Ultrasound
Let us show you your baby!

St. Louis Women’s Healthcare Group now offers MoMentum©, a complimentary new service delivering images directly to your smartphone!

With Momentum, sonographers will send a secure text or email link you’re able to forward on directly to friends and family, social media and printing services. Ask today!

What is an elective prenatal ultrasound?

We offer elective prenatal ultrasounds to provide a proactive, positive bonding experience for the mother, father and family members with the unborn baby. Realistic surface images provide a connection between the parents and baby that can be beneficial to the whole family. A medical, diagnostic ultrasound will have already been performed to assess the gestational age of the fetus and to evaluate for fetal anomalies, as well as the basic components of fetal anatomy. This medical ultrasound is done at 18-22 weeks.

Is it safe? Are there any risks to me, or my baby?

Extensive studies conducted over 35 years have found that ultrasound has not been shown to cause any harm to mother or baby. Routine scanning of all pregnancies is now normal throughout the United States. These routine scans would be considered highly irresponsible if there were even a small risk to mother or baby. In 3D/4D/5D scanning, exactly the same type and intensity of the ultrasound is used as with conventional 2D scanning. 3D, 4D, and 5D Ultrasound utilize sound waves to look inside the body. The technology is similar to radar. A probe placed on the body emits sound waves into the body, listens for the return echo and generates an image. 4D & 5D ultrasound will be similar to a conventional scan in terms of sound exposure.

How far along should I be before I have an elective ultrasound?

If you plan on having only one elective ultrasound session, we would recommend having the ultrasound performed between the 26th and 34th week of the pregnancy. However, excellent images of your baby can be obtained anytime after about 22 weeks of pregnancy. Some mothers obtain more than one elective ultrasound and have images to enjoy from their second and third trimesters.

Will I always get a beautiful picture of my baby?

Usually, but not always. Sometimes if the baby is looking face down, i.e. towards your spine, it may be difficult to see the baby’s face. Other factors that can influence the images are gestational age, amount of amniotic fluid, and maternal obesity. We will be happy to discuss with you our policies and your options should your scan be difficult to obtain.