Any Recommendations For a Private Scan in London?

[bluemama]

Does anyone out there know of a good (and affordable) place to get a private scan in London? I've heard you can get 3D/4D ones too which i'm intrigued about. Have seen 'early' 3D scan pics where the baby looked like a melted plastcine model but I'm told after 24 weeks they look more human...
Any recommendations gratefully accepted!

I'm booked for an early scan at the FMC on Friday, does anyone know if you get a picture to take home?

AliW - my husband and I also went to the Baby Scan Clinic today with the Groupon offer and I've come away feeling a bit disappointed. I think Bubba was slightly in the wrong position too and was hiding under my placenta, apparently. Again the operator was perfectly pleasant and did offer some explanation as to what we were looking at but we don't have a clear image of Bubba's face in any of the photos (he also spent a lot of time holding his hands up to his mouth / ear) and just feel a bit let down. In fact it just looks like an alien child.

There wasn't too much effort to stop the scan and encourage Bubba to move into a different position - nor do they offer rescans if Bubba is in the wrong place, unlike some places I've just been reading about.

I feel a bit like I've wasted my money, although on the two hospital anomaly scans I've already had Bubba also wasn't in a good position either and took a bit of shaking to make sure all the checks were done!

Since posting my message on 8th May, I've been contacted by the Baby Scan Clinic who have apologised for the disappointing experience, undertaken to investigate the matter to ensure anything similar doesn't happen again and have issued a full refund.

Interesting to see this, I really relate!! Was kept waiting for over 1/2 hour today because the DVD burner wasn't working properly and taking longer than normal.

The quality of the scanning really wasn't as good as I had hoped, baby was not playing ball but still! The sonographer did suggest moving around but not cold water or anything else. I was also accurately aware that I was making the people in the next slot even more delayed after my husband had to leave to get back to work.

I couldn't buy the pictures of a usb key as they didn't have any and the printed pictures are not the A5 glossy prints I imagined - and most of them are just duplicates.

The boss did apologise but would not agree to rescan for free in person so I have to await his email....

Well this is all very interesting as we did the same babyscan groupon voucher only yesterday and had a very similar experience....

We live far away from Harley Steeet and it took over two hours in solid London traffic to get to the appointment. Baby was in a difficult position and the sonographer wasn't able to get a picture of her face at all. I was so disapointed with the whole procedure as most of the scanning is done in 2d black and white as per regulation nhs scans. Occasionally she would change the view to 3d mode but when this happened it just looked like a twirled up piece of orange plasticine - not recognisable as a baby at all.. Also no explanation of what it was that she was showing us was given - I had to ask constantly. She just didn't seem bothered or concerned that we hadn't had the magical experience that was promised.

Fair enough I can understand that baby wasn't in the 'prime' position for a picture of the face but the lady was going to send us away to have a think about having a rescan (at an extra cost of £50) I had to ask if she could see any other parts like a leg,foot or hand etc..... Just anything that resembled a human part really....Then she scanned in on something that she explained was a leg (looks nothing like a leg to us)....I was so disapointed.... I felt so let down. We were sent away with one image of a strange looking leg and a picture of baby's heart beat in black and white. The DVD is appalling and you just can't make anything out at all. It's nothing like any of the pics on their website. I am 28 weeks today and the lady said its probably because baby doesn't have much room to move around now - although this scan was recommended for anyone up to 32 weeks. We already have a little boy and as this baby is a little girl we won't be having any more so I really feel as though I have missed out on a wonderful experience that I'll never get the chance to have again:-(

I am going to write a letter of complaint today and hope like Aliw68 we manage to get a full refund. I may look into having another done elsewhere - does anyone know anywhere near Reigate in Surrey?

Since writing my last message expressing my dissapointing 3d scan at babyscan I have received a full refund.

Im very sorry to hear you ladies werent happy with your experience at baby scan clinic in harley street :(

But I had an amazing experience with them. I live outside of London so had to get the train in, tube, then a little walk from the tube station.
I was greeted a very nice receptionist, filled in my forms & after a very short wait was taken upstairs to the scan room.
Big, bright, clean and perfectly good.

The sonographer was really cheery & explained what we were seeing. Baby was in a perfect position for a 4D scan.
We firstly were asked if we wanted to know the sex - which we did and was shown the 'potty' shot and explained the anatomy down there! We were comfirmed it was a girl!

