Every parent always remembers seeing his or
her child's face for the very first time. But
thanks to new technology, parents can now do
that a whole lot sooner, even before children
are born. Although most offices don't use the
new ultrasound machine yet, soon every expectant
mother will be asking for these real-life
images.
It's called the GE Voluson. "You can actually
see the baby move with 3-D images," explained
diagnostic synographer Robin Moore-Godbold. "You
see the arms and legs moving, and hands opening.
You see the skin texture and things you don't
see on a normal ultrasound."
On a normal ultrasound, which is the more
traditional machine used by most doctors'
offices, the images parents are used to seeing
are not very clear. But the $130,000 GE Voluson
shows them live motion portraits from inside the
womb.
"What it can do is actually freeze an image,
and it can actually be turned around and be seen
from all different angles," said Dr. Lisa
Semple.
But seeing your baby from all different
angles comes at a price. Insurance companies
don't pay for this cutting-edge technology, so
getting live pictures of your baby can cost up
to $250. Mother-to-be Danielle Fife says it's
worth every penny. "With this I know everything
is fine," she said. "I know there isn't anything
wrong with her."
More than 50 expectant mothers like Fife have
come to Baby Prevue on Hodgson Memorial Drive
for the first look at their babies and the
reassurance that they are healthy. "3-D is a
great way to evaluate cleft pallet, cleft lip,
so people that have that kind of family history
have this kind of technology available to them,"
said Dr. Semple.
Fife says the real joy
of this medical technology is getting her first
look at someone she knows she'll love for the
rest of her life. "It's real exciting to see
your baby on the screen, it's something your
carrying."
The Baby Prevue office is the only one in
Savannah that provide this ultrasound for 3-D
baby pictures. You can call them at
964.1010.
Reported by: Hena Daniels, hdaniels@wtoc.com
