Superbaby! Ultrababy! (My Ultra Baby)

Member Name: oioiyou

Product:	My Ultra Baby
Date:	13/07/09 (129 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great service, nice people and easy to book

Disadvantages: Packages can be a bit pricey but the ones I did were well worth it

Having a baby is a wonderful experience! I thought it was lovely going to the first scan and getting to see our baby for the first time. It was amazing seeing that little mini-me forming. I found that the hospital appointments were over too soon! We weren't offered a dating scan as apparently that is only offered in our area if you are not 100% sure about your dates. As my other half and I had been trying for a baby we knew our dates perfectly. Our first scan was at about 12-13 weeks and the technician at the hospital who performed the scan was really nice and showed us what everything was and talked us through what he was looking for. Unfortunately he wasn't allowed to tell us the gender of our new baby. We already had a little boy and with child number two we really wanted to know. Neither of us were concerned what the sex of the baby was going to be and I have a few friends who told me off saying they would want it to be a surprise. That's nice for them but as a couple we both wanted to know so decision made.

I searched the internet and found a private scanning company in a town about 20 minutes drive from our house. The company offered a number of different scans and private tests. We chose to visit My Ultrababy which has clinics located in Watford, Hertfordshire & Docklands, London. The scan we chose was the Gender Scan which is available for women 16 - 36 weeks pregnant. I entered my name, contact number, and two dates that would be good for me and within two days had a call from them to confirm an appointment. The lady I spoke with was very nice and explained what was on offer. For £80 I could have a full scan that checked over baby, confirmed dates, gender, well-being report and a black & white print. The other option was to add a DVD of the entire scan for an extra £10. I had initially signed up for the £80 scan but on the day my other half changed it to get the DVD as well. I made sure we left the house early so as to ensure we were able to park and be there 10 minutes early as instructed so we could fill out the paperwork. I thought we were going to have problems parking as the place is on a main road but we didn't have any trouble at all. There was a parking space right out front. Pay at meter but it I think £2 covered us for longer than we needed.

Upon entering we were greeted by a clean, bright and friendly environment. The front desk was to the right as you entered and the lady there knew who was expected and welcomed us. It only took a moment to fill out the forms which required my name (pre-filled for me), address (pre-filled for me), contact number (pre-filled for me), GP details, a tick box to confirm I wanted to know the gender of my unborn child and a signature box. The appointment before me had found a slight abnormality and the sonographer was discussing the ultrasonic finding and telling her what steps she should take. The lady left rather calmly (I would have been like a woman possessed!) but maybe it wasn't anything major and I was jumping to conclusions. I always get nervous for doctors appointments and stuff like that so it was most likely me fearing the worst. We were called into the office where I noticed a huge ultrasound machine. It was easily twice the size of the one at the hospital. The sonographer was very chatty which was perfect because having a conversation kept me calm. She went through the scan and marked on a document the things she was checking and what her findings were. Thankfully everything looked fine. Her only finding that shocked me was that she thought the baby was slightly bigger then the dates but only fractionally. After all the checks had been done she told us that our little one was curled up due to the cold weather but she had a good view to be able to tell us the gender. She then confirmed again with us that we did indeed what to know the gender. I thought this was a little weird as I had signed up for the Gender Scan so why wouldn't I want to know the gender??? Thinking about it later I guess some people might just want another scan in the earlier weeks before you have any later scans but don't actually want to know the gender. Surely if that were the case people would make that clear from the start but cover all bases. The company now offer a Reassurance scan from 13 weeks plus which wasn't previously offered so I assume people who don't want to know the gender would now go to that scan instead.

It's a boy! She looked for about 2 minutes before confirming it to us. She had told us at the beginning that as it was cold outside a lot of babies seem to be curling up thus making things harder to find and if that were the case she'd have us come back on another day to try again without an additional fee. One thing to note if you're pregnant and reading this is:

"My Ultrababy can determine the gender of your baby with an accuracy of approximately 90%. Please note, ultrasound cannot provide 100% confirmation, as some foetus's can be ambiguous. The sonographers will not disclose the gender until they feel confident and may ask you to move around if baby is not in a good position."