We then spent a while watching baby yawn, eat her hands, stretch and pull various faces. Even the sonographer was saying awww and smiling along with us! Was amazing to see. She looks spitting image of her brother was like looking at him so cant wait until she arrives :)

We were shown legs, feet, belly, heart beating, parts measured and apparently shes got long legs, unlike mummy! We were told estimated weight & seems we are having another tiddler

I bought the dvd with all photos on disc. So many brilliant images that I have printed and framed now. I did have to wait about 15 mins after scan, sitting in the gorgeous reception area for my disc to be burned and photos printed but whats a short wait when your getting such an amazing experience?!

Highly suggest using them and if you get the £99 groupon offer like I did then bargain!

Like the lady above, I had an excellent 4d scan experience at The Baby Scan Clinic in Harley Street, London, using an offer we found online for £99.00. We were made to feel more than welcome and the sonographer was lovely, explaining which parts were which etc.

I don't really understand why some ladies are complaining, especially when you're baby is in the wrong position- that's nothing to do with the clinic. When filling out the forms at the beginning, it is made perfectly clear that the scans are for entertainment.

I would most DEFINITELY recommend The Baby Scan Clinic to anyone, I had a 100% positive experience.

We had a 3/4d scan at The Baby Scan Clinic on Harley Street last week. It was a wonderful experience and we got some amazing pictures and a lovely DVD. For the £99 we paid it was well worth it. I know people that have paid a lot more and come out with a lot less elsewhere.

I cannot recommened the clinic enough, it was clean and friendly and the staff were very accomodating. The sonographer in particular was really nice and she talked us through everything and seemed just as excited to see our baby on screen as we were!

XxX

Has anyone really managed to get any quality footage of their baby moving, in the way the adverts from this clinic suggest or is it all some big scam? I went to the Baby Scan Clinic in Harley street in December using a special discount voucher and was totally disappointed with the results. I didn?t even bother to take the pictures they offered as it was impossible to identify anything on them ? as mentioned in other posts.

I felt that the sonographer on duty made little effort to help. After barely 5 minutes of the session starting she was already offering me a rescan (for an additional £50!) on the basis that the baby was not in the right position. I know from my normal scan sessions at the hospital that you can encourage the baby to reposition itself, but she made little effort to help move the baby. She didn?t offer me a drink of water or anything to eat ? i.e. ?tricks? they use at the hospital scanning sessions. I was having to make suggestions on what could and could not work. All she seemed to say was ?I don?t know. Maybe?. She looked disinterested and unhelpful throughout.

I complained at the time and received an email reply from the clinic. But it just seems to be a standard email response addressing general issues many other customers have probably raised. It was both inaccurate (claiming that they did all they could on the day) and full of spelling mistakes ? which hints at the overall quality of this company.

I see that many such clinics offer a complimentary rescan if the first one is unsuccessful, but this one was more interested in recovering the money it lost by offering a discount.

A total waste of time and money.

I went to see Dr Vera Medic at 73 Harley street (www.4dbabyscanslondon.com) and had excellent experience with lovely 3 d images and DVD for special price of £99.
I did ask before scan what would happen if baby was not in the right position and was told could come back for a re-scan, free of charge.
thankfully, my son was happy to 'pose' for us, so we got some very good images
it was very professional - with check up of baby's organs, position and all the measurements, as well as some very good 3 d pictures
Very nice place and friendly staff, warmly recommended

You will get a scan image from the FMC. I've been there twice with both pregnancies for an early scan. Recommend them.

Has anyone been to the Baby Scan Clinic in Harley Street recently? If so, how was it? Is there a big screen to get a good view? Some of the early reviews on this thread have put me off.

I had 3/4D scans at Babybind with my first two pregnancies, both great. But the Baby Scan clinic's offer is very tempting. Is it too good to be true?

Women's Wellness Centre on Fulham Road near Chelsea Westminster Hospital. See if Mina Savvidou can do it. She is the best.

Last week I had a 4d scan of our baby at the baby scan clinic on Harley Street. It was amazing. It was super easy to book an appointment and easy to find. When we got there they checked us in and took us up to the scan room which was big and clean. The lady who did the scan was so lovely and made me feel very comfortable. When our baby came up on the screen I could have cried I was so happy and they didnt rush us at all. She also do all the normal checks which I didnt expect so I felt that they really did care. I felt that over all it was great value for money and I am so happy we did it. I have now got 8 pics of baby plus a video and when i look back at them it still amazes me how clear we can seen our babys face. We even saw its eye lashes, hands and cord. This is there website so have a look. I highly recommend them, it's so worth it. .- www.babyscanclinic.com

I have just read some of the above comments and feel like a lot of bad experience where due to reasons the clinic may not of been able to control. Like I said above we were there last week and had a great experience and feel very pleased and satisfied with the service we received from the baby scan clinic. The tv screen was very big and clear. I hope if you do go that you get to enjoy it as much as we did.

