Pregnancy in 4D

A few weeks ago I wrote about the launch of all the brilliant new pregnancy services and therapies there were at Tay Medispa (if you didn’t catch it, see here>), and one in particular caught my eye.

I kick myself every time I think of how few photos I have of me when pregnant (a grand total of 2). At the time I thought I’d remember the look and feel of pregnancy forever but, alas, it feels like a different lifetime now. Due to some early concerns we had our first scan at 6 weeks, and I carried that blurry little picture everywhere with me until Freya was in my arms. How I wish The Baby Scan Company  had been around then!

Owner and ultrasound specialist Mo operates from a beautiful high ceilinged room within Tay Medispa, a stunningly renovated Victorian Villa on York Place which opened it’s shiny doors at the turn of the year. Mo has 18+ years NHS and private medical scanning experience, and over 12 of those dedicated to 4 Dimentional (4D) scans.

So…what the hell is 4D? Your usual NHS scan will be 2D; enough to see the position of the baby, identify gender after 20 weeks and determine any potential anomalies. In a nutshell 3D scans show far more detail of your baby, including facial features, and 4D scans show moving 3D images, with time being the fourth dimension. 3D scans produce photographs; 4D scans produce video footage.

The Baby Scan Company offer a huge range of different scan packages from 2D-4D at different stages in pregnancy, for a full list see here>. We sent along friend of Small City and first time mum-to-be Aine to experience a ‘4D Growth and Bonding Scan’ for herself;

“I went along to Tay Medispa with my husband and sister, excited but not knowing what to expect. After a warm welcome and filling out a few basic questions we were shown through to the scanning room, complete with candles and relaxing music, which couldn’t have been further from the very clinical atmosphere I’m used to (I’m also a nurse!). We’d been told that the ideal time to have this type of scan was between 27-29 weeks , and I was right in the middle of that.”

By this stage of pregnancy the baby has filled out nicely, whilst still allowing plenty room for manoeuvre in the womb. It’s also possible to pick out family features at this stage, and even see how much hair they have!

“There’s a huge TV screen to watch the baby moving around in real time, and Mo explained things in detail as we went along, answering lots of questions. The whole experience was really informative, and gave us a little glimpse into our baby’s world. I couldn’t believe how detailed the picture was- we saw everything from nostrils to the lens of our baby’s eye!” (Please note the images used here are for illustration, they are not from Aine's scan).

For some people these scans are a chance to bond with the baby, and for other’s a way of feeling closer to them. 

“We were blown away by the quality of the images, my partner in particular was totally gobsmacked (I’ve never seen him speechless!). The whole experience was very emotional but also relaxing and reassuring. I’m so glad we got to do this, and it’s made us all even more excited for what’s to come!”.

Aine’s package included a five pictures being printed in gold colour, and presented in individual covers. She was also given a DVD and USB stick with all the images on it, and a sheet with all the details/measurements that had been taken during the scan.

For more information about what The Baby Scan Company offer at Tay Medispa you can find out here>>>

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