We were both really happy with the scan and the whole experience of My Ultrbaby. The staff were lovely, the office was clean and inviting, and we got exactly what we wanted from the day. The DVD today lives in the baby memories box with all the scan photos we collected along the way.

Another point to make is that My Ultrababy scans and other companies that offer the same should not replace scans appointed by the NHS and all scan reports should ideally be shown to you healthcare professional.

Scans offered by My Ultrababy:

Early pregnancy 7 - 11 weeks £75
Determine viability of an early pregnancy; confirm single/multiple pregnancy; may involve transvaginal/internal scanning. No sexing
With this scan you get the assessment report and 1 black and white scan photo

Dating scan 8 - 15 weeks £75
Confirm foetal gestation age; confirm single/multiple pregnancy; may involve transvaginal/internal scanning. No sexing
With this scan you get the assessment report and 1 black and white scan photo

Nuchal Translucency scan 11 - 13+6 weeks £125
With blood tests £145
This scan will measure the foetus and confirm health and age. The sonographer will also measure fluid space at the back of the babies neck for raised chromosomal abnormalities, genetic syndromes &/or cardiac defects.
If you choose to have the blood tests they will be done on the same day
You will receive a detailed Assessment report, 1 black and white scan photo, Blood screening (if you choose)

Reassurance scan from 13 weeks + £65
This scan is exactly what it sounds like. Basically confirming a healthy foetus. I can fully understand why this scan has been added to the list. When I was about 30 weeks I just wanted to know that everything was ok and as there were no more NHS tests I booked a fathers' day treat and took my other half to a growth scan (will explain later).

Anomaly screening 18 - 24 weeks £150
Your NHS anomaly screening is booked when you are roughly 20 weeks pregnant. Our NHS 20 week scan was really detailed and the sonographer spent a lot of time with us as there was no one booked in after us but if you wish to have a private anomaly scan you can do so.

Anomaly scans pay particular attention to the growth of the baby. They measure and check anatomical structures such as the head, chest, stomach, spine, heart kidneys ...

If you go private with My Ultrababy you will receive an anomaly report and 1 black and white scan photo.

Gender scan 16 - 34 weeks £80 or £90 with DVD
See earlier description ...

3D & 4D scans 22 - 34 weeks £see below
There are six to choose from here:

Topaz: 22 - 34 weeks £95
Confirmed healthy foetus, 2 black and white scan photos

Pearl: 22 - 34 weeks £120
CD with 8 coloured images, 2 black and white scan photos, 1x Fridge Magnet (with colour image)

Sapphire: 24 - 34 weeks £149
4D DVD, 1 4x6 colour image, and 2 black and white scan photos

Emerald: 24 - 34 weeks £180
4D DVD, CD with 8 coloured images, 1 4x6 colour image plus frame, 1 Keyring (with colour image), and 2 black and white scan photos

Diamond: 24 - 34 weeks £ 250
4D DVD, 1 A4 colour image, 4 black and white images, CD with 10 coloured images, 2 Keyrings (with colour image), and a download of colour image to iPod/Mobile

(To be honest I scanned our photos onto our home computer and added them myself)

Gem: The combination of 3 scans ... Nuchal, 2D gender and Emerald at a total cost of £399

See each scans write up for details, but ...

I am however slightly confused by why some one would choose this one though...

Nuchal £125
2D Gender scan £90 with DVD
Emerald £180

This comes to £395 ... why pay an extra £4 to call it a Gem package? Maybe I'm being awkward but it's a lot of money to spend.

Growth scan 24 - 34 weeks £100
Exactly what it sounds like. An assessment of the growth in line with what it should be at that stage in your pregnancy. You will be given a full report of the findings, have them explained to you and also get 2 black and white scan photos.

