4D ultrasound on a moneysaving budget

Hi,
Does anyone know of a clinic that offers 4D ultasound at a reasonable price?
I would love to get one at around 25 weeks as a keep sake - ideally with photos and a video..but every clinic I have enquired at costs upwards of £600 which is not an expense I can reasonably justify.
I want this mainly because it would be great for the child to see when older, but also to absolutely determine the sex and personally to have a strong picture of what is happening inside me (this is my first baby and i am finding all the changes to my body quite remarkable already..)
It seems like thois is only an option for the richer folks..but I hope not!
Membre Of Teh Misspleing Culb
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  • Spendless
    Spendless Posts: 24,111
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    Hi I'm afraid I don't but I kept the scan pictures they do and paid about £3 for them you can also ask the babies sex (though not all hospitals will tell you). You can also have an amnio which will establish babies sex but since there is a slight risk of miscarriage with one, perhaps not advisible just to know if it's a boy or a girl.

    To be honest I think the money is better put to things for baby or to enable you to stay at home for a while afterwards, but that's up to you.
  • starlite_2
    starlite_2 Posts: 2,428 Forumite
    Yeh you may be right...i already have a scan picture at 8 weeks..and will be having another at 12 which i wasn't charged for
    To be honest I'm not so sure about finding out the sex..my oH wants to, and and i can see the practicalities in buying clothes, decorating etc but it may be a nice surprise to not..
    although i'm sure the arrival is enough of a shock alone!
    Membre Of Teh Misspleing Culb
  • Woby_Tide
    Woby_Tide Posts: 5,344
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    I'd agree about putting the money to other use instead, Being able to decorate I agree is a bonus, but on the clothes front, whilst having essentials is a good idea, I wouldn't go overboard, firstly people tend to buy lots when they are born so you are overwhelmed with sometimes lots of the same things. Also you could potentially have a very small or very large baby, this way the sizes of the clothes may be completely out of sync with the seasons etc., i.e. we had people buy 'summer' stlye clothes for 6-9 months, working on the tehory we'd have loads of newborn stuff, whilst this was great to have our baby is now already in 6-9 and by summer we'll probably need 9-12 or 12+ say. Just get the essentials and maybe a couple of things for either sex nearer the time(taking back which ever you don't require) then go from there. only personal opinion of course but what we've found so far
  • CDP
    CDP Posts: 143 Forumite
    Hi

    There is of course the other question of the safety of the 4 D scans. Ultrasound in itself can be a useful diagonistic tool but it is often forgotten that is just that. Something that is used to pick up and look for abnormalities. There have been studies to show that since the start of routine scanning that there has been a marked increase in left handedness ( not a bad thing in itself but shows that the ultrasound does effect the baby) The 4 D scans take longer and therefore increase the risk.

    Discovering the sex of the baby yourself once you've given birth is one of the magical moments in life. Why spoil it?

    CDP
  • Have you tried https://www.babybond.com or https://www.proscan-uk.com
    They both do different types of private scan and the prices are on the website too
    Hope this helps
  • s@sha
    s@sha Posts: 583
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    I just had my 20-week anomaly scan yesterday. Whilst scans are a great tool to check on baby's health, they were primarily developed for that purpose & the rise of companies offering to provide 3 or 4d scan packages with videos purely for 'entertainment' purposes is of concern to some in the medical profession.

    Some consultants aren't happy that something that is supposed to be a diagnostic tool has evolved into a costly entertainment package, whilst others feel that their colleagues are perhaps behaving unethically by setting up these companies & charging parents huge sums of money for the scans.

    There was an interesting article in The Times about this ( "Say Cheese, Baby", by Nigel Hawkes, 25th Jan 2005, Health Section), which went over the arguments (both for and against) very well.

    Another thing to consider is that scans should take as little time as possible so as not to disturb the baby too much. Some of these 4D ones take up to an hour whilst they try to get good 'shots' of the baby.

    Having had my scan yesterday,I discovered that the baby DOES get disturbed quite a bit...my sonographer was trying to turn my baby to get the necessary views to make sure he was OK & it was clear the pressure was making the baby squirm & jump a lot...as well as being uncomfortable for me. My scan was only 15 minutes & I wouldn't have wanted to put the baby through another three quarters of an hour if it wasn't necessary.

    If I find a link to The Times article I'll come back with it, as it was very interesting.

    Ultimately it's everyone's own choice & as long as you're happy with whatever you decide, then that's fine. It's sometimes just nice to know all the ins & outs before you make a choice.

    They do cost an awful lot, though...perhaps you might like to wait until you've had your 20-week NHS scan before splashing out a lot of money... I was amazed at how clear the pictures were & was so happy that baby was OK, that I didn't care they were weren't in colour or 4D anyway.
  • starlite_2
    starlite_2 Posts: 2,428 Forumite
    thats really interesting, i hadn't really looked into it much as i've got a fair few weeks to go yet...
    i never thought about potential risks
    unfortunately the times archive is subscription only i think..which is a shame!
    ill stick to the simple old fashioned method!
    Membre Of Teh Misspleing Culb
  • Spendless
    Spendless Posts: 24,111
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    Whilst not wishing to frighten anyone. A scan in my first pregnancy showed that the baby was severely ill with a problem with his lymphatic system and would not live. My pregnancy was terminated as a result. Perhaps something to bear in mind if having a scan anywhere other than at a hospital.
  • s@sha
    s@sha Posts: 583
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    Oh yeah, and as to finding out the sex, well you'll probably find everyone you know will have a definite view on whether they think you 'should' or 'shouldn't' find out!

    Again, it's what you feel is right for you that is important. We discovered yesterday we're having a boy, but we hadn't really made up our minds until the night before the scan as to whether we would ask. We were more concerned that baby was healthy first of all, then we told the sonographer that we only wanted to know the sex if they were really sure of what they could see... which she was, and so were we when she showed us the relevent scan pic!

    What is funny though, is how quickly most of the friends/relatives who tell you you shouldn't find out, start asking what it is once they know that you know!
  • gravitytolls
    gravitytolls Posts: 13,558 Forumite
    Congratulations.

    Keep your scan pics from the hospital... they're a joyful treasure, as you show your family and baby when he/she is older, pointing out limbs and facial features of your beautiful baby, which only you can see.

    Don't worry too much about clothes, in the first couple of months, they spend most of their time in comfy baby grows; due to the fact that they sleep (hopefully) lots and it's not worth waking them to put them in pretty outfits, and they tend to vomit, pee and poop on them too!.

    Good luck, don't forget to let us know what you have and the weight.
    I ave a dodgy H, so sometimes I will sound dead common, on occasion dead stupid and rarely, pig ignorant. Sometimes I may be these things, but I will always blame it on my dodgy H.

    Sorry, I'm a bit of a grumble weed today, no offence intended ... well it might be, but I'll be sorry.
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