3D/4D Baby Scans - taken to a whole new level.
Share The Magic
On Wednesday 30th January 2019 we hosted the very first live-streamed 3D/4D baby scan in Ireland or the UK. At UltraScan we are constantly looking for innovations to make our clients say “wow”, which led us to the idea of doing a live-streamed 3D/4D scan. We know that the most special thing about our service is the feeling you get when you see the baby for the first time in such life-like detail, so we wanted to offer more people the chance to experience that wonderful feeling.
Come one, come all
We invited our lovely Facebook community to be guests at a live 3D/4D baby scan as it was carried out in our ultrasound suite in Fashion City, Ballymount. Everyone was invited to tune in at 8:30 pm on Facebook Live to share in the magic along with the expectant parents. Everyone had the opportunity to see the baby in HD 3D/4D ultrasound imaging from the comfort of their home and excitedly leave comments as it happened. The interactive element made the scan experience even more special, with family members leaving heartfelt comments as the live-stream broadcasted.
Guess the gender
We decided to add to the excitement by incorporating a competition, giving viewers a chance to win their own scan here at UltraScan. We asked our audience to guess the baby’s gender during the live-stream and all correct guesses were in with a chance to win. We revealed the correct answer the next day on our Facebook page by popping one of our Gender Reveal Balloons (see the video here, the pop is pretty epic). We were surrounded by fluttering pink confetti confirming that the lovely star of our show (spoiler alert) was a baby girl!
First of its kind
At UltraScan we love to be ahead of the crowd. When we first opened, we were the first ultrasound clinic to send the images and videos captured during your scan directly to your phone or email. In other private ultrasound clinics, you may be given your images on a CD or memory stick, making it more difficult to quickly share your experience with others. With our technology, you can have your images and videos sent directly to your phone via Whatsapp or email so you can share them with friends and families straight away. Clients tell us how wonderful it is to be able to send videos to loved ones living abroad, creating a stronger bond than just pictures alone.
With the growing need to share the scan experience with more people in more locations around the world, what could be better than a live, real-time video that your friends and family can tune into? They can hear the heartbeat, see the baby’s face and see them move, just like they would if they were present at the scan. You won’t find this technology in any other ultrasound facility in Ireland or the UK.
If you didn’t tune into the live-stream you can watch it here and make sure to like our Facebook page to be notified the next time we go live!
The Scan
We were introduced to the live-stream by our lovely receptionist Jennifer who led us into the ultrasound suite just as she would with every client. We meet our talented sonographer, Liezel, and Rebecca and Paul who were kind enough to give us all a peek at their little one.
Liezel explains that the first thing she does is establish the baby’s position. For the best 3D/4D ultrasound images we want the baby lying on their back, with their face turned out towards us. If the baby is not in a good position we can encourage them to move simply by asking mammy to move around. Some babies switch positions quicker than others, maybe giving you an indication of whether you have an energetic little one or a more chilled out type! We might ask you to take a little walk around and have some water to encourage the baby to change position.
Seeing Baby's Face
We were introduced to their beautiful baby by seeing a 2D side profile of her face. After seeing and hearing the baby’s heart beating, we got to switch to a 3D view of her face where we could clearly see half of her little face. She was not lying in the ideal position for 3D imaging so Liezel asks Rebecca to turn onto her side, to encourage the little one to move into a better position so that the scanning equipment can get a better view of her face. This is one of the benefits of having a scan in a private maternity clinic – the sonographer can take time to get you the best images possible. Once the star of the show was ready for her close-up we got some really detailed images of her face.
Incredible detail
During the scan, we also got to see the baby’s arms moving around casting shadows on the images, we saw her lips move and a great shot of her little foot showing us her cosy position nestled in her mother’s womb, blissfully unaware that thousands of people are watching in awe!
Liezel then checked the baby’s weight to see how she was measuring as she’s approaching her last few weeks before being born. We finished our live-stream at this stage and the scan continued on as normal, giving the parents some time alone with their little one. Our 3D/4D ultrasound scans usually go on for 30 minutes, however, we wanted to prioritise the client’s experience while still getting some great live footage, so we broadcasted live for about 8 minutes in total.
That’s a wrap
After the scan was completed, the expectant couple gets 5 glossy black & white photos from the ultrasound machine and also got to choose their two favourite images to be professionally printed at the reception. All of the images and videos which were taken during the scan were then sent directly to their phones. They also have the added benefit of popping over to our Facebook page to watch the whole scan in full as it happened.
At UltraScan we endeavour to continue to set the standard in private elective maternity scans. We strive to give you and your family the best experience possible every time. We are unrivalled in our utilisation of the latest technology to give you the best ultrasound images possible and the best experience possible. Our lovely customers have rated us 5-stars on Facebook and across all platforms because we deliver excellence in a friendly fun and relaxing environment.
But, don’t just take our word for it, read some of our glowing reviews here!
We hope to see you and baby very soon in our beautiful clinic in Fashion City, Ballymount.
Click here to book online or call us today on (01)4295710 or Whatsapp 0852544481.