From key rings, to magnets, to our ever-popular Heartbeat Bear, we offer a great variety of baby scan souvenirs here at First Encounters - if you want to take home a memento of your ultrasound experience, there are plenty of options to choose from.
That said, the best souvenir of all is often the footage that we capture during the scan itself. Previously, the only way for our customers to take home their scan footage was on a DVD, but we now provide footage on a disc in the more versatile MP4 format. Furthermore, for an extra £10 you can upgrade to an even more convenient option: your ultrasound scan video on a USB stick!
Whether you visit us for a 2D scan or a 3D/4D scan, we can save your scan footage onto a handy little First Encounters USB stick for you to take home and use as you please. You will also receive the MP4 file on a disc as standard.
Unlike a DVD recording, the MP4 format allows you to accomplish the following with ease:
- Save your scan video to your own computer
- Create a backup version of your scan video
- Share the footage with friends and family online
- Burn multiple copies to disc as gifts for your loved ones
In addition to the video file, your First Encounters USB stick can also be loaded with all of the photographic images captured during your ultrasound scan (we usually capture at least 20-25 photos per scan). This means you'll have easy access to an extensive collection of pictures to post on Facebook and send to your relatives, no matter where in the world they are.
Ready to book your baby scan and create the memories you'll cherish for a lifetime? Click here to see our scan options, or visit our Cardiff Clinic Location Page to find our First Encounters Ultrasound clinic.
To celebrate the arrival of Spring, we've decided to put together a special offer for customers who book scans with us from now until the 10th of April. The offer is available when you book any of the following 4D ultrasound packages before that date:
A Deluxe4D™ ultrasound scan can be booked from 24-32 weeks, providing you and up to six guests with the chance to watch your unborn baby's movements live on a plasma screen; a special moment that will be captured on DVD. The sonographer will also perform growth measurements, and will determine other vital information about your baby's well-being.
Like the regular Deluxe4D™ package, Deluxe4DPlus™ provides you with a unique glimpse into your baby's world while also confirming vital details about their progress, such as their growth and positioning. After your scan, you will receive a selection of commemorative items, including DVD footage of your little one.With the Deluxe4DPlus™ pacakge, you will also have the opportunity to discover your baby's gender, since a 2D sexing scan is included in the price.
Unlike the Deluxe4D™ packages, our 4DgenderAssure™ option provides you with the opportunity to learn the sex of your baby from as early as 20 weeks gestation. You will be able to discover the gender of your baby in live 2D footage, before getting a closer look at your baby via 3D/4D imagery, which will be projected onto our plasma screen. To commemorate your special day, the package also includes 4 glossy photographs and a keyring with an image of your little one.
If you book any of these before Sunday the 10th of April, you will also receive the following additional items for FREE:
- CD containing photos from your scan
- Four colour prints (6" x 4")
- 1 x photo magnet
These items are worth £23.50 in total.
This offer is valid to any customer who books their scan before the 10th of April. The scan itself can take place on any date you choose, as long as the booking is made before the specified date.
You can view our full range of scan packages
here.
Attending a
4D ultrasound scan and seeing your baby's face for the first time is a breathtaking experience, and it's one that you'll no doubt be eager to share with your nearest and dearest. Our customers are already able to keep the footage from their scans in the form of DVD recordings, but from April onwards, you'll have the option to take home your scan video on a
USB stick instead!
How it works
When you book one of our DVD-inclusive scan packages (listed at the end of this post), you'll be given the option to upgrade to a USB stick for an additional £10 fee. This option will be available from the 1st of April 2016 onwards.
At the end of your scan, instead of receiving a souvenir DVD, you will be given a branded First Encounters USB stick (as pictured above) containing your scan footage in the form of an MP4 video file.
Please note that, if you choose to upgrade to a USB stick, you will NOT get a DVD as well. You will receive your USB stick instead of a DVD recording, not in addition to it.
Why choose a USB stick over a DVD recording?
We have decided to start offering our customers USB sticks as an alternative to DVDs for a number of reasons. Firstly, we are noticing that fewer and fewer people actually own DVD players, and we feel that the USB option will allow a larger number of people to rewatch their scan footage at home.
Other benefits include:
- Easier sharing. Once you have taken your USB stick home, you will be able to share the video file with friends and relatives all over the world, either via email or on social media websites (e.g. Facebook).
