Cardoso Family 4D Ultrasound

We're so excited here at CBS 12 because one of our anchors is expecting baby number two very soon now. CBS 12's Tara Cardoso has a special report on her family and their very special 4-D ultrasound.

Tara: Baby bonding, it's a lot easier for mother to do before birth since the baby is inside her own body, but what about dad and the rest of the family? Well, the Cardosos decided to go for a 4-D ultrasound together and I wanted to share my family's experience with you.

This is Keira.  She's our 2 year old beautiful, bouncing, bundle of joy.  Little does she know that her life is about to change --drastically.  So, before all of our lives change, we decided to spy on the little baby on the way with a 4-D ultrasound.

My husband Jorge says, "You get a sneak peak of what this little thing that's keeping your wife up all night is going to look like."

At 31 weeks, baby's getting chubbier and my husband, Jorge is getting curious saying, "You feel a lump and you wonder is that the head, the bum, a fist, or an elbow? To see where it's located... now I have an idea."

Keira, on the other hand is still a little confused about this whole baby sister thing.  We ask her where baby sister is and she lifts her shirt and tell us the baby is in her belly! 

During the ultrasound, she turned to our cameras and said, "mommy's okay, mommy's okay!"  She's right.  Mommy is okay and very excited about baby number two.

The 4-D ultrasound is a totally new take on a widely used procedure.  Doctor's have been using ultrasounds for years to check baby measurements and positions, but this is strictly for entertainment. The 4D uses sound waves to capture images of the world inside the womb.

Renita Cuevas of TLC Ultrasound explains, "The 2D is black and white, the traditional images you see from one angle. The 4D takes it from multiple angles and the computer processes it to get an actual image of the baby.

3-D is the photo.  4-D is the video.

Renita says, "It's becoming more mainstream as it becomes more affordable."

We can see a foot and Jorge says, "It's amazing, it's unbelievable to see all that they're doing."

and check out what you might see -- a face, a foot, a hand, a mouth.

We saw the baby sticking out her tongue and licking her lips -- clear as day.  Baby's alive and well, but tired.  We also saw her yawn several times. 

Renita tells us, "We have the most macho of guys come in and the first time they see their babies, they get tears in their eyes."

Both Dad and Keira still have a lot of preparing to do.  Maybe Keira can teach baby sister some Spanish and she'll have to give up her crib, but that's no biggie since none of us ever plan on sleeping again.  She's ready and we're ready.

Keira says, " Baby sister, bye... bye.. baby sister... I see you soon... I love you"

The best time to do this is between 26-31 weeks of pregnancy.  TLC Ultrasound in Greenacres also offers a new service where you can actually streamline the session live on the web for family and friends.  The session can cost anywhere from around 1 to 3 hundred dollars.  Tara Cardoso, CBS 12 News.