Connecticut Bans Keepsake Ultrasounds

Being an Ultrasound Tech for over 25 yrs and owning a 3d/4d ultrasound facility , I would say I am in a great place to make a commment.
1 the reason I opened my place is after years of working in hospitals i was tired of dissappointing women. They would come in expecting to be able to bond with their babies, to watch them suck their thumbs, kick etc and I would have 25 min to document aLll body parts/ take all measurements and then maybe take one picture for them. They would leave so dissappointed. As for the 3d/4d business….. yes there are shady places out their. My advice… fine one that only employes techs and ones that have alot of experience… they should ask you if you have had an ultrasound and they should ask for your Drs info if not find somewhere else. It should be a place that feels warm and inviting and should be giventhe opportunity to bond with your baby… look at toes… fingers watch them suck and yawnn play with their toes these are precious moments that make it so real to EVERYONE in the family!!!!

Thanks for sharing your view point.

What state are you in? Have you been effected by the CT law? Any rumblings in your state?

My understanding is that the FDA is worried about the length of exposure. I get where you are coming from in disappointing women, but is that extra exposure worth it? Is it a risk? We don’t think so, but we can’t prove it. I know I would hate to come back in a few years and say I had unnecessarily exposed my baby. And you know that if that were to happen, women would be upset and some rightfully so, that no one told them the possibility was there.

I had one done at a mall when I was pregnant with my son. I got it done so we could find out the sex earlier and also because it was my BF’s birthday. I see nothing wrong with it as they told me this was not to be used in place of an ultrasound done at a doctors office, and I was also encouraged to share the ‘findings’ with my Dr. (which I did)
Also I have ALWAYS known that they don’t know if there is a risk associated with Ultrasounds, and I was only 19 when I had my son. If I kept myself informed at such a young age anyone should be able to do it.

I thought another issue at stake in the “mall ultrasound” is that the operators are not always qualified to actually look at ultrasounds. Then there are the horrible stories of an untrained technician realizing something was wrong with the baby, but having to send the mother off with a “you need to see your doctor or go to the ER immediately” without any other information.
I would have loved to have had a 4d ultrasound with my daughter, but we just didn’t have any extra cash. As a first time mother, I was having a really hard time picturing an actual baby. (I remember how freaked I was when the first ultrasound showed a clear picture of a tiny skeleton inside of me!)
My bottom line is that there is no actual evidence of harm from ultrasounds (other than achy moms), so why should the government step in? I don’t see how an extra 20 minutes of ultrasound is going to cause perm. damage. I had a high risk pregnancy and they were peering inside of me every week for months. Way more than 20 mins of exposure.

There are those facilities who claim to use “certified ultrasound techs” that are NOT always real diagnostic medical sonographers, rather train anyone who will by their franchise (United Imaging Partners). Then there are those facilities like AAUIF.org members who address FDA concerns, use only real diagnostic medical sonographers, limit sessions to approx. 30 minutes, etc. The rotten apples are ruining it for everyone and some politicians are taking advantage of the situation because they are afraid it may infringe on their abortion platform. Voters have to go to these politician’s website and post there! This is fun, but posting at their site really is what makes a difference.

I had a 3d/4d ultrasound in Nashville, TN at 28 weeks and aside from having a little gymnast in my belly who hated being photographed (kept hiding behind her hands jumping out of the shot) it was a wonderful experience. I had to sign a notice stating that I understood that this was NOT a diagnostic ultrasound and that the techs would not be providing any medical information whatosever about my baby. I also had to provide proof that I had gotten all of my prior diagnostic ultrasounds (I had to bring in my 20 week pictures as proof). Then they recommend that we provided copies of the pics to my OB (just in case). Hey Jeff Foxworthy, you might be a redneck if you are getting your ultrasounds done in a mall!!!

I also am a ARDMS liscensed medical sonographer that owns a 3D Ultrasound facility. And I also watched as moms and dads were dissappointed in the ultrasound they recieved in the Dr.’s office or hosp. I worked in these facilities for over 25 years. Most of the time the sonographers are to busy doing there “medical exam” of the baby to spend anytime looking for cute images. I own a reputable facility outside of the hospital I am the only 3D facility in Nashville that has a medical liscense to use this equipment and I do think all of the 3d facilities should have this! Not just someone who bought a machine and has not been trained in safety issue. At our facility we adhere to all guidlines that the FDA uses as far as time of scanning. The hospitals are now offering it aside from the medical exams for a price and not covered by insurance. Seems when money is tight the HCA hospitals want to get in on this as well.

I am also a regerister ultrasongrapher who owns a 3d ultrasound facility. We have physician office doing them all the time too. This is a bonding experience and it reassures the patient(mom) that the baby is ok and how big it is and if it is postion. They hear the heartbeat and know that the baby is alive. This reduces stress on a pregnant woman (which isn/t good for the baby) to know her baby is moving and has a heartbeat. Ultrasound helps moms to reduce stress of worrying. All my patients have referals(orders) from the doctors or midwives. We perform diagnostic scans while we also give the moms pictures of their baby. JUST like we have done for last 25 years we do give you pictures and now with the new technology of the machine a CD. Technology has changed over the years thats why now you can get a dvd/cd and you couldn’t years ago. There is not one true studiy has has proven that ultrasounds when used by Registered ultrasonographers has harmed a fetus. Level 2 ultrasound can take up to 1 hour to perform. I had a level2 ultrasound ervery 2 weeks from 20 weeks own because I was high risk and my babies are fine. Just make sure your technologist are ARDMS registered .
We have people making laws that doesn’t even understand medicine and technology. Our office follows FDA guidelines just like I did when I worked for the hospitals.

I’m also an ARDMS registered Sonographer and I have to say this – sounds like all the Sonographers who are posting on here who own 3D entertainment clinics are using this as advertising. Any properly trained Sonographer would abide by the principles we’ve been taught TO LIMIT EXPOSURE OF OUR PATIENTS TO ULTRASOUND….remember the ALARA principle – only use what you need to get images for a diagnostic test? Maybe the dollar signs in your eyes have caused you to forget about that!

I think people who open these clinics are in it for the money only – they use bonding as an excuse to get people to their clincs. A good Sonographer allows time during an exam for proper bonding for the parents and explains the potential for risks and defends the reason we don’t support exams that aren’t necessary! People need to realize an ultrasound is the first medical test your baby will have – and is just that – a medical test! This whole entertainment thing makes me sick – way to go Connecticut!