anyone had one if so where and were they happy????

3d/4d scans agree??? or not????

I had one with my son. Little monkey hid his face in the placenta the whole time so for us was not great but I know loads of people who have had excellent 4d scans.

hi where did you have it done and how much?

I disagree with unecessary scans because no-one can tell us for sure if they are safe. There is a body of thought that says we should not be subjecting our foetuses to a huge amount of radiation/sound waves/whatever because we truly are not aware of the possible long term affects. I could find and post links that discuss this if you want...

IF there is good medical reason to scan ie, IUGR, previous pg problems etc then it may be a risk worth taking in these cases but I don't think we should be doing so many routine scans and 3D/4D just to have a nosey at the baby goes against the grain for me, I'm afraid.

If I had another baby I would certainly be refusing the dating scan and sticking to basic anomoly scan and any that are medically necessary.

My personal opinion, that's all

but i have heard some people it helps with the bonding process etc
have you ever had one ?

Hi Spogs

Have you had the usual NHS scans yet? They were incredible as far as I was concerned, the little baby (didn't find out the gender) was wriggling it's little heart out and me and DH were transfixed. After that I don't really see the need for paying for extra ones.

If you've already had other babies/scans then it's up to you whether you want to pay to see more I suppose! If it's your first, maybe see how the NHS ones go. I promise that any pics in utero will be swiftly surpassed by the 6 million snaps of the little one when it arrives!!

No, I haven't . Can't justify paying for it.

Anyway bonding is done perfectly well in the first few hours after birth when your hormones are raging and doing just that! This link tells you how your hormones work in labour and the first hour after birth, so will hopefully explain what I mean.

I'm just saying I wouldn't have one and why. You asked for opinions and hopefully, with a variety from people, you will make the right choice for you

BTW I had four normal scans with my dd for one reason or another so it's not as if I don't understand how nice it is to see baby. Just that with a little hindsight I would have declined at least one of them.

I can see why people have them but they're not for me - I prefer the suspense.

I'd also rather do something nice with the baby with the money, like go to Water Babies classes, but very much think it's each to their own on this.

i have had one.

It was ok but i did feel alittle disapointed

with the quality but it was also a once in

a life time thing to get the chance of having done.

I also wanted my ds2 to have something of

his "own" as everything else he would be

using would be hand downs from ds1. I also

wanted to find out the gender

where did you go ?

i had one done - because i had a lot of stress at the beginning of my pregnancy i was convinced there was something wrong with my baby - he was fine. He hid himself in the placenta as well so only got half his face but that was enough to reassure me.

i wouldn't have it done again if i had another pregnancy though.

i got mine done in glasgow

why would you not do it again ?

I paid for a 20 week anomaly scan because you don't get them on the NHS where I live.

TIt was only supposed to be 2D, but the consultant doing the scan did a bit of 3D/4D for free.

I wasn't interested in paying for 3d/4d because I thought it looked a bit freaky, but it was sooo exciting, so much better than a 2D scan.

I got mine done in Glasgow too bruhahah!!

i just wouldn't see the need second time round. It was our first and i was desperate to know everything was ok - we only get one scan here and wanted to be sure.

If it was my first all over again then i would get it done

had mine done in northampton

I paid for a nuchal fold test at Fetal Medicine Centre in London and got some 3D/4D (don't know if it was free, but wasn't expecting it). It was lovely! So exciting, really brought home that there was an actual little baby in there.

Expensive, yes, but probably would do it again.

with my 8th pg (after 7 m/cs) I was scanned more or less every fortnight to make sure no problems, and it was fantastic to see baby growing and to know everything was fine. But I would never do it out of choice - there is clear statistical evidence to show that in every country where routine scanning has been introduced (even if just one or twice in pg), there is a leap in the number of children who are left-handed. So there is known to be a neurological effect of some kind (no-one knows quite how/what changes). Obviously the later in the pg the lesser effect because most of the neruon devt is in the first trimestar, but just not worth it IMHO.

which clinical papers did you see this in I have never heard of such nonsense

here, for one

Oh, and here

that is not clinical mere media.......

