How to get the best possible ultrasound pictures
Many times, mommies-to-be ask, “what should I do for the best pictures? Should I drink anything, caffeine, juice, Mt. Dew before I come? Should I eat or not eat?”. While there’s no perfect answer for every baby, a few things can increase the quality of many ultrasounds:
1. DRINK, DRINK, DRINK, DRINK, DRINK!!! We ask our moms to double up on their water intake the entire week before an ultrasound. Many times, moms think this means a full bladder; it does not. To obtain a 3D/4D ultrasound, our waves need to travel through fluid. More fluid in front of baby’s face, means better quality od pictures. If a baby is right up against the placenta or the side of the uterus, the waves have to travel through these to and back from the face, causing a cloudy look. It usually takes 2-4 days for fluid to reach the uterus from drinking, which is why we ask that you increase the water intake the ENTIRE week before. Last minute water binging doesn’t help. Please note, that just because a “magis pocket” of fluid is not in front of baby’s face, it DOES NOT mean the actual fluid is low. Many times, baby has just positioned himself in such a way that the fluid is not in front of his face. So doubling your water helps to give the greatest chance at having the magic fluid pocket in front of the face.
2. Eat or drink whatever you wish before you come in. many swear by Mt. Dew, Orange Juice, or even coffee, but really it depends on the baby. We’ve seen babies sleeping away soundly after 2 cups of coffee, and some dancing a jig with nothing different. Do whatever you feel comfortable doing and what you feel like might help.
3. The last thing that I noticed from my own pregnancy, was ice. Just plain old ice. Many times I’ll tell moms to bring a cup of chompable ice with them to their session. When I was pregnant, and my Larky would be stubborn, id start chomping on ice. Within a minute or two she’d start moving this way and that. I’m not sure if it was the cold, or the noise. But I’ve seen it happen many times. the key is to wait until right before or even during the scan, rather than chomping down in the waiting room where they have time to get use to the new feeling.
well, there you have it: 4D Mommies tips for an good ultrasound picture. Just remember, though, just because your baby doesn’t jump around anywhere doesn’t mean you won’t have good pictures. If baby is in a great spot with that magic face pocket of fluid, those are sometimes the best pictures!
