FAQs

Yes! Please drink a lot of water starting at least 3 days before your appointment.  On the way to your appointment, drink some orange juice or eat some chocolate to “wake up” your baby.

Yes!  Bring family and friends. This is a joyous and wonderful experience, one that can be shared with your loved ones. Children are welcome too.  During this COVID time, we are asking to limit your guests, but please call us at 775-851-7626 to talk about our situation.

Usually yes – but not always. Sometimes if the baby is looking face down toward your spine or up against the placenta, it may be difficult to see the baby’s face. If this happens and we are unable to obtain images in the recommended scan time, a rescheduled scan will be recommended, at no charge.  The baby likely will have turned to a more favorable position. (Please be cautious of other facilities that scan beyond the recommended AIUM scan/exposure times in order to obtain your images).  We cannot promise that the images will be similar to those you might have seen elsewhere or even from our office, but we make every effort to exceed everyone’s expectations. Every baby scans differently, depending on its gestational age, position, the amount of fluid and mother’s body type. To increase successful results it is recommended to be well hydrated, so drink a lot of water a least 3 days before your appointment.   On the way to your appointment, drinking orange juice will “wake up” your baby!

For our Fuller-Figured Mommy’s –  please book a 30 minute appointment

If you are more “full figured”, it is more difficult for our ultrasound tech to get a clear picture of your baby.  This is because of the way ultrasound scans work. A scan sends high-frequency sound waves through your womb. These bounce off your baby and the echoes are turned into an image on a screen.

If you have more body tissue for the waves to travel through, your baby is further away from the probe — the device that’s rolled over your tummy to pick up the sound waves. This makes the images less clear. Tissue also absorbs the sound waves, so the more there is around your abdomen, the less likely it is that the details will be clear.

We suggest that if you are more voluptuous, you should book at least a 30-minute appointment (Sneak Peek), to allow for more time for our tech to get quality pictures of your baby. However, we can not guarantee quality photos each time.   We thank you for understanding.

Gender determination can be made beginning at 14 weeks and is not determined in 3D/4D.  More realistic and mature images of your baby can be obtained anytime after about 28 weeks of pregnancy. We are most successful in obtaining these images before 35 weeks.  Many mothers have more than one 4D ultrasound performed and have images to enjoy from their second and third trimesters. A discount on multiple sessions at 3D Keepsake Imaging will be given to any returning family. See our Pricing page.

Depending on the package you choose, the entire ultrasound appointment will last between 5 and 30 minutes.

We use the state-of-the-art GE Voluson 730 EXPERT to complete all ultrasound sessions. It is widely used in both elective and medical ultrasound and is medical grade technology. Please note, many organizations claim to use state-of-the-art equipment, when in fact they use older or inferior technology.

3D Keepsake offers regular (2-dimensional) ultrasound services, which were introduced to the public in the 1970s and provide amazing insight into the human body.  The black and white 2D ultrasounds are the most diagnostic and are always used for medical ultrasounds for this reason.  Also, the gender is most accurate when determined in 2D.

However, the 4-dimensional ultrasound offers not only the opportunity to see the baby clearly in 3-D (still images), but also adds the fourth element of real-time, which allows the incredible opportunity to see moving images of your unborn child.

Extensive studies conducted over 35 years found ultrasound has not been shown to cause any harm to mother or baby. Routine scanning of all pregnancies is normal throughout the United States. These routine scans would be considered highly irresponsible if there was even a small risk to mother or baby. In 3D/4D scanning, exactly the same type and intensity of ultrasound is used as with conventional 2D scanning; all of these types of scans utilize sound waves to look inside the body. We adhere to the AIUM (American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine) guidelines where is states that ultrasound is safe but scan time and exposure time should be limited to 30 minutes. 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 ultrasound is similar to a conventional scan in terms of sound exposure.

ABSOLUTELY NOT! Women seeking an elective prenatal ultrasound with 3D Keepsake Imaging should be receiving treatment with a healthcare provider for prenatal care. Your imaging session at 3D Keepsake Imaging is strictly an elective ultrasound. At no time is this elective experience to be confused with, or used in place of, a diagnostic ultrasound.

This is an ultrasound that is NOT ordered by your doctor or midwife. We offer elective 2D, 3D and 4D prenatal ultrasounds to provide a proactive, unique bonding experience for the mother, father and family members with the unborn baby. Realistic surface images provide a connection between the parents and baby.