Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The Technology of a 4D Ultrasound

Tobias at 33 weeks

The article below was not written by me, it is merely something I wanted to share.  Every since I found out Ashley was pregnant, I do an awful lot of reading about pregnancy.  Every once in awhile I find articles that I am really interested in.  The article below is about the "4D" ultrasounds, which I really like because I love anything that has to do with technology. 

I really like seeing the "4D" pictures of Tobias and I wasn't aware that they really only do this for entertainment purposes.  I guess it makes sense, but it is just amazing how much this technology has advanced over the years.  The picture above is of Tobias during the 33rd week of pregnancy.  You can see in the picture that he is getting so big that his feet are in his face!

I hope you all enjoy the article and I will see you all tomorrow!

The Technology of a 4D Ultrasound

The 4D ultrasound scan is often called the keep sake ultrasound, meaning that some people may find it unnecessary. It is a great way for the parents to bond with their unborn child, because they can see him moving around and making faces in the womb. An ultrasound works by using sound waves that will bounce back and show an image of the baby. This type of baby ultrasound scan can help doctors determine if there is a problem earlier and can determine for sure what the sex of the baby is for the parents. There are studies that show that women take better care of themselves after they have a 4D ultrasound scan. They have a better bond with their child and want to eat right and make sure they are getting enough sleep. Keeping the baby happy becomes even more important to them.

The 4D ultrasound takes these sound wave pictures at a very fast pace allowing them to come back in real time, and creating a sort of animation show for the parents. They will actually be able to see their child moving in the womb. Using a display screen, an electronics console, and a hand held transducer the ultrasound device emits high frequency sound waves and when the waves bounce back they create an echo that shows up on the screen as a picture. There is no radiation involved in an ultrasound scan this process so it is healthy for the baby. The 4D ultrasound allows doctors to conduct examinations on unborn babies that were not possible before, because they can see the entire picture and captures the movement.

Ultrasounds are used by doctors to see how the baby is developing, determining how old it is, spotting twins, spotting abnormalities, determining the sex, and the weight of the baby. People were thrilled with the introduction of the 3D ultrasound which allowed them to see an amazingly clear image of the baby in the womb. The 4D ultrasound scans are even more amazing to future parents because they can see the movement of the baby in the tummy.

The original ultrasound is a blurry picture and it is very difficult to see the different parts of the baby. It is also very difficult to determine the sex of the baby accurately. This can lead to some mistakes when determining if there is a boy or a girl in the beginning. This has also led to doctors not detecting twins until later in the pregnancy. With the introduction of the 2D ultrasound doctors were able to be more accurate on the age, sex, and weight of the baby. They were more accurate with the prediction of due dates, and with the sex of the babies. The introduction of 3D ultrasounds allowed parents to actually see facial features of the baby and know at a 99% sure rate the sex of the baby. The advances in baby ultrasound scans have been quite significant in the past five years, and have come a long way from the original baby scan. It will be interesting to see what advances there will be in the next 5-10 years.

For more information about how a 4d ultrasound scan works, please visit: http://4dultrasoundscans.com/4d-ultrasound-scan-faq/4d-ultrasound-scans-faq/how-a-4d-ultrasound-scan-works/

This article is free for republishing
Source: http://nicolabusley1.articlealley.com/the-technology-of-a-4d-ultrasound-scan-2376856.html

2 comments:

  1. That's a great picture of your son. Yeah I do work for an ultrasound scan place and seeing the 4D is amazing. My daughter is expecting and I got her a scan, it is so wonderful to really see their little face before their born. They wont do a gender scan and we still have 8 weeks to go. pink or blue???? I cant wait.

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    1. That has to be a pretty cool place to work. Did you daughter not want a gender scan? I am so glad we did, it is nice to know we are having a boy so that we can get everything ready.

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