Questions

QUESTIONS

Congratulations to you and your growing family! Below are the most frequently asked questions that most patients calling New Leaf4D Ultrasound ask. If you have additional questions that have not been addressed below, please contact us at:
813-315-8297
1Why Choose New Leaf 4D?
We believe pregnancy should be the most memorable time for you. Our beautiful décor, good location, our highly-trained technicians, spa, wellness and fitness programs will tie everything together for a great experience. We have also deployed and invested heavily in the best-rated GE 3D/4D HD medical equipment. This allows you to see the difference in your images of baby. Please note, many organizations claim to use “state-of-the-art” equipment, when in fact they use older or inferior technology. Only the GE E8 generates HD 3D/4D images with amazing clarity. Our sonogram equipment allows you to see your baby in live 4D motion video unlike any other on the market today. We have also wisely invested in having our own facilities vs. working out of a small room in a doctor’s suite so that you may have the benefit of bringing friends, family members, and even children with you to your appointment. We will accommodate our clients by using extended hours and weekend appointments. You will find out first hand that New Leaf 4D genuinely cares about you and your baby as if we were scanning our own.
2What is the difference between 2D, 3D, 4D and HD?
2D is a black and white still image like you generally get at our doctor’s office. It is capturing a slice of an image. 3D is taking points from multi dimensions and creating a still 3-dimensional image like the photos you see displayed on our website or marketing materials. With most of our packages these images are saved in a jpg format on a CD so that you can email, print, Facebook, etc. As for 4D~Instead of just one 3D image after another, computers have been able to do this so quickly that we now can stream to you what your baby is doing LIVE in the womb; hence the 4th dimension (4D) is time. When purchasing a 3D/4D session with New Leaf 4D you will automatically see everything in both 3D and 4D. Your 4D-moving portion can actually be DVD recorded. You will have what baby was doing at that moment in time in mommy’s womb FOREVER. HD (High Definition) is by far a much better version of the 3D/4D technology that has been available for the past decade. Most our 3D/4D sessions will be performed in HD, where others are still using the dated 3D/4D. HD images are still in a slight bronze tone, they are so much clearer, lighter, brighter, smoother, have less speckle than before. The motion rendering as you watch baby move is not as delayed and much faster than the previous 3D/4D technology. It is an extraordinary rendering method that generates amazingly realistic images of the baby and the surface tone is no longer in that bronze color, but more realistic to flesh. HDLIVE also allows us to manipulate the light source and generates images that the industry has never before been able to produce.
3When is the best week to come for HD 3D/4D Ultrasound?
The answer to the question has changed since HD is so much clearer, more defined, and now available. It varies based on your personal goal. Remember coming early allows you the opportunity to see the baby’s whole body and possibly even flipping, twisting, and turning. Later in the pregnancy you trade that for more defined chunkier facial features. 16 weeks is the earliest we see patients if you want to find out the gender of baby. If you want to try and view the baby’s body, then you want to come before 26 weeks. If you plan to have only one HD 3D/4D Ultrasound examination, we would recommend having the examination performed between the 26th and 34th week of the pregnancy. For fuller more defined chunkier facial features then most moms tend to come 28-32 weeks. The longer you wait is NOT better. There comes a point where baby is too big, head can be tilted back in the pelvis, covered in placenta etc.
4Can a 3D/4D HD ultrasound with New Leaf 4D take the place requested by the doctor?
NO! Women who are seeking an elective prenatal Ultrasound with New Leaf 4D must already be receiving treatment with a healthcare provider for prenatal care. You may be under the care of a Dr, Midwife or clinic.
5Is it safe? Are there any risks to me or my baby using 3D/4D/ HD?
Extensive studies 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 US. This technology uses sound waves. 3D/4D scanning uses exactly the same type and intensity of Ultrasound used with conventional 2D scanning. The technology is similar to the way dolphins communicate in the water. A probe is placed on the belly, emits sound waves into the body, listens for the return echo and generates an image. 4D Ultrasound will be similar to a conventional scan in terms of exposure. The difference is that instead of viewing one slice of a picture as in 2D we can now capture points from multiple dimensions.
6Do I need an appointment? Can I decide what package I want when I get there?
To better serve you, appointments are necessary for all of our services and we currently cannot accommodate walk-ins. We are also out in the field doing community service, Pro-Life events and working with crisis centers so you may not even find us in the office certain hours. More importantly there are things that you need to do to be prepared for your session (see below). We book you based on the amount of time you want to spend with baby. Therefore, we need to know in advance if you need a 10-min gender session or a 30-min long 3D/4D session. We do not allow you to extend your session last minute because the next family will be waiting for their time slot directly after yours. We generally have a wait list so for that same reason you may not downgrade your package last minute. Remember you are paying to see whatever baby is showing you live in his/her environment during your session.
7What is on my DVD?
Your DVD is the live moving portion of your session. It is not professional in the sense that nothing is cropped or edited. We are recording what baby is performing LIVE in the womb at that exact moment in time of your scheduled time slot. This will include 2D, 3D, and 4D. If you arrive late, you may not see that portion of your time slot recorded. The first several minutes of your session may not be on your finalized DVD. This is when we are explaining to you what the baby is doing and how the baby is situated so that you can better understand what you are looking at for the remaining portion of your session. At this time, we may also be documenting the position of the baby, the placement of the placenta and verifying heartbeat. If you have to get up and use the restroom, or walk around to get baby to move that is also not recorded on your session. Not only are we recording your DVD video for you, but most packages will include all colored still 3D images of baby on a CD that you will have prior to leaving the office. Your DVD is formatted where you are more than welcomed to replicate copies if you choose.
