Surprisingly, there is only one place to get an elective 3D ultrasound experience in Bismarck. Love at First Bump recently opened their 3D/4D ultrasound studio here in Bismarck, where expecting mothers can come to experience the first real look at their new baby before they’re even born.
I have been to Love at First Bump’s studio a couple times now. Jennifer and Nathan have always been very welcoming and have the cutest little kids too. My first visit was to hang some of my beautiful gallery wrapped canvases in their studio. I visited recently again to interview them and take some photos. I feel like every expecting parent should know about this amazing experience.
Can you tell me a bit about Love at First Bump?
Our names are Jennifer and Nathan Edwards and we are the proud owners and sonographers of Love at First Bump, LLC. We started this business with the love of ultrasounds and babies. We want to give every expecting mom and family the joy of being able to see their baby and enjoy it. Our family-owned studio is located in our home, North of I94 in Bismarck, ND.
Our focus is on giving you the most amazing, memorable, personalized, and warm welcoming experience! At our studio we are about taking our time with you, your family and loved ones, and not making you feel rushed. We know from experience that this is a powerful and emotional experience, and we want to give every single client the type of service and attention we would want. We want to provide you with that incredibly special, memorable, one on one time with your baby that you will never forget and leave here with memories that you will be able to hold on to and cherish for a lifetime!
What is the difference between a 2d, 3d & 4d ultrasound?
- 2D is the traditional black & white ultrasound you have probably seen before. The pictures just show flat, two-dimensional outlines of the baby. You may have received a 2D ultrasound when you had your diagnostic ultrasound or gender determination.
- 3D shows a three-dimensional image of your baby. The transducer sends out sound waves in numerous directions, and as a result makes a realistic life-like image of your baby which shows your little one’s attributes. You can see things like the roundness of your baby’s face, the shape of the nose, and the shape and thickness of baby’s lips. The color is not the actual color of the baby, it is computer enhanced to make the pictures more appealing and realistic looking.
- 4D ultrasound is the exact same technology as 3D with the difference that you can see your baby in motion (a live view). If we are lucky, we may get to see your baby do things like smile, bring a foot or two up the face, yawn, or just wave at us.
What time during a pregnancy is the best time for an 3d/4d ultrasound?
I offer 3D/4D ultrasounds as early as 14 weeks and up until the day you deliver (but keep in mind, baby will be getting squished and clear images are never guaranteed). And in short, anytime is a great time to come in and see baby in 3D/4D. We suggest drinking a gallon of water a day the week leading up to your appointment, and no caffeine for sure the day of your scan and the days leading up to your appointment if possible. If you are well hydrated, it will give you and me the best chances of getting the clearest, most amazing images of baby in 2D, 3D, and 4D.
- At 14 weeks, baby is the size of lemon or light bulb. I love doing 3D/4D ultrasounds this early because we usually get to see baby from head to toe. You may not be able to see whose lips or chin baby will have, but to see all of baby, stretching and kicking and moving even though mom is not able to feel baby move yet, is beautiful all on its own.
- At 18 weeks, baby’s face can be seen clearer and at 20 weeks, baby is now almost the size of a banana and around 10 inches long! In just a short time, baby is already starting to look more and more like the little person you will meet the day you give birth.
- Around 25 weeks, baby starts to gain some weight and facial features can be seen even more. But I cannot say I truly have a favorite or a best time to capture baby. Every month baby changes so much and is fun to capture and watch baby grow every step of the way.
How soon can you find out the gender of the baby?
- Here at Love at First Bump, we have SneakPeek DNA blood draw clinics (almost) every Wednesday. You can come to the studio and get your blood drawn by a phlebotomist to have it sent to SneakPeek’s lab where they have a 99.9% accurate DNA-based blood test to find out within a day if you are having a boy or girl as early as 8 weeks. Or you can get a gender determination ultrasound performed as early as 14 weeks by me, watch baby move and possibly do a sneak peak of your little mover in 3D/4D if they let me.
Are these ultrasounds safe for mom and baby?
- Extensive studies over 30 years have found that ultrasounds performed by a trained sonographer have not been shown to cause any harm to mother or baby. Routine scanning of all pregnancies is now normal throughout the United States and around the world. 3D/4D scanning uses the same type and intensity of ultrasound waves as used with conventional 2D scanning. Our guidelines dictate the system to be used in the Obstetric Application Mode. This mode is capped by the manufacturer (GE) below the FDA limits for exposure.
