A new boutique ultrasound studio is set to open in Prince Frederick next month, offering expectant families in Southern Maryland a chance to see and bond with their babies outside a traditional medical visit — a growing but medically debated corner of the pregnancy-services industry.
Precious Baby Sono, located at 131 Main Street, will begin taking appointments Sept. 1. It was founded by Carrie Cusick, who has worked as an OB/GYN sonographer for more than 25 years. Unlike diagnostic ultrasounds ordered as part of prenatal medical care, the studio offers elective sessions designed purely for bonding and keepsakes, available from as early as six weeks of pregnancy through 40 weeks. Depending on the stage, visits may include hearing the baby’s heartbeat, viewing 3D and 4D images, learning the baby’s sex starting at 15 weeks, and taking home printed images or other mementos. “As a sonographer — and as a mother myself — I know how special it is to have the chance to see your baby and take in that moment,” Cusick said, adding that she wanted to give families room to slow down and share the experience with people they love.
The studio is designed to be a family affair: partners, siblings and grandparents are all welcome to attend sessions alongside expectant mothers. Precious Baby Sono plans to be open weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., plus weekends from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with additional after-hours slots available by request.
Businesses like Precious Baby Sono have grown increasingly common nationwide, but they operate under a cloud of professional disapproval. The Food and Drug Administration classifies non-medical “keepsake” ultrasound imaging as an unapproved use of a prescription medical device and has repeatedly discouraged the practice since 2004, when it first issued a consumer warning on the trend. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine have separately endorsed a “prudent use” position opposing non-medically indicated ultrasound exposure, citing incomplete research on any long-term effects of unnecessary scanning, particularly when session length isn’t clinically controlled.
None of the major medical bodies claim keepsake ultrasounds have been shown to cause harm — the concern is the absence of long-term safety data, not established danger — and studios that follow so-called ALARA principles (as low as reasonably achievable exposure) and cap session times are generally considered to be operating more responsibly within that guidance. The medical groups’ core recommendation for expectant parents is that keepsake sessions shouldn’t replace routine prenatal ultrasounds performed by a treating physician’s office.
Precious Baby Sono’s marketing materials frame the studio explicitly as a bonding experience rather than a medical service, consistent with how similar businesses elsewhere have positioned themselves in response to the professional guidance. The studio does not appear to advertise itself as a substitute for standard prenatal care, and Cusick’s decades of clinical sonography background sets the business apart from some keepsake studios nationwide that have drawn criticism for employing operators without formal medical ultrasound training.
More information about Precious Baby Sono’s experiences, keepsakes and appointment scheduling is available at preciousbabysono.com.