This was the fathers' day scan we had. A surprise for my other half until we parked as he knew then what we were doing. Our older lad was with us that day so he got to see what his little brother was up to. The sonographer said hello and seemed to remember us quite well and even referenced to a conversation we'd had during our last visit so we felt right at home. She asked if there was a reason why we'd wanted a growth scan but as mentioned before there wasn't such a thing as a reassurance scan then and that was basically what we were after. She went through the paperwork checking measurements and letting my son have a go at using the machine. We had asked for another DVD which wasn't normally part of this scan but they allowed us to add it on. As per usual with a young child my son needed the loo so my other half took him out quickly. Whilst they were out in the toilet the sonographer said that our baby was in a wonderful position to get a full face view in 3D/4D and would I mind if she had a go. I didn't mind at all and she quickly switched the view over. It was quite weird seeing that little face in 3D/4D. The sonographer only got a minute or two of good shots before he rolled over but it was still a cool thing to see. I'm a bit glad my little one had been out of the room as I think he might have found it scary and my other half had already said he didn't like the idea of it as it made the babies look like pumpkins. I told him when he got back and he wasn't upset thankfully but he didn't want to view the DVD until the baby had arrived which is fair enough. The sonographer also did a estimated birth weight of 6 ½ - 7lbs. Baby ended up at 7lbs 9oz so not too far off but she did say at the time it all comes down to when baby is born and how much weight they pile on in those last few weeks.

Presentation scan 24 weeks - term £65
Confirmation of foetal positioning going into the last stage of pregnancy. The sonographer will check where the placenta and the head of the baby are and provide a well-being report plus 1 black and white scan photo.

My second little man bounced up and down for a while in the last month. According to my midwife subsequent children can hover instead of engaging until much closer to the birth so I didn't bother with anything like this. I think this might also be a new scan to their books as I don't recognise it. At antenatal check-ups the midwife and her student staff would feel around and let me know where baby was and in what position and I just listened to them at that point.

Earlier on in my pregnancy I tried to book some antenatal NHS classes as it had been almost five years since my son was born I I wanted a top-up in preparation. I looked high and low but there wasn't a class with a spot available until November (it was may when I was looking and the baby was due in September). I was a bit disappointed to be honest and this may sound silly (maybe hormones I don't know) but I got very down about it. My mum came to my rescue and paid for private classes at My Ultrababy. She came along with me as she was on standby to be with my in labour if my other half couldn't be there in time. They offer a few different classes but the ones we went for were one evening a week over a 4 week period. It was £130 (eek! Thankfully not from my wallet) and ran from 7 - 9 pm. Catered for women from 26 weeks onwards at the clinic and offered a great cup of tea! You were given an information pack which had a bunch of leaflets containing useful websites, numbers and information. Just to let you know there are one2one sessions available at the clinic for £160 or at your home for £185.

Class number one:
An open chat to talk about what you expect from childbirth and a chance to get any fears or questions you may have addressed. An explanation of labour and how to know when it's the "real thing". Methods to staying calm and how to best pack a hospital bag so as to have everything you might need and nothing you don't.

Class number two:
A DVD telling you about pain relief available to you and the effects of each one. A discussion about birth, various modes of delivery, when things go differently to your birth plan, hormonal changes to you after birth and the birth partners' role.

Class number three:
Birthing positions, techniques for labour including breathing, and the progress of a normal birth.

The final class:
A general guide to caring for a newborn baby. A video session about breastfeeding. This was actually the best film yet as it showed a close up of exactly what you are supposed to do for the best chance of successful breastfeeding. Demonstration using a baby doll. Nappy changing, bathing, feeding. We were shown a number of different breast pumps and bottles and told the pros and cons of each to help aid our baby shopping later on. Last but definitely not least we were given our antenatal class completion goodie bags. Graduation! Yay!

Honestly I think the best part of the classes was the relaxed environment. It was a place where I could ask stupid questions and have no one think less of me as they were mostly asking the same things. As I already had a child I felt at times like my midwife expected me to already know what I was doing when in fact I was completely lost. My cousin had a baby just before I fell pregnant and it took me about 5 minutes to figure out how to hold the kid properly!

Oh dear I've just had a look at my review and thank you to all of you who have stuck with me to the end as I have really gone on (again!). I should go and do some housework or get some sleep but the allure of Dooyoo is sometimes too much to ignore!

© oioiyou 2009

Summary: A good find at just the right time offering what I wanted!