I investigated them, but everywhere seemed to suggest that the later on in the pg the better and clearer the picture, - so I decided to wait until 40 weeks

We had one and it was great, at 24 weeks. We had the anomaly scan done privately. Also, when a problem was detected, it was quite good not to feel rushed, and to be in comfortable surroundings. Not being preachy, but remember that they might tell you something unexpected.

If you insist, Spogs. here and here (page 29)

I wouldn't have one but not for possible health reasons, or anything as serious as that.

TBH I wouldn't have one because (can't believe I am going to admit to this) but a lot of the 3D/4D pictures I have seen, the baby looks very ermmm..... odd, and I would be worried stiff if we had a picture like some of them that the baby would come out looking like that

I do have to say though that when I have seen the scan pics followed by pictures of the baby after it's born, the babies look mostly nothing like the scan pics.

On the other side of the coin, I have seen some very stunning scan pics, but I know I wouldn't help but feel a bit like I'd ruined the surprise for having a sneaky peak IYKWIM?

Hi Squiffy
I have read the articles you have sent me and all researches were done on such a minority I dont think it gives a fair judgement on them I have had many friends and family have these scans and NONE have been born left handed or show signs of damage caused by the 3d/4d scans....Have you???

Yes I agree with you natalie but for some people it is a wonderful reassuring experience to see baby and know that it is ok and to have more time spent on the scan as apposed the ones the hospitals provide
I have seen some wonderful images and some what you would call interesting ones too but to the parents they are beautiful and find it movibg and amazing.
I just get fustrated with society today as if you read everything in the papers and believed it we would never get pregnant in the first place let alone go for this amazing 3d/4d scans

where did you have it done stroppyknickers??x

Erm, it was just my opinion, nothing to do with 'Society' or 'paper's'

If you only wanted opinions that agreed with your's, MN is not the place to ask.

Personally, I wouldn't have one done. There is a risk with any medical procedure and 3D/4D scans use much higher doses of ultrasound than a regular diagnostic scan, and also tend to last longer. I know that there isn't any concrete evidence to say that they aren't safe, and that plenty of people have them done and have healthy babies, but it isn't worth the risk to me. Especially as there is no benefit except the fun of "seeing" the baby.

It is obviously worth the (small) risk to you, and that is your decision.

BUPA - the bloke was great, and managed to ring his NHS mate to warn him we needed seeing.

I'd maybe have one if I could afford it. But DH finds them scary. Also I'd like to wait and see what my baby looks like when I give birth rather than already knowing.

where are you based kayzisexpecting?

North Yorkshire so the closest place is Manchester. Its way to far to go just for a scan. So I won't be having one.

I didn't - prefer the suspense. I've no issue with others having them.

I didn't bother - partly coz there are many, many things I would rather spend the money on, and partly coz I don't see the point. Didn't know then about the potential risks, but now that I do I would be even more reluctant - ok, there is no hard and fast data, but surely if there is even the smallest risk then it isn't worth it, right?

Scans- cause for concern http://www.sarahjbuckley.com/articles/ultrasound-scans.htm

Hi, I'm a new mums netter and just going through all the different forums... wow so many to choose from.
Yes I've had a 3d scan... long story but didn't feel we were given the support/reasurrance from the NHS so booked a scan at Create Health in Harley street http://www.createhealth.org/harley%20street%20home.html
The professor (stuart Campbell) is a pioneer in this form of scanning technique and talked us through everything and explained everything in great detail without being too 'medical' about it...such a wonderful man I would highly recommend him to anyone.

I think it is personal preference whether you decide to have a 3d scan, all I can say is thank heavens I did otherwise I would have gone through my whole pregnancy worrying.

excatly cat1978
nice to hear a positive to 3d scans
they can be so important for the peice of mind in pregnancy which the worry alone can be harmful in pregnancy so glad you had all your concerns put to restxx