I also had an amazing experience at the baby scan clinic. The people were so lovely and I got AMAZING pics of my little one even tho she was back to back. The sonographer was lovely and for me being a first time mum the whole experience, seeing my baby moving around was magical. The DVD was also great and those scan pics were my scree savers until she was born! Would highly rccommend :)

I chose the Baby Scan Clinic to have a 3d/4d scan over choosing a scan at the trust in which I work. As the package was cheaper. My baby was nearly 26 weeks at the time and I probably not wisely chose a time I thought the baby would be asleep , thinking this would help for the images. Unfortunately the baby was facing away, but I had brought a cold sugar drink with me in the event this happened (as rescanning would cost extra, however other places charge more in the event you need rescans which they then offer for free, but effectively you pay for this upfront). The radiographer was lovely and very patient. She gave me advice on moving to try and get the baby in a more cooperative position, and also have me a small packet of jelly beans to try and wake him up. Even the footage where we saw our baby hiding his face to sleep just amused my partner and myself, as it reminded us of ourselves. We managed to get some lovely footage and we got far more footage on the disc than I thought we would have and of course some glossy images to keep. Additionally the radiographer explained what we were seeing throughout the session, and even confirmed the gender and estimated the baby's size. The room was private, large, warm, and played soothing music. The radiographer had even warmed the gel. Having had both my NHS scans, and working in the NHS myself , I have to say I much preferred the service of this clinic. I totally recommend this place as £99 is a good price and 3d/4d scanning is a wonderful experience. However like it says in the information it is for entertainment purposes and try to choose a time of day the baby is likely to be awake, so you can get better images. I would say though that if your appointment is 09:00 first of the day, don't arrive that 10 mins before your appointment as the receptionist doesn't arrive until 09:00.

My Husband and I attended the baby scan clinic. The service I received from the baby scan clinic from the offset was disappointing with my appointment being moved several times. As these things can happen I understood the situation and was still happy to proceed with the visit. My Husband and I were so looking forward to catching a glimpse of our baby and we had heard great reviews about the 4d hd technology that the baby scan clinic were promoting.
The reception we received was adequate and the waiting area was nice enough. After 10 minutes of waiting the sonographer greeted us and took us up to the scan room. I was shocked and quite upset at how impersonal the sonographer was. He barely spoke to us, did nothing to calm us or make us feel at ease. Half the time we struggled to even understand what he was saying as he was so mumbled. On several occasions we had to ask that he speak up.
To say we were extremely unimpressed with the technology is an understatement. The scans that we received look absolutely nothing like those advertised on your website. I was told that the placenta was in the way but both my Husband and I could see our baby on the screen, to us it seemed as if the technology was letting any images we were viewing down. The images were often scrambled and the freeze frames were barely recognisable. The poor technology coupled with struggling to hear anything that the sonographer was saying when he did speak made the whole scan quite disturbing and uneasy.
I am so unimpressed with both the technology and the service that we received. What was supposed to be a magical experience for us and one that we had been looking forward to for months turned into quite an upsetting experience and one Id rather forget.

I contacted the clinic to express my frustrations and the response i received was quite frankly insulting. I was told that the reason for the unsatisfactory images were due to the placenta being in the way, although i said from the offset that we could see the baby but the technology was very poor. The fact that we received a very impersonal experience was completely overlooked and we were not even given a response on this matter. They offered a rescan for the price of 89 which was then reduced to 79 as a good will gesture. This was unaccepatable and irrelevant to the points that we had made.

I would strongly advise anybody looking for a 4d scan to avoid this clinic.

Fetal medicine clinic on Harley street. You won't find a better private scan anywhere. They don't just scan but really know everything there is to know about fetal meds. It's also set up as a charity - all monies goes back into research. Excellent!

I had a great mini-anomaly scan at 15 weeks at the FMC. They really took their time and pointed out and explained everything in detail. We got about 5 or 6 pics to take away, all recognisable as a baby.

I can't really get enthusiastic about 4d scans, they look like a melting baby in a lava lamp. I'm happy enough to wait until it's here to see it's actual face.

So none else in London except Marylebone? I'm in SE London and I was hoping for somewhere closer...I had good experience in the past with FMC though.

I'm off to the Fetal Medicine Centre tomorrow for a 8 week viability scan, so will let you know what I think...

I went in Baby Face 4D and they have good excellent service I recommend to anyone. But last week my friend went to Private Ultrasound in 1 Harley Street, and she was pleasantly surprised with service and welcoming staff.