- We highly recommend that parents discuss with their doctor any safety concerns they may have about elective 2D/3D/4D ultrasound.
Are you always able to get a good scan of the baby?
- Usually, but not always. Sometimes if the baby is persistently looking face down, i.e. towards your spine, it may be difficult to see the baby’s face. If this happens, we will do a 1 time free rescan for you in hopes that baby will be in a better position to get images.
- We make no promises that the images will be similar to those you might have seen elsewhere, or even from our office, or that we can always meet everyone’s expectations. Every baby scans differently depending on its gestational age, position, amount of amniotic fluid, placenta location, and mother’s body type. Also, other body parts such as arms, hands, and feet may interfere with the views of the face, but we promise to make every effort to obtain the best possible images.
Are close family and friends allowed to come along and view the scan also?
- Yes, family and friends are very welcome!!! We can comfortably fit mom plus 4-5 other people in our scan room, but more are always welcome. Kids & babies are always welcome, and we have toys and books available for them to enjoy while mom can lay down and relax.
- If a loved one is not able to make it, we also provide a live YouTube streaming link (upon request) for anyone anywhere to watch and be apart of the whole process.
What made you want to open a 3d/4d ultrasound studio & offer a 3D ultrasound experience in Bismarck?
- Ever since I was pregnant with my oldest child, I fell in love with ultrasounds. To me, besides being able to feel baby and being kicked anywhere but the bladder, ultrasounds were the best part of being pregnant. But insurance does not pay for them and the doctor’s office usually will not provide them unless you have a medical reason to do so.
- So, I started looking around and found that elective ultrasounds were an option and I fell in love! So much that I wanted to open my own studio to offer that same love and time with baby to other moms. I found a consulting company, did some research, and went all in. When I found out there was not one already located in the Bismarck/Mandan area everything seemed to fall into place Love at First Bump was born. I felt like bringing this unique business to the area was a must for the community and future moms-to-be.
What’s your favorite keepsake you offer?
- Our number one add-on keepsake is the all-digital content download. All sessions during your pregnancy can be made into an app and added to your phone and shared with anyone of your choosing for $30. I record and save your entire ultrasound session and any photos I am able to capture of baby. The only thing that I am not able to get from our ultrasound machine is the sound of baby’s heartbeat, and that’s when a heartbeat animal or jewelry is always a great option.
- We have a variety of adorable heartbeat plush animals that make a great keepsake for anyone. Whether they are used for baby announcements, a keepsake for baby’s room, or to have and to hear baby’s heartbeat anytime you want, they make the wait for baby feel just that much more worth it.
- The other favorite keepsake that we offer is not just for baby. We are partnered with Heartbeat Keepsakes Jewelry to place any loved one’s heartbeat (Grandparents, best friend, yourself for your little ones someday, etc.) As long as I can scan their heart or get an existing photo of a heartbeat, we can have that heartbeat image turned into or engraved on just about any piece of jewelry you can think of. They also can engrave any ultrasound or photo of your choosing onto a keychain or dog tag.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Here at Love at First Bump, we want everyone to feel like family. We are a small, family-owned business who grew up in small towns ourselves and we want to make sure you have the best experience possible.
If coming to us to see that your baby is okay and makes your fear or worries feel just a little bit smaller, it makes everything about us being here worth it for us.
Pregnancy can be hard, and 40 weeks is a long time to wait to meet your little bundle of joy. So being able to see baby on an ultrasound is the perfect way to make that wait seem sooo worth it.
The miracle of a growing a living child is so remarkable and beautiful and our goal is for every single family to have that chance to experience and cherish these moments as often as they can. Having a baby is never a guarantee or something you can do forever in one’s lifetime and we want to be able to give that time with baby to as many people as possible.
If you have any questions about the services or baby supplies (i.e.: baby dopplers, customized baby onesies, bibs, etc.) that we offer, please don’t hesitate to call us at 701-557-0821 or email us at loveatfirstbump4d@gmail.com and check our out website at www.loveatfirstbump.com and make sure to follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/loveatfirstbump4d or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/loveatfirstbump/ where we have monthly giveaways (no, you do not need to be pregnant to win), updates, and pictures to fall in love with.
