Womb with a View
Three NRLC Staffers Describe Their Own Experiences with 4D Ultrasounds
By Holly Smith, Field Coordinator

There must be something in the water, or so the joke goes in National Right to Life's D.C. offices, where three staffers in the State Organizational Development Department have given birth to four babies over the past 20 months. Riley, Easton, Maria, and Brady are blessings to their families and friends, and their loved ones were able to bond with these wonderful babies in a unique and amazing way through the use of 4D ultrasound technology.

Several years ago, a tender television commercial introduced GE's 4D ultrasound equipment. Since then, private ultrasound businesses have sprung up throughout the country to offer expectant mothers a chance to view their unborn babies in a comfortable setting, usually with a small theatre for their families to view as well, and a baby-themed soundtrack for good measure.

Tracie, Kim, and I were no different than any other pregnant mothers, already bonded to our unborn children but naturally curious to know them better by seeing their features and observing their behaviors inside the womb. In contrast to traditional 2D ultrasound, where you typically view the profile of your child in black and white, 4D ultrasound shows 3D images of your unborn child moving around the womb, with the 4th dimension being motion. The images are a sepia color, which shows depth and allows one to recognize features.

As Tracie explained, "It was just like other ultrasounds, but longer and in a more relaxed atmosphere. They let us select some background lullaby music for our video which played during the ultrasound and set the mood. Rather than looking at an enlarged computer monitor as we'd done before, it was projected onto a movie screen for both me and [my husband] to see.

"The screen was split between 2D and 4D images of our baby. We watched the real-time 2D ultrasound image of our baby as the technician was able to zoom in on different features so we could see him in 4D."

Easton didn't really cooperate for the first 15 minutes. He had both his feet and hands up in front of his face.

"In fact, our favorite shots captured have a foot and hand right up under his chin," Tracie explained. "It was so amazing to see how crammed in there he was! It sure helped me understand the uncomfortable acrobatics he engaged in as I tried to fall asleep every night."

The technology is rapidly advancing, as demonstrated by my own experience exactly a year after Tracie's. We were able to watch the entire ultrasound in 4D live action and were given a DVD of the session as part of the package.

Seeing our daughter Maria sucking her thumb, sticking her tongue in and out of her mouth, and yawning was just as incredible for us first-time parents as seeing her first smile, hearing her first giggle, or watching her suck her thumb outside of the womb. And just as people examine our four-month-old's features to see who she resembles, we did the same thing with the 4D ultrasound images of her.

Kim noted, "We were able to get so many pictures of [Brady]. I was able to see his feet, hands, tummy, and different facial expressions. It was fun after he was born to compare him to the pictures we have from the sonogram. In a few of the pictures they look so much alike with chubby cheeks and a defined nose."

Why mothers seek the ultrasounds varies, including for curiosity or peace of mind. Tracie and I both live across the country from our families, so the 4D ultrasounds were a good way for our families, and especially our mothers, to participate in our pregnancies. We e-mailed the pictures and mailed the DVDs home for all of our families to have the chance to bond with the babies simply by viewing them.

I think it was also important for my husband since, as the pregnant mother, I could feel the baby and was responsible for her well-being. My husband took care of me, but in seeing the ultrasound, he was able to participate in the pregnancy in a more direct way.

For Kim, it was comforting to see that her son had all of his body parts and that he looked so well and healthy, something you cannot see in black and white, 2D ultrasounds. Tracie agreed, "At the 20-week [2D] ultrasound, we found out we were having a boy and that he had an adorable profile sucking his thumb - - he's sure to be a genius. But seeing his facial features in a 4D ultrasound quieted many unvoiced trivial fears. He was perfect and he even looked like us!"

My husband and I actually had two 4D ultrasound sessions of our daughter, one at about 20 weeks and the other at 30 weeks. These were remarkable because prior to the 20-week 4D ultrasound, we had only had 2D ones as part of our prenatal care. In those pictures, Maria looked plump, despite being so tiny in reality. In the first 4D ultrasound, it became clear that while she may have looked round in profile, she was too young to have baby fat, which made getting a good idea of her physical features nearly impossible.

However, it wasn't a loss. It was good for us to see that she still needed the rest of the pregnancy to "finish cooking," and we were able to observe some of her activity, like sucking her left thumb. By the 4D ultrasound at 30 weeks, we couldn't wait and weren't disappointed by what we saw, a beautiful little girl with a lot of her daddy's facial features and my long fingers - - the same features everyone remarks on now that she is born.

One effect 4D ultrasounds do not have is tempering the anxiousness of all expectant mothers to hold their babies in their arms. If anything, it exacerbates it.

"More than anything I just wanted to hold him in my arms," Tracie explained. "The hardest part about having this ultrasound was that I still had at least six weeks left to wait for him to get here! For a big-uncomfortable-first-time-pregnant lady, that's sheer torture!"

From our own experiences, we certainly see how it could be helpful in creating a bond for women in unplanned pregnancies or those who have trouble emotionally attaching to their child. Tracie and her husband's reaction to seeing Easton for the first time could only be described as love. "[My husband] and I were immediately in love with this little guy and his flat button nose - - what my grandpa had called a boxer's nose."

The joy we each experienced by having 4D ultrasounds leads us to anticipate doing it again for future pregnancies. Kim has some regret that it wasn't available when she was pregnant with her oldest son Riley, since it is such a wonderful keepsake to have and show your children later in life.

Tracie likes to think each of her kids will watch their ultrasound and understand that their parents loved them so much and were so excited to meet them that they just couldn't wait!

As members of the pro-life movement, we also understand the educational value of 4D ultrasound technology. First the GE commercial, and now the recent National Geographic special In the Womb, beautifully show the miracle of life inside the womb and help the public at large to recognize the humanity of the unborn child.

Because of our own experiences, we were able to personalize our unborn children to our family, friends, and acquaintances through the understanding we got of our babies, and the images themselves, from 4D ultrasound. Our hope is that some of those people came away with not only a closer attachment to our children, but to all unborn children.