Precious Sneak Peak
At Lasting Expressions, we strive to create and capture memories that will last much longer than the sessions we offer. A relatively new way that we do that is through our ultrasounds. We offer 2D, 3D and 4D ultrasounds starting at 15 weeks gestation. These ultrasound packages also come with prints that allow an expecting mother a physical keepsake to treasure those precious few months of pregnancy with their newest addition.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was dying to see her. I was incredibly anxious to see her tiny body, her little heart beating, and watch her move (even before I could actually feel her). I was so excited when I was able to go into the ultrasound room and watch her. Her little heartbeat was in the 150s, and we got a keepsake heartbeat stuffed animal for every set of grandparents. My coworkers were the first to know the gender, because they were in the ultrasound room with us while our tech showed us exactly who she was. When I was far enough along, we also did the 3D/4D ultrasounds and got to see her little face, and her little fingers curled up by her head. We watched as she kicked and twisted around. I still have her ultrasounds up on our fridge 15 months later.
The duration of the ultrasounds were never really enough to satisfy wanting to physically hold our precious girl before she actually arrived, but it kept us from going crazy. We had beautiful images- we knew she would have my nose and her daddy’s eyes before she was ever born. Those moments in the ultrasound room were short, but precious. And knowing how precious they were to me, made me want to give other moms those same sweet moments with their own little ones. I’ve seen moms cry when they get the gender they desperately wanted, and others laugh when dad talks to their belly to get baby to kick and move. The moments inside the ultrasound room are just as sweet as the images we capture for the parents to be.
It’s truly amazing to watch how quickly these little people grow and transform in the short 40 weeks in the womb. At 16 weeks, which is the earliest we attempt a gender reveal, the babies are still so tiny. They flip and kick and have plenty of room for all their acrobatics at that stage. At that point, generally the 2D ultrasounds are the best pictures, since their little features haven’t developed quite as much, but the gender is still visible.
But just a few short weeks later, around 26-28 weeks, baby is beautiful. Their faces are a little rounder, their eyes, nose and mouth are all there and perfect. Their fingers and toes, even their fingernails are visible in the 3D/4D ultrasounds. There’s not quite as much room to move around in there, and there have been more than one occasion that I’ve felt baby kick the ultrasound wand as it moved across mommy’s tummy. The movements are stronger and more developed- there’s more kicking and stretching, and less flipping and rolling going on.
And then in the weeks 30+, baby grows so rapidly, sometimes it’s difficult to even get a decent picture because baby is taking up ALL the space in there! Those chubby little baby cheeks fill out, those sweet little newborn fat rolls develop, and baby is all but ready for the world!
It really is like watching a miracle, the way these tiny people develop and grow so quickly. And just as quickly it seems, they’re newborns, infants, and then toddlers- all growing and changing with each day. It is so exciting to get to see these tiny ones from their very first moments in the womb, to their newborn photos in the hospital, throughout their first years, and at so many other milestones.
