Every pregnant woman knows the excitement of seeing an image of her baby in utero.
That doctor’s appointment when the ultrasound is performed is one of the highlights of pregnancy. Getting a glimpse of the baby boy or girl who will soon make an appearance is simply magical.
What if it the experience could be taken one step further?
Billie Jo Hardin, mother of a three-year-old girl and an 11-month-old boy, wanted to find out. Hardin was on a mission. In November, she opened Peekaboo Baby Ultrasound in Port Warwick. The business is geared toward pregnant women wanting an up close and personal look at their unborn baby.
Peekaboo Baby specializes in 3D and 4D ultrasounds. The ultrasounds can reveal the gender of the baby as early as 16 weeks, and Hardin pulls out all the stops to throw a gender reveal celebration for those parents and their families.
The business also offers a service through a company called Sneak Peek that through a blood test can determine the baby’s sex as early as eight weeks into the pregnancy.
Peekaboo Baby is homey and stylish, not at all clinical like a doctor’s office. Parents view the ultrasound on a huge TV screen.
“I wanted to offer something beautiful to moms,” says Hardin, 37. “I want everyone to feel super comfortable here.”
Hardin chose Port Warwick because she didn’t want to be in a strip mall and felt like the development was “very boutique-ish.” She purchased the building and began transforming it into Peekaboo Baby. Newport News was the perfect backdrop for the business because of the city’s high pregnancy rate due to the heavy military presence.
Kira Livingston, Peekaboo Baby’s ultrasound technician, performs the ultrasounds and walks the parents through exactly what they are seeing. They receive a video of the ultrasound on a jump drive and can even record the baby’s heartbeat to play inside of a stuffed animal they take home.
“Having a baby is a miracle,” Hardin says. “Falling in love with that baby before it arrives is just the best feeling on the planet.”
Livingston, Hardin says, adores what she does and has a wonderful time, sharing her skills with Peekaboo Baby clients. Each ultrasound session is between 30 minutes and an hour.
“She’s so sweet. She loves to see babies,” Hardin says of Livingston. “She’s very passionate about it. She loves it so much, she takes all the time in the world.”
The ultrasounds can be most entertaining, Hardin says. On a recent day, parents saw their baby kick himself in the nose and started laughing. Babies have been seen waving and moving all around.
“There are so many ‘aw’ moments that happen,” Hardin says. “It’s charming and it makes me happy.”
At this point, Peekaboo Baby is open by appointment only on the weekends. Hardin is hoping to eventually expand the hours. She would one day like to franchise the business.
Hardin also owns Dolce Vida Salon in Yorktown. Running two businesses while raising two small children keeps her hopping from one place to another.
“I’m crazy. I’m a doer,” she says with a chuckle. “I am one of those. I love when people around me are happy; I vibe off of other people’s energy. And I gravitate to anything that’s fun and cool,” she adds.
Peekaboo Baby checks both of those boxes. No wonder Hardin is in her happy place.
TO THE POINT:
Peekaboo Baby Ultrasound
Address: 107 Herman Melville Ave.,
Newport News, VA 23606
Contact: Billie Jo Hardin, 757-594-0999
Website: www.peekaboobabyultrasound.com
Be the first to comment