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I am getting too far ahead of this pregnancy thing. Again, I am not pregnant yet, but I have been looking around for any pregnancy topics and concern i care to read and know about.

For today, it’s about the 3D ultrasound. I friend of mine showed me the ultrasound of their daughter and it looked amazing. Anyway, so here’s how the 2d (the black and white, grainy, picture that doctors usually give to pregnant women) and 3d (the ultra-cool-almost-real-photos which is an elective process) ultrasound works -

2D ultrasound works by “listening” to sound waves in a single plain. The ultrasound is directed straight down and reflected back up again. Think of it as being able to virtually slice a loaf of bread. The resulting black and white image is similar to looking at the face of a slice of bread.

3D ultrasounds work by a different process known as “surface rendering”. In this case, the same sound waves used in 2D are sent down – this time at different angles. These reflections are interpreted through sophisticated software, and a 3D image of the fetus is instantly created. Using the same “bread” analogy as before, the surface of the loaf is now being examined from the outside. Surface details can now be visualized with remarkable clarity.

4D ultrasound is captured in the same manner as 3D ultrasound. Instead of looking at a single still image (3D), you are now able to view live “video” of the fetus in the womb (4D).  (source)