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Strollerderby
Bye Bye Baby Shower, Hello Ultrasound Party
And here we thought whipping out the ultrasound pics everytime someone made eyes at your belly was a bit much. Ultrasound parties – held at a mom-to-be’s home so “everyone” can meet the new baby at once – just got some big press thanks to big time English soccer star Wayne Rooney and wife Coleen.
The Daily Mail says the fab footballing couple (he plays for Manchester United, she’s a TV star in England) invited an ultrasound tech into their home along with friends and family for a “get to know the baby” party with a 4D ultrasound. But considering their wedding alone was reportedly a five-million-pound affair, this is just one of those things the uber rich are doing, right?
Not exactly.
The Daily Mail article says there are now a number of companies offering this kind of at-home service to just about anybody, sending a qualified technician plus the machine to a mom-to-be’s house. The parents can get a DVD of the whole thing too. And the price sits around three hundred pounds.
What makes this drastically different from all that hub-bub about Tom Cruise buying Katie her own ultrasound machine? These parents aren’t buying one (not even the Rooneys), and a qualified technician is still on hand to do the test. They’re also a one-time deal, rather than repeatedly subjecting the fetus to the process (although they’re considered safe, researchers have warned the possibility of fetal abnormalities increases with repeated use).
Some 4D ultrasound spots in the states already allow parents-to-be to invite extended family into the room (this company invites as many as eight family members to accompany Mom), but by and large they’re done in an office or studio. Prices vary too – this one in Florida will let you get a glimpse of your babe for as little as $75.
4D scans are still largely elective, ordered by doctors only in high risk pregnancies, so women who make use of them are largely doing so on an elective basis anyway. But would you go the extra mile and pay for this kind of thing?
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Amy Kuras commented on Aug 25 09 at 3:02 pmSoooooo narcissistic. What is WRONG with our generation? Also, I am assuming people have these done after a diagnostic ultrasound has been performed. The whole point of that doctor-prescribed one you do at about 20 weeks is not to find out the baby’s sex or give you a peek but to uncover problems. I know in actual real life more than one person who went in expecting that to be a happy experience and came out with terrible news.
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