- TV compatibility. No DVD player? No problem! Most televisions now come with USB ports - simply plug the First Encounters USB stick into your telly and gather everyone in the living room for a very special screening!
- Durability. DVDs get damaged quite easily - our USB sticks (and the video files they contain) are far less likely to be rendered unwatchable by an accidental scratch or scuff!
USB sticks will be available with the following ultrasound scan packages from the 1st of April:
Here at First Encounters, we use state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment to capture 3D footage of unborn babies inside the womb. This provides expectant parents with a truly breathtaking baby bonding experience, giving them a sneak preview of what their child will look like and helping them to feel closer to the little life that will soon be joining their family.
We have always offered a variety of souvenirs to complement our 3D/4D ultrasound service (including key fobs, fridge magnets, DVD recordings, and our ever popular
Heartbeat Bear), but the latest addition to our range of baby scan gifts takes things to a whole new level.
Those who undergo a 3D/4D scan at the First Encounters Ultrasound clinic will now have the option to purchase a 3D sculpture of their baby-to-be. These models are created based on the ultrasound data captured during the scan, so they are every bit as detailed as the scan footage itself.
We think that a 3D baby sculpture is the ultimate souvenir for expectant parents. Not only will it serve as a great memento of your visit to the First Encounters clinic (and of your pregnancy as a whole), it's also a great gift for grandparents-in-waiting and other excited relatives. Better still, once your child has emerged from the womb and grown up a little, you'll be able to show them what they looked like before they'd even been born!
Our 3D models are produced by
Wolfprint, who manufacture high-quality 3D models for clients all over Europe. If you request a 3D baby sculpture on the day of your scan, we'll send the necessary ultrasound data to Wolfprint, who will then turn it into a spectacular model of your unborn baby. You should receive your 3D sculpture within
5-7 working days of your ultrasound scan, complete with the frame of your choice.We offer three different options on that front:
3D Sculpture in Single Wooden Frame
£149 (excl. shipping)
3D Sculpture with Glass Tablestand
£149 (excl. shipping)
3D Sculpture in Double Wooden Frame
£159 (excl. shipping)
Contact us now to book your scan and learn more about this utterly unique ultrasound souvenir.
A winner will be chosen at random when our Facebook page reaches 2,000 likes!
We offer a wide variety of
baby scan gifts here at First Encounters Ultrasound, but easily the most popular souvenir of all is our adorable Heartbeat Bear (your baby's heartbeat recorded onto a cuddly teddy bear).
Cute, isn't he?
The photo above is taken from
Family Days Tried & Tested, a family blog specialising in fun days out and activities for parents to enjoy with their children. The FDT&T family recently visited the First Encounters Clinic, where - thanks to our
4D ultrasound technology - they were introduced to the newest member of their clan:
We're pleased to say that Mrs Family Days wrote an entire blog post about her First Encounters experience -
click here to read her thoughts and see the photographs she took on the day.
But let's get back to that bear, because you could win one of your very own for absolutely nothing!
Win a Heartbeat Bear Experience Worth £45!
If you're pregnant and you'd like to have your unborn child's heartbeat recorded onto a cute cuddly toy, here's what to do:
- Like First Encounters on Facebook (our page is here).
- Share the page with your friends and get them to like it too!
- Once our page reaches 2,000 likes, we'll select one of those 2,000 people to win a Heartbeat Bear Experience!
What is a Heartbeat Bear Experience?
If you win the Hearbeat Bear Experience, you'll be invited to your
nearest First Encounters clinic for a heartbeat scan. A probe will be placed on your belly and the sound of your baby's heartbeat will be recorded onto one of our teddy bears.
This bear will be yours to take home - the teddy makes a wonderful souvenir of your pregnancy, and we're certain that you'll hang onto it for years after the birth of your baby!
The prizewinner will also have the option to upgrade to a full
ultrasound scan - this will be charged as normal, but will include a Heartbeat Bear free of charge.
So what are you waiting for? Head over to Facebook and enter our competition - you've got to be in it to win it!
Please note that the Heartbeat Bear Experience is available only if you are currently pregnant; our protocol prevents us from recording the heartbeat of a child who has already been born.
