Baby Preview: One Woman’s Experience – Part 1

Have you ever wondered if what you do every day really makes a difference in someone else’s life?  Many times, business owners are somewhat removed from the impact they have on others.

Unless you are Lorraine Paradinovich who owns Baby Preview in Wauwatosa, a place to experience 3D and 4D ultrasounds. Lorraine profoundly affected one local woman when she needed it most and I’m thrilled to share her story here.

Because it is not my story to tell, I am going to let Korine share her experience in her own words over the next few days.

My unborn daughter Gabrielle had a rare terminal chromosomal condition called Trisomy 18. The prognosis was she might not make it to term or if she did she would only live a matter of days. I wanted to see her alive inside me in an atmosphere that was comfortable and felt special, not in a diagnostic hospital setting, since most of my visits were very very sad and draining.

Korine with Baby Preview owner, Lorraine.

 I knew about Baby Preview prior to getting pregnant and had always dreamed of going there for a special treat to myself and my family……..little did I know what circumstances I would end up going there for. I had 3 boys and at the time, they were 2, 7 and 9. We were very honest with them about what was happening to their sister, so they really wanted to have any opportunity to see her alive as well. Since we were running against time, I thought taking them along might be their only opportunity to see their sister alive.


My hopes were to finally feel calm, magical and happy for a moment in time during this pregnancy. I wanted this for my husband and for my boys as well. We so adored this little girl and it was so hard to stay in the moment…..which is one of the gifts Gabrielle taught us. I had hoped that while at Baby Preview my little boys, husband and myself could simply enjoy the fact a little girl was coming to us. No matter how sick or how long …she was real and coming into our lives. This was my dream daughter, so I felt celebrating her this way would help me continue to heal and continue on my journey of grief. Those were my expectations and why……little did I know how the experience would transcend any expectations i could have dreamed of.

The phone call was the beginning of feeling a type of compassion I ached for at that time. Lorraine was so understanding and sweet on the phone and made me feel so comfortable in explaining the situation. She set up the appointment when she knew she had an extra block of time so we didn’t have to rush.

The date arrived and I made the whole day special for my boys…. we went out to breakfast and looked at the website and I told them what we were about to do. They were so so excited to see their sister, Gabrielle. We left our 2 year old at home since he would be taking a nap at that time. So my husband and 2 sons, Stefan and Evan, walked in…. Lorraine was there smiling and welcoming us. I was so so happy that day.

By the grace of God I was able to set aside the misery in my heart and just enjoy the experience like any other mom. I was fulfilling a dream of mine….having a daughter, going to Baby preview and experiencing the magic of 3D/4D ultrasound. The room was so inviting and the ultra sound tech was very nice to me, especially when my little girl wouldn’t turn for us to see her!! They were patient and had me drink juice and walk around and then finally we saw her…..that beautiful face! She was moving and putting her hands in her mouth……all up on that big screen. My sons were saying “wow, look at that !” “oh I can see her mouth move”, “Wow this is so amazing!”, We were in there so long and listening to this magical soothing music watching my daughter floating around like all was well in her world……..and it dawned on me all WAS well in her world she was happy and calm and not suffering a bit. To her, life inside me was wonderful and so I realized I was giving her a good little life of love and comfort for how ever long it would last.

It was an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life…….I will also remember I never stopped smiling in that room and that whole day….i felt normal and calm and very fulfilled


I had my “moment” in time. I also felt like this experience was my “insurance policy” …. I feared my sons would never see her alive and now they did. We had it on DVD and could watch it whenever we wanted. If she would have died without us seeing her alive first that would have been very devastating to my boys…..I knew now we could move forward on our journey knowing we got to see her alive as a family, together.

Now when it was time to see the pictures and pick out what we wanted that turned out to be just as powerful. My boys, husband and I gathered around Lorraine and she showed us what we had to choose from. My boys were very “into it” they were going back and forth and saying “I want this one” I love these pictures”. Lorraine said pick what you like and i will blow it up to a 5X7.  I asked her how much do i owe her, I brought out my check book and she said you owe me nothing……put that away.

Be sure to check back in tomorrow for the happy conclusion to this amazing story!

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