For 10 years, sonographer Zeynal Ismayilov performed ultrasounds in hospitals. Pregnant women know the drill: you wait months for your appointment?longer still when it inevitably runs late?then you?re hustled into a tiny dark room. The technician isn?t allowed to tell you anything, and may even turn the screen away from you to discourage peeking, all while you make awkward one-sided conversation. If you ask nicely on the way out, the tech might print you a few shots to show family and friends, who will politely feign excitement at a blurry image that looks like every other ultrasound they?ve ever seen.
It was Ismayilov?s wife, marketer Fidan Ismayilova, who imagined a better way. ?We wanted to create the complete opposite of the ultrasound experience?something cozy, homey and luxurious,? she says. And in October 2015, A Date With Baby opened for business in Toronto.
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Here's how ultrasounds actually workSince the first private ultrasound clinic opened in Canada in 2013, hundreds of clinics offering non-medical, a.k.a. ?entertainment,? ultrasounds have popped up across the country, amid warnings from Health Canada about the possible health risks of excessive ultrasounds. They range from reputable to sketchy, say experts, but as the field fills wi...