Baby on Board Ultrasound Studio Offers Unique Services for Expectant Parents
By Tonya Warren | Photos courtesy of Melissa Che
Long gone are days when parents waited anxiously for the doctor or midwife to proclaim the baby’s gender in the delivery room. Thanks to incredible technological advances in sonography, distinct fetal features and movements are captured on screen. Melissa Che and her ultrasound trained employees are there to capture the experience for the family. Parents and siblings experience early bonding when viewing the soon-to-be newest family member sucking a thumb or even moving around when a familiar voice is heard outside the womb.
“3D captures the image of the baby, while 4D is when we can actually see the baby moving,” Che said. “It’s so fascinating and beautiful!”
Che’s labor of love was born early last year in the middle of a global pandemic and frigid Texas weather. Her Killeen business, Baby on Board 3D/4D Ultrasound Studio was an idea conceived years ago when she, as a pregnant woman, was subject to what she felt was inadequate care during an elective ultrasound. At the time, health disparities among various ethnic groups were not a common topic of discussion. “I’m a Hispanic woman of Afro-Caribbean descent from Puerto Rico,” Che said. “I wanted something better for our community.”
Being in a military family, Che moved to Fort Hood in 1993. She remembers her mother operating daycares over the years and how comfortable she felt around the little ones. Fast forward to adulthood during which she discovered a passion for photographing babies.
Clients fall in love with precious newborn pictures adorning the walls of Baby on Board. Portraits showing chubby cheeks, tiny noses, and bright blue eyes welcome clients in the door. Cowboy up closer to displayed pictures and admire Che’s creative work with a newborn in a soft and tiny western hat carefully resting on a stuffed steer. In a nod to the area’s strong military presence, there’s a picture of an army green-clad newborn complete with a camo background and an American flag just above the baby’s left hand. Not to be missed are photographs of glowing pregnant women. The look of anticipation and excitement on the soon-to-be mommy faces are well captured by Che and her camera.
Various packages are available for expectant couples with various needs and budgets. Hello Baby is a wonderful package for the expectant parent who wants to validate their pregnancy and due date. Included in this package are limited diagnostics which determines if the baby is measuring correctly according to gestational age. This is a 15-minute session that includes four thermal prints and digital copies and a discount coupon on a future visit. This package is for women between four and ten weeks pregnant.
Pink or Blue package allows the couple to validate the baby’s gender and to visualize fetal movement. Upon request, Che and her crew are happy to keep the gender a secret for a later reveal party. This package is for a 20-minute session and includes baby measurements, seven thermal prints and digital copies and a discount coupon for a future visit.
Baby on Board package offers the couple view of the baby in 3D and 4D images during the session. 3D images are captured and can be shared with others via email, social networks or by placing the images in keepsake photo albums. Also, included in this package are baby measurements, digital photo files of 3D images and gender determination (upon request). This package is for a gestational age of 22+ weeks.
The Baby on Board Combo 3D & 4D package includes viewing and capturing images with two 30-minute sessions. The first session is scheduled between the 22nd and 25th week of pregnancy. This window of time allows for optimal viewing of larger areas of the baby and captures movements in real time. The second session takes place between the 26th and 32nd week of pregnancy. At this time in the pregnancy, very distinct facial features such as grimacing or smiling can be viewed and captured. In this second session, it’s fun to note how much the baby has grown since the earlier session. Appointments can be made over the phone or online.
Also, each package includes, if requested, the baby’s heartbeat, gender, and a free return visit if the baby is uncooperative and doesn’t want images captured on the day of the scheduled visit. Before the session, each client must sign a waiver and understand this is an elective service. Baby on Board does not make medical diagnoses of the expectant mother or preborn baby.
To keep the excitement going, Baby on Board also offers Animal Heartbeats in which a recording of baby’s heartbeat is placed inside a stuffed animal. “We have a variety of animals to choose from,” Che said. “They are super fun and cute.” They make wonderful gifts for families far away, including deployed spouses. Also, gift cards are available and make wonderful presents for Mother’s Day or any other fun occasion.
As the wife of a retired Army spouse and the mother of five children, Che understands each pregnancy is unique and she’s satisfied knowing she offers a much-needed service.
“I have people thanking me so many times for opening something like this here,” she said. “Not everyone can travel or have the means to go to the next town for this service.”
From photographing expecting moms, explaining a baby’s certain facial feature, and then later photographing the newborn, Che gets to experience what she describes as “full circle” with her clients. She’s thankful to be part of capturing special moments for the growing area of Killeen/Fort Hood and beyond.