8Will I always get a beautiful picture of my baby?
Usually, but not always. There are so many factors involved. Every baby scans differently, depending on gestational age, position, amount of amniotic fluid, and mother’s condition, placenta location etc. Please be realistic and do not expect for baby to be all posed smiling and ready to say, “Hi mommy here I am.”. Be patient and realize that sometimes baby shows you more at the beginning, middle or the end. After doing this for so many years, we have found that everyone’s interpretation of beautiful is so different. The mom, who sees the baby in a gymnast position with arms and legs over the head, usually wants a profile view. The mom who gets the perfect profile view sometimes isn’t happy until the baby stops sucking the thumb or until she sees the full face. When the baby finally shows the whole face, others want the baby to drop the hand or even comment “the nose is huge.” We get it; our techs have all had children and had the 3D/4D. Enjoy the limited time you have with baby in the womb. Looking back, you will find that sucking the thumb was the cutest thing ever, or lying on his/her side cuddled up against the placenta is exactly the way baby likes to lay up against mommy’s chest after birth. Yes, the nose does look a little larger in 3D because a: we are passing the plane of the nose to try and get you a full facial and b: it’s sound waves we are working with, not a camera. You will be surprised when it’s all done and over with that there is no doubt genetics really works. Over time you will see everything the baby is doing in the womb will come full circle. Even the nose looks the same in all of the images submitted (just not as wide). We make no promises that the images will be similar to those you might have seen elsewhere or even from our own clinic with a previous pregnancy. Again, every baby scans differently. Clarity solely depends on how hydrated you are. Which brings us to the next question.
9What can I do to be prepared for my session? Do I need a full bladder?
Once you book your appointment you will receive a confirmation email reminding you that this technology is a waste of money and DOES NOT work well if you do not drink enough water. WHY water? Water hydrates you and your body then increases the amount of amniotic fluid. This is the fluid needed and used to render your images. Positions of baby you cannot control, but you are the sole person that determines the CLARITY of your images. The more amniotic fluid the clearer the images tend to be, regardless of which way baby is facing. Also, this helps push the placenta off the baby’s face. You DO NOT need a full bladder, you may eat at any time, but again you MUST drink the normal 2 Liters of water a day (8 glasses or 64 oz.) for 3 full days leading up to your appointment time. We also recommend that you pay attention and book your appointment based on baby’s movements. Does your baby go straight to sleep after you eat? Does she wake up and move after you eat? Is he active at 10 am or 7pm?
10What are your office hours and how far in advance should I schedule my appointment?
We book by appointments only. Weekdays from 10am until 5pm, on Saturdays and Sundays too. If you need a very specific date and time we suggest booking in advance. With that said we almost always have availability the same week and sometimes even the same day.
11Can I bring my family and friends?
Absolutely, children included. We encourage our clients to invite family and friends to attend the elective 4D Ultrasound session. This is the main reason we have extended our hours to evening and weekends. This is a joyous and wonderful experience, one that can be shared with your family and loved ones. If you are purchasing a 3D/4D session, we can comfortably accommodate 8 people on our comfy sofa and raised seating. Your guest will be in the same room with you watching everything on our 120” theater size screen. Most moms who want to entertain guests tend to do a 30-min session so that you have ample time with baby, but guests can come with any package. On weekends our 2D gender sessions are performed in our cozy regular sized exam and you will still get the chance to see baby on a theater sized screen. This room can accommodate a max 3 guests. Note that you may upgrade to our family sized room by scheduling in advance. Pricing available in our packages’ section.
12What do I wear?
We recommend that you come with comfortable loose clothing or even leggings. Jeans are very difficult to work with since the baby’s head is usually down. You will NOT have to de robe and this is ALWAYS an external ultrasound so only your belly will be exposed.
13What kind of Ultrasound equipment do you use to perform the 4D Ultrasounds?
We using GE’s state of the art Voluson E8. The GE E8 has been seen in GE television commercials and many printed articles from around the world. This machine is one of the best 2D, HD 3D/4D and HDLIVE 4D Ultrasound machine available. Please note, many organizations claim to use “state-of-the-art” equipment, when in fact they use older or inferior technology. Only the GE E8/E10 generates HD and HDLIVE 4D images with amazing clarity. Our sonogram equipment allows you to see your baby in live 4D motion video unlike any other on the market today. On a side note, our technicians are very accomodating and have become very familiar with our machine. They have scanned many babies and use ultrasound physics to work against all odds and get the baby to show you spectacular images in your favor!
14Is the 4D Ultrasound covered by Insurance?
At this point, insurance does not cover the costs of our elective Ultrasound services. Since this is an elective procedure and is not intended to be a replacement for your doctor ordered Ultrasound. With that said our pricing is based on at out of pocket expense. We accept debit, cash, check and all major credit cards.
15What is the difference between elective prenatal Ultrasound and one referred by my doctor?
You are choosing this ultrasound with us because you want to not because you have to. We offer 2D, 3D & 4D prenatal Ultrasounds to provide a positive bonding experience for the mother, father and family members with the unborn baby. Our realistic surface rendering of your baby’s images provides a connection between the parents and baby that can be beneficial to the entire family. We make no claims that 4D/HD as used in this examination is performed to better assess the baby for abnormalities. A routine Ultrasound examination should 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 recommended for screening.