I recently had a 4D Ultrasound at Goldenview Ultrasound, and while this is a bit of a review, it is also a personal story.

Over the past month, I have chatted with friends about an issue that, frankly, I felt ashamed to admit.

This pregnancy (and my life) is nothing similar to when I was pregnant with my first child. I don’t have time at a desk feeling the baby kick, or spare time to snuggle in bed feeling hiccups as I read baby books. My husband and I don’t chat about baby names over dinner for two. In fact, my husband and I realized that we were actually alone together for the first time in 4 months yesterday….at the tax accountant’s office doing our tax return.

Needless to say, I don’t feel….connected to this baby. And I’ve been feeling guilty about it.

With a business I’m trying to establish, a toddler in the throws of the terrible twos, potty-training and the big-boy-bed migration, and the daily household grind, the quiet time is rarely there. So when I finally whispered my shame to my friends who all have two (or more) children, they laughed. “Been there done that”, they said, “It is just a common fact for subsequent pregnancies.” But still, I want to be connected.

So I started planning a Gender Reveal Party as a way to celebrate and find out the gender earlier than I did with my first baby. I thought that might be that way to start feeling in tune with this pregnancy. Magic Beans and I partnered together to host a Twitter Party too, but we needed to find out what the gender was in order to reveal it! So Magic Beans hooked me up with Goldenview Ultrasound to determine the gender for my upcoming Gender Reveal Party. But little did I know that the Ultrasound itself would be the answer to what I have been seeking.

Goldenview Ultrasound has four locations across the country, and it was an easy drive to the Massachusetts location in Brookline. (Though I suggest leaving extra time to find parking.) It is in an office building in a private suite, and when I checked-in at the reception desk, I was warmly welcomed. They schedule one person at a time so it was just me in the suite, though they have plenty of space if you wanted to bring a big posse with you. (They even have the ability to do a web broadcast.)

After filling out a variety of paperwork to ensure that I was already under pre-natal care, I was brought in for the ultrasound. For the first time in my pregnancy, I was looking forward to the ultrasound. The worry was not there unlike the other ultrasounds I have had in this pregnancy.

As I laid there hearing the heartbeat, the 3D image came on the screen.

I was in awe.

I saw a little face. Not the black and white side profile ghostly-like image you see in the doctor’s office, but a golden-hued 3D picture of this little miracle. I saw him/her moving around, sucking its thumb and having a good time kicking me – which Michelle, the technician, got a kick out of.

As Michelle was getting some pictures and a little video, I was finally connecting in this tiny someone in a quiet little office in Brookline. The experience was priceless.

A short time later, I left the room so she could put a pair of socks in a cute box for me. They have this neat service where you can buy a pair of socks. You pick out two pairs – boy & girl – and they will box one or the other up (depending on what they discover), so you can open it later and be surprised at the gender. (They hide the other set of socks so you can’t use deductive reasoning to figure it out, and they don’t put back that set of socks until well after you leave so no doubling back!) My box is currently sitting on my desk in my house. (Well-taped I might add.)

They have lots of packages and a variety of price points for the 3D/4D Ultrasound, including many deals and steals so it is worth taking a look around their website. In addition to the socks, they have other cute products, like stuffed animals that you can insert a sound card with your baby’s heartbeat.

A 3D/4D Ultrasound is elective, however, and is not a substitution for pre-natal care. It’s best to chat with your doctor in advance to see if it is something you can and should do.

But if you are in the clear, and wondering if it is worth it, I’d have to say yes. People get a Goldenview 3D/4D Ultrasound for a variety of reasons; while it was a great way to determine the gender for my party, it really was a way for me to finally have time to bond with my baby. Now, everyday, I can pause for a moment in my busy day to look at the picture on my desk.

All in all, I cannot wait to kiss that little the face for the first time, and many thanks to Goldenview Ultrasound for giving me that moment I’ve been looking for.

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In addition to the ultrasound they provided, through my relationship with Magic Beans and the media articles and Twitter Party we are hosting, Goldenview is providing some goodies for the Party as well. However, the thoughts, opinions, images, words and giveaway in this post are my own.

(*Note: no winner from the previously posted giveaway as the required number of entrants was not reached. However, one lucky person won a free ultrasound during the above mentioned online Twitter party.)