Sneak Peek
Ultrasounds give expectant parents a glimpse of their babies before birth
Thanks to 3D/4D ultrasound, expecting parents are able to see their babies before birth. In Texarkana, Stork Vision and The Peanut Gallery offer 3D/4D ultrasounds with packages starting under $100.
The ultrasounds aren't medically necessary, but they can and do benefit families.
“It's a really good bonding experience for families. You can actually see what the babies look like,” said Amanda Adcock, owner of the Peanut Gallery.
“The technology has gotten so much better. If a baby has dimples you can see them. You can tell if they have hair or their mom's lips and dad's nose. … I think it's just cool to see what the babies are up to in there. For first-time parents or grandparents who didn't have this technology when they were having kids, they don't realize how busy the babies are in there and the cool things they do. People just really get a kick out of seeing them smile or suck their thumbs.”
Often parents will come in for an ultrasound to find out whether their baby is a boy or girl about 16 weeks along.
“Gender reveal parties are the latest and greatest thing these days,” said Kim Lach, owner/sonographer at Stork Vision. “Everybody is wanting to do a gender reveal party or find out the sex of the baby a little bit sooner so you can start buying stuff, getting the nursery ready and pick out a name.”
Both ultrasound businesses can assist parents with gender reveal parties by putting the sex of the baby in a sealed envelope, calling the baker or whoever is hosting the party.
Family members are welcome to participate in the ultrasound experience.
“We are family-friendly. We get large groups frequently. You can bring your whole family,” Adcock said.
Lach said the more the merrier.
“It's a great bonding experience and it just makes it so real, especially for like an older sibling. … Everybody is just so excited and overwhelmed. And the whole family can come, not like at the doctor's office where they only let you bring one or two people.
This is for anybody and everybody. I encourage large families to come in,” Lach said.
These sonograms are different from what women will find at the doctor's office.
“In our facility we do ultrasounds that aren't medically necessary,” Adcock said. “We don't do measurements at all except for heart rate so it's different in that sense. In medical sonograms they are concerned with measurements and the anatomy. We're there as kind of a relaxing experience. We're not rushed. You get to look at what you want to look at. It's just a more fun, relaxed environment.”
The Peanut Gallery and Stork Vision offer a range of packages, making the experience affordable for everybody. They also run special deals on ultrasounds.
The best time in pregnancy to have an ultrasound done and take pictures of the baby is between 27 and 32 weeks.
“A lot of times it's fine later in pregnancy, but sometimes the babies can get a little big and a little smushed in there depending on where the placenta is,” Adcock said.
Both businesses also offer keepsake heartbeat stuffed animals.
“We record the baby's heartbeat on a little device and place it in the stuffed animal,” Lach said.