4D Fetal Imaging

 

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Shagen M.

San Jose, CA

WOW!  What an experience.  I would highly recommend this place to anyone!  We got an awesome package deal which we found on their website.  For only $99 we were supposed to get a CD with 40-60 images, 2 color photos and 6 black and whites.  We paid $25 extra to add the DVD to our package and not only did we get the stuff we were supposed to get but we got even more.  They gave us 23 minutes of time instead of 15, 4 color photos and 10 black and whites, as well as 78 images on CD!!  The ladies who work there were so nice and sincere.  It was really fun and totally worth the money!!

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Rachel K.

Sunnyvale, CA

My husband and I were very excited to go and get the imaging done--especially after all of the nice things that were said about this place.  But, wow.  What a HUGE disappointment.  When we first walked in, our first impression was that the place was tiny, hot, and dirty.  They were running behind schedule.  The receptionist lied and said that she tried to call us to tell us before we came.  Since we have caller id, we knew that they hadn't even attempted to call us.  Nor did they try to call the additional 3 families that showed up for their appointments after us to tell them that that they were running 30-45 minutes behind schedule.  I was especially put off by the exam room.  The bed they have the woman lay on is pretty big.  They change the small strip of paper on the exam table in between clients, but the sheets stay the same.  How do I know?  Not only did I watch the tech do this as I was leaving the room, but as I entered for my appointment, I put my knee down in a big blob of scanning jelly.  Nasty!  Needless to say, it didn't set a very good tone for the appointment.  The technician didn't seem very knowledgeable.  She didn't tell us much of anything about our son.  We even had to ask her for something as basic as gender confirmation.  To top the appointment off, we didn't even get everything that we had paid for in our package.  The receptionist tried to pass it off as if she had given us everything; however, I had printed out the page from the website with everything that came in our package.  When we confronted her about it, she said that they had "run out of paper" and so she would mail the prints to me.  I won't hold my breath.  Bottom line--I would still recommend getting 4d imaging done, just not at this place.

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46

Peter J.

San Francisco, CA

For most couples, after their first ultrasound at the doctor's office, the next time they'll see their baby is in the flesh (i.e. at delivery).  For my wife, this was unacceptable ("The baby is growing... right?  I'm not just getting fat... right?"   "Ummm....").

4D Ultrasounds are a recent development that allow you to see your baby much more clearly than the black and white pictures taken at the doctor's office.  It's pretty exciting to see your baby moving around, sucking their thumb, smiling, etc.  Our kiddo was yawning and probably wondering what the big deal was...

Anyway, the setup at the 4D Fetal Imaging Center in San Jose were in a small office in a large business complex.  Very easily accessible from 280 with lots of parking.  The two-person staff were very nice and professional.  The actually scanning room has an LCD projector and couches so that your friends and family can see the baby (fetus?).  Our sonographer (person who does the scanning)  explained what he was doing and was able to get a lot of good baby face shots (which can be very difficult!).  

CONS?
1. The office is small.  The waiting area can probably accommodate 10 people at most, and when a couple brings a large family there is no room to wait.  We ended up going to the Japanese mall across the street.  The South SF office is supposedly larger.

2. The scanning room can get quite warm.  Imagine a small room with 10 people and only a fan to keep it cool.  Yikes!  Again, the South SF office is supposedly larger.

3. It's busy and our appointment was delayed by 30 minutes.  Not a big deal, but it would probably annoy some.  They didn't rush our exam at all (even though we were the last exam and it was way past their closing time!).

4. The outside doors are locked after 7:00pm.  We had a late appointment at 7:30pm and had to wait for someone to come down and let us in.

5. As a radiologist-in-training, I find the whole 3D/4D ultrasounds very gimmicky.  It's not diagnostic, meaning it is NOT supposed to replace the real ultrasound you get with your doctor (although if they do see an abnormality they will contact your doctor -- they will not tell you!).  It is essentially 'entertainment' for the parents while subjecting your baby to ultrasound waves (admittedly, ultrasound does have a long history of being considered safe).  But, hey, my wife loved the experience... who am I to deny her happiness?

Overall, the experience is wonderful and we came away with some awesome pictures/CDs/DVDs that I know our families will love.  The cost was reasonable and they are having a spring sale now.  Even more savings if you get scanned on a weekday!

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205

Victoria R.

Campbell, CA

Sorry Peter J., I did see the reply to the string on 3d/4d ultrasound for I started the ad.  I, too, went to 4D Fetal Imaging.

When we first walked in the lights were off and there was no one to be found. Was everything ok? Did someone get hurt? Did they get robbed?, I thought to myself.  Then we heard noise coming from one of the rooms, which later we found out was the theater room.  

It is small. It's so small that you can hear everything that was going on in the theater room, and they could hear you in the waiting room (accomodation less than 10).  My family was the last for that day (sat).  I felt bad for the family that was in there because I had my 2 grand-nephews ages 5 and 8 with us.  They just couldn't sit still.

Finally, it was our turn.  the theater is a small room that was a little on the warmer side but i think its done that way to make the pregnant woman feel comfy.  

The tech was very friendly and took his time.  Wanted to make sure that we had beautiful pictures.  At one point the baby kept covering his face so he made me go on all 4's to make him move. lol....

It's amazing!!!  We had great photo's.  I wondered if our son would look like the ultrasound when he was born.  You know what...... HE DID!!!

It was a great experience and would recommend.  It's not as expensive as it use to be and they have several different packages.  A little FYI - they have coupons in the Bay Area Parent Magazine.  We got a free upgrade.

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melissa r.

Mountain View, CA

Horrible experience!! I would never do this again! We walked in and there was just a hot, stuffy crowded room full of loud teenagers and crying babies with no receptionist at the desk.The place was filthy and stinky with just a small fan to keep the air circulating.
We had to sit out in the crowded hallway to wait for 3 hrs!! There was not enought seating room to accomodate.I am 31 weeks pregnant and this was not comfy at all!
When I finally did get my turn it was brief before being kicked out of the theatre room again because The baby was not in a good position so I had to wait for anouther 30 minutes.I did not receive my DVD I payed for and the staff of 2 did not seem to care at all about the complaints over the time wasted.I wasted alot of my afternoon just waiting at this place and instead of it being a joyous experience, I came out with tears and a headache.My session was rushed and I pretty much got 80 images that look about the same.
Would not recommend!!

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