Published: Saturday, Sep. 06, 2008 / Updated: Monday, Sep. 08, 2008 12:23 PM

Best of the weekend: Capturing baby's first wiggle

3D/4D ultrasound gaining fans among parents wanting to see more than a flat sonogram

Suzanne Pressley, 22 weeks pregnant with her second child, recently saw her unborn daughter in 3D and 4D -- a type of ultrasound imaging that lets parents-to-be see a lifelike, three-dimensional view of their baby with movement.

"Mommy! Mommy! The baby went like this!" Pressley's breathless 7-year-old daughter Joi An Holmes said, shaking her hand back and forth to mimic her unborn sister's movements.

"Watch!" Pressley said to Joi An, pointing at the screen."I'm making a movie for you," added Pamela Manley of Tega Cay, co-owner of 3D Dreams in Fort Mill's Baxter Village and the sonographer who performed Pressley's ultrasound.

Over the past three years, elective prenatal 3D/4D imaging centers such as 3D Dreams have grown in popularity, said Randy Koenig, vice president of an online directory for pregnant mothers looking for a 3D/4D ultrasound facility.

Koenig said the number of centers in the United States, Canada and England has tripled since 2005. In South Carolina, there are about nine elective 3D/4D ultrasound clinics.

"It is such a booming industry," he said.

But despite the popularity of 3D/4D ultrasounds among expectant moms and their families, many medical experts do not support the non-medical use of ultrasound technology.

Although no adverse biological effects have been confirmed from the use of ultrasound, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine recommend that ultrasound should be used only when the patient's physician indicates that it will provide a medical benefit to the patient.

Kevin McCarthy, a spokesman for Charlotte's Carolinas Medical Center, which offers specialized medical care for expectant mothers, said the primary purpose of an ultrasound is to diagnose potential problems. He said non-physician supervised 3D/4D ultrasounds should not substitute for ultrasounds performed by an obstetrician.

"There is no harm that would come to someone by having the 3D ultrasound," McCarthy said. However, "if you are just doing it as a prenatal family portrait, you might consider that ultrasound is used as a diagnostic tool. If it is only used for a picture, it might not be read to spot real problems."

Dr. John Allbert, a maternal-fetal specialist in Charlotte, said it is difficult for the untrained eye to interpret a 2D ultrasound, so he occasionally uses 3D ultrasound to give parents a visual of something of interest or concern.

But Allbert recommends using ultrasound only for a medical reason.

"Ultrasound has been well-tested, and there is no evidence of it causing harm to fetuses," he said. "That doesn't mean that there isn't the potential."

'A different twist'

Although the elective use of the 3D/4D ultrasound isn't generally supported by the medical community, that has not affected its popularity among expectant mothers and families.

Unlike the diagnostic two-dimensional ultrasound that's commonly performed on expectant women in a doctor's office, the 3D ultrasound can show the baby's surface area in a golden hue, giving parents a more life-like image of their child. The 4D component of the ultrasound shows the baby's movement.

The 3D image of a fetus is captured on keepsake prints, CD-ROMs and DVDs for a cost of $80 to $250, depending on what memorabilia parents choose.

The elective 3D/4D ultrasound is not performed for a medical purpose.

"It's a different twist," Manley said. "Here I'm interested in showing you for fun. The patient enjoys this. It's like a bonding thing."

Manley and her partner, Jamie McFadden of Tega Cay, are registered diagnostic medical sonographers. They work day jobs in a hospital and perform 3D/4D prenatal ultrasounds at the center by appointment, usually evenings and weekends.

The center, which opened in mid-July, offers prenatal massage. Manley and McFadden said they recommend that their clients check with their doctor before having an elective ultrasound.

Like a movie

Suzanne Pressley, who lives in Indian Trail, N.C., had a routine diagnostic ultrasound at her obstetrician's office in July. She brought her husband and daughter to 3D Dreams so they all could see of her unborn daughter in 3D.