can afford it. My little girl was on the go and it was amazing to see her moving around. We also got to see her play peek a boo. Another cool feature of mine was that they showed me the blood flow from the umbilical cord into her little body. So, again, if you can afford it I'd definitely recommend it especially if you get a CD so you can put the pics on the computer and email them to your boyfriend. That will really help him feel involved and important. Also, it's your baby and your decision. Take care and congratulations!!
I just had a 3D/4D done yesterday. I am 34 and 23 weeks pregnant with a boy. My obgyn has an in-office sonographer that uses a 2D/3D/4D machine, so I get a 3D pic with every ultrasound at no extra cost. For a dvd of the ultrasound in 4D, there is a fee of $35. I did get lucky yesterday when my little munchkin cooperated long enough to get a really good face shot, but he did not cooperate enough for the dvd. Oh well. Honestly, if my obgyn didn't already have this service available, or if my insurance did not cover it, I highly doubt I would go somewhere else and pay so much to have it done. Of course, I don't know for sure since I don't have to make that decision. That being said, I am very pleased with the picture. I have a little photo album with all of my ultrasound pics and I have flipped to that face pic so many times since yesterday that I wouldn't even be able to count. I can understand your family's and friends' concern with your choice of what money should be spent on, because I had a baby at 21 and I was broke. It was hard and everything you need adds up pretty fast. If 3D/4D's were available back then, there's no way I would have spent that kind of money on it. Ultimately, the decision is up to you, of course. I would say you should make a list of things you will need for the baby before he/she arrives. How many of those things do you think will be given to you? What about the big ticket items like the crib, carseat, stroller, etc? Maybe you could get those things in order before you actually fork out the money for the 4D. And remember, more important than the ultrasound is the pictures you will want to get after the baby is born. Instead of a pricey ultrasound, you could invest in a nice digital camera (if you don't already have one), because believe me, you will always want a camera around after the baby is born for when he/she is sleeping (oh so cute), the first smile, well all of those firsts we are so blessed to witness.
Shop around, because you might be able to find one for less than $200. The lowest I have seen is around $100. It has no practical purpose, although it is a more reliable gender determination than a regular sonogram. You might be disappointed by the results. The pix they show in the ads are of course the best ones. Your pix might not be as clear. The baby could be covering his or her face with hands, feet or legs. The baby might not be in the best position for viewing.