Expectant parents have long cherished the grainy snapshots they get to take home.
Now three dimensional technology allows us an even clearer image of the foetus in the womb -- showing the baby's face in amazing detail. But is it anything more than an impressive home video? Samira Ahmed reports.
It's the first glimpse you get -- the first real proof that something's in there alive and kicking and healthy. But any parent, would have to admit that under ultrasound they all look like ET.
But in sepia tones, parents have a glimpse of their real child.
You could argue that at more than £200 a go; this is an indulgence. But for the Gallaghers, whose first baby was stillborn, opting to pay for a 3D scan with their next child was important.
So medically, even parents know, it doesn't offer much yet; but 3D's advocate believes funding research into these healthy patterns of smiles, blinks and other movements could help the NHS with diagnosing problems in developing foetuses.
For now, though, 3D imaging is the preserve of Harley Street and its private patients.
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