Lancashire mum leads the way with high-tech baby business

A Chorley mother of two has branched out into business and opened a high-tech private baby scanning studio in Lancashire.

Katie Kermode, 30, of Buckshaw Village, saw the gap in the market for a scan centre in the local area after recently having two children herself.

Baby:Boo opened its doors in Autumn boasting state of the art 4D ultrasound equipment with exclusive HD imaging.

HD imagery and 4D scanning is a relatively new technology that allows parents-to-be to see the face and features of their unborn baby in high definition. The 4th dimension is the real time movement, where baby can be seen wriggling and moving limbs.

Baby:Boo, based at The Boskins on Church Rd in Tarleton, is one of the few studios outside of London to offer the HD imagery and is currently the only studio in the North West.

Katie, who has juggled starting up the business and looking after her two young children, Alfie, 2, and Sienna, 6 months, is certain her hard work will pay off.

She said: “When I was pregnant with both Alfie and Sienna I paid numerous times for private scans as I just loved being able to see how my little babies were taking shape. I knew straight away it would be an excellent business idea to open a scan studio in Lancashire, and so many mums-to-be will enjoy the experience more at Baby:Boo due to the high quality HD imagery that is really rare outside of London.”

Baby:Boo has already had a high level of interest from expectant Lancashire ladies, with appointments fully booked throughout October and November, and the Christmas period also looking busy.

Katie is delighted, but not surprised at the take up rate so far: “Nine months is an incredibly long time when you’re so excited to meet your son or daughter. It is only natural that mums-to-be want to come in and have a 4D scan to assure them that baby was growing well – and to watch their baby wriggle around, wave and yawn. It is an incredible bonding experience.”

The NHS only offer basic 2D scans at 12 and 20 weeks, which are solely for medical purposes and do not give an insight as to what the babies look like facially. Baby:Boo are offering ladies the chance to see their babies close up in 3D and 4D to get a real insight as to what their little ones will look like.

Katie says: “The state of the art HD equipment we have invested in is incredibly clear and accurate, showing parents-to-be the facial features of their unborn child. Many women find that waiting from the 20 week scan until the baby is due at 40 weeks is a long time to not see their little one, so coming for a HD scan at around 28-30 weeks breaks up that long wait and is the perfect time frame to see baby’s face before it gets too crowded in the womb.”

Baby:Boo also offers a gender reveal scan from 16 weeks, with 99% accuracy at 4 weeks earlier than the NHS scan at 20 weeks where the gender reveal is an option.

Katie added: “At the 20 week NHS scan if the baby is in the wrong position and the gender cannot be distinguished some couples end up disappointed as the NHS doesn’t offer a re-scan. Here at Baby:Boo we can offer a specific gender reveal scan from as early as 16 weeks and if baby has his or her legs crossed, we have special techniques to change baby’s position. On the rare occasion baby won’t co-operate, we offer a re-scan free of charge.”

Pregnant ladies can also benefit from private scans at Baby:Boo from as early as 7 weeks for early reassurance and to check for multiple pregnancies such as twins or triplets, before the NHS scan at 12 weeks.

Katie and husband Craig are not currently planning to have any more children, but if Mother Nature blesses them again Katie admits she will be her own biggest customer: “I would be on there every day watching him or her grow, there’d be no appointments left for customers and my takings would be down. It would totally be worth it though – it is a priceless experience.” www.babybooscan